Dinosaur BBQ
Rochester, New York
June 21, 2010
Those who know me, or at least those who read my political blog, know that I don’t shy away from controversy. In fact, I enjoy throwing out a provocative piece and engaging in the back and forth discussion that ensues. Yet, the next sentence that I write may be the most controversial thing that I’ve ever written:
The best barbeque in the world may be in upstate New York.
At this point, I can imagine my Southern friends wailing and rendering their garments. But I have eaten barbeque all over the South, and I can say with certainty that none of that barbeque, no matter how delicious, could touch that of Dinosaur Barbeque in Syracuse and Rochester, NY.
I first read about Dinosaur Barbeque in a sidebar in one of my barbeque cookbooks several years ago. Shortly thereafter, we were traveling through upstate New York, for some reason, and I decided to stop at Dinosaur Barbeque in Syracuse. It was as close to a religious experience as I’ve had in a restaurant. I wrote about it on my barbeque review blog and suffered the slings and arrows from my Southern friends, who were convinced that I had gone utterly bat-guano insane. It wasn’t long afterwards that my entire blog went “Poof!” and I lost that review to the ether of the internet. (Sabotage arising from Alabama? Hmmmmmmm.)
I have since been back to Dinosaur Barbeque three more times – once to the original Syracuse location and twice more to Rochester. In each case, at each location, the experience has been equally as sublime.
Dinosaur Barbeque started out as a biker bar in downtown Syracuse, NY. Both the Syracuse and Rochester locations retain much of that original atmosphere. In a previous paragraph, I referred to Dinosaur Barbeque as a restaurant. That was not entirely correct. Dinosaur Barbeque is definitely a “joint”.
The Dinosaur Barbeque in Rochester is located in a great setting, overlooking a river and small dam. As you walk across the bridge (unless you are very lucky, you will not get a parking space close to the joint) you begin to smell the wood smoke emitting from the smokers. The first time we went to the Rochester location, a guy was in the parking lot, actually splitting wood for the smoker with an axe. Both times I’ve been, the front parking lot has been filled with motorcycles.
Walking into the place, there is no doubt that you are in a barbeque joint. There is no other type of food it could serve. The floors and walls are wood. The walls are hung with posters for blues concerts and Harley-Davidson paraphenalia. The men’s room of the Syracuse location is covered with graffiti – much of which is definitely not family friendly. The Rochester location retains less of the biker bar feel than the Syracuse location. The wait staff is much less scary in Rochester than in Syracuse where biker chicks man the bar and bring your food. But the food in each location is equally as good.
As with most barbeque joints, if you leave Dinosaur Barbeque hungry, it is your own fault. You will receive an oversized platter heaping with big piles of meat and sides. A single platter is enough to feed a third world family for a week, or a pair of Americans for lunch.
Every piece of meat I’ve eaten at Dinosaur Barbeque has been perfectly smoked, retaining a definite, but not overpowering, smoky flavor. The meat has been perfectly tender and moist, but not mushy. (“Falling off the bone” barbeque is a pet peeve of mine. Ribs should be tender enough to pull away from the bone cleanly and easily with the teeth, but if it falls off the bone when you pick it up, it is overdone and too soft.) While I am partial to pork ribs and pulled pork, the beef brisket and chicken are also very well done. They also have smoked turkey, which I love, but have never tried because I can’t imagine not getting the pork and even I can’t eat enough to get turkey on top of that.
While there are a number of pepper sauces (Tabasco, etc.) on the tables, there are two Dinosaur labeled sauces. The regular sauce is sweet, but not too sweet, and flavorful. It compliments the meat well without overpowering the smoky taste. My favorite sauce, however, is the Wango Tango habanero sauce. It tastes much like the regular sauce but has a little bit of a bite without making your mouth feel as if you’ve just ingested hot lava.
In addition to the main course of barbequed meat, Dinosaur also has a full range of appetizers and sides. We ordered the fried green tomatoes, which I’d never had before, but certainly will have, again. Appetizers also include such items as Cajun deviled eggs and fried salmon strips. There is an abundance of sides, including such things as cucumber and tomato salad (excellent), mac and cheese (which I would have gotten had I not been on a diet – don’t laugh), rice and gravy and a number of others, including the traditional French fries and baked beans.
The drawback of Dinosaur Barbeque is the prices. While they seem quite reasonable for the amount and quality of food you get, they are higher than a number of other barbeque joints. Most of the barbeque platters run around $12 - $22, but the platters can be easily shared and the quality is tremendous. Sandwiches may be purchased for around $7 - $8, but why would you do that?
Dinosaur Barbeque is a perfect combination of smoke, food, and atmosphere. So if you are looking for possibly the best barbeque in the United States, start looking north.
Pros: Simply the best barbeque I’ve found. Great ambience.
Cons: A touch pricey.
BBQ: ***** Service: ***1/2
Sauce: ***** Sides: *****
Ambience: ***** Overall: *****
99 Court Street
Rochester, NY 14604
585-325-7090
246 W. Willow Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-476-4937
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
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