KC Pit

Date: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Restaurant: KC Pit
Location: 6317 Roswell Road Atlanta, GA 30328
URL: http://www.kcpitbbq.com/

Score 6.5
KC Pit has recently changed locations. The new building made KC Pit change from a dive BBQ joint to an upscale dining experience. Jazz music, waterfall behind the hostess stand, fancy linens, BBQ sauce in mini silver containers…. If you are going on a nice date but still want to eat BBQ, then KC Pit is the place for you. Some may call it "GayC Pit".

Over all the food was pretty good but not the best. The beef was very good. Ribs and pork were good. None of the meat had a smoky flavor. And none of the meat came with sauce, so you can eat it without the mess. They all came platted fancy with garnishes. The sauces were both really good KC style sauces. One thick molasses (without the strong molasses flavor) and the other was a ketchup base with spices (without a strong ketchup taste).

Mac & Cheese was very good; it too was platted all pretty like. Brunswick stew extra meaty. Sweet potato fries were a nice touch.

Pork Sand (1 Side) - $5
Beef Sand (2 Sides) - $8
1/2 Rack - $13

Mason
Overall Score: 6.5
Main Dish Taste:
Pulled Pork - 7
Ribs – 6.5
Sauce: 7.5
Tenderness:7
Sides Taste :
Brunswick Stew - 7
Mac & Cheese – 8.5
Service: 7
Atmosphere:1
Cost: 8
Comments: This is the first time I have ever heard contemporary jazz being played at a BBQ joint. This was a very confusing place. Very contemporary atmosphere, even the menus. Then you open them up and everything looks the way it should at a BBQ joint, even the prices. The food came out and was good. After about 3 bites it just began to have this very chainy taste to it, as if it was not cooked with care. No smoked flavor in the pulled pork or ribs, which were about the same quality. The mac and cheese is the only item which I can say was worth the trip. I also must mention the fact that the BBQ sauce was served in a little silver pitcher-like container that looked like it would come out on a platter to some rich kid being served breakfast in bed. And we had to beg for it, our waiter had to bring more about 4 times due to the small amount. I do like that fact that this place is unique, even if it is not what I am looking for. Overall, I say pass unless you like eating BBQ with a silk shirt on.

Matt
Overall Score:7
Main Dish Taste:
Beef - 9
Ribs – 7.5
Sauce:8.5
Tenderness:
Beef – 9.5
Ribs – 7
Sides Taste :
Brunswick Stew – 7.5
Mac & Cheese – 8
Sweet Potato Fries – 9
Service: 8
Atmosphere:4
Cost: 8
Comments: This KC Pit BBQ is definitely not the same KC Pitt it was 2 years ago. I felt like I was walking into some hit midtown restaurant/bar. Even the menu screams, "we are fancy". The beef was very tender and tasty. It did not have any sauce on it, but it didn't need it. They served two sauces. One a thick KC style, sweet and thick, but it was not too sweet. The other was more tomatoes based with bits of species. The ribs were OK. They didn't have sauces either, but they needed some. Neither meat had a real smoky flavor, it seems they were both mostly cooked in the oven.
The stew was thick, but did not have much stew flavor. Most of the taste is the meat. The Mac & Cheese was very good. It is cafeteria style but much better. I also had some good sweet potato fries.

Dan
Overall Score:6
Main Dish Taste:
Pulled Pork – 6.5
Ribs - 7
Sauce:6.5
Tenderness:5
Sides Taste :
Fries - 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere:2
Cost: 8
Comments: The place was clean, the menus were very sturdy and well put together, the service was courteous and polite, and there was no chance of me getting dirty at all during my meal. This is NOT what I want from my BBQ experience. The restaurant was high scale but the food was low scale.
All in all, the food wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t memorable. The ribs were tasty, the pork was ok, and the fries were good. However, when the French fries are the best part of the meal, that’s not a good thing. We may need to try the "low class" KC Pit to give it a real chance.

Swallow At The Hollow

Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Restaurant: Swallow At The Hollow
Location: 1072 Green Street, Roswell, GA‎
URL: theswallowatthehollow.com
Recommended By: Mason

7.83

A trip to Swallow at the Hollow may give you the feeling that you are at a North Georgia hollow. The restaurant is off a small side road, gravel parking lot, and the building seems to be made of all old wood. Right in front of the open kitchen there is a large canoe filled with beer. There is also a stage, but no music during lunch.
Every table is set with three BBQ sauces (Carolina Vinegar, Carolina Mustard, Thick KC) plus additional hot sauces. Mixing the three together made for an excellent sauce. The baby back ribs are very tender and covered in the KC style sauce. The sauce is thick and has a strong molasses flavor, not everyone’s favorite. The chopped beef was tender but did not have any sauce, when sauce was added it was pretty good. The pulled pork was good – “some of the best I have every had”.
Each order came with a choice of homemade bread, Texas toast or biscuits. All were better than the average BBQ joint. The mac & cheese was outstanding, very creamy. The Brunswick stew was very soupy and had corn meal bits in it. They just threw the taste off. Fried Green tomatoes were too thick so they came out under cooked, and the breading was a little flakey, more like they were baked and not fried.
The biggest downside is the price. A plate with 2 sides is $13. A bit pricy for lunch, although it is enough for 2 people to share.


Mason
Overall Score: 8
Main Dish Taste:
      Pulled Pork – 9.5
      Ribs – 3.5 (I hate Baby Back Ribs)
Sauce:9.5
Tenderness:8
Sides Taste :
      Brunswick Stew - 6
      Mac & Cheese - 9
Service: 8.5
Atmosphere:9
Cost: 5
Comments: To get to Swallow at the Hollow you have to drive through some questionable streets. It feels like you are back in the woods. The entire building is made of wood except for the roof. Really cool atmosphere. The portions at this place are enormous. Two people could easily share a normal pork plate, which may explain the $14 i paid for lunch (without tip). The pulled pork was excellent, some of the best I have had. Great Smokey flavor. The sauce was awesome because you get three different kinds (sweet, spicy, mustard based) and mix away. The mac and cheese was excellent as well. The Brunswick stew had a good taste but an almost grainy texture, it was just too different so i have to say pass. Which leaves the ribs. They were the smallest ribs we have seen to date and absolutely caked with a dark thick sauce that resembled molasses. Not really my style of rib. Overall, great atmosphere, country style portions, great BBQ, not so much with the ribs, and expect to pay more.

Dan
Overall Score:7.5
Main Dish Taste:
      Pulled Pork – 8.5
      Ribs – 8.5
Sauce:8
Tenderness:8
Sides Taste :
      Fries – 7
      Biscuit - 7
Service: 8
Atmosphere:9
Cost: 4
Comments: Having been there recently, my expectation were extremely high. While it didn’t quite deliver up to my expectations, it was still a very solid experience. The atmosphere is exactly what you want out of a bbq place, a nice rustic feel. The number of different option on the sauce was fabulous, not to mention how good it was why you mixed the sauces together. The pork was good, but the ribs were better. Tasty and tender. The ribs were a little small, but that’s what you get with baby back ribs. My one main complaint with the place was the price. Definitely more expensive than the other places, and when you know it can be done well for cheaper, that what I expect. All in all though a very solid place and I would definitely go back.

Matt
Overall Score:8
Main Dish Taste:
      Beef - 8
      Ribs – 8.5
Sauce:8
Tenderness:8
Sides Taste :
      Brunswick Stew - 8
      Mac & Cheese – 9
      Fried Green Tomatoes - 7
      Texas Toast - 9
Service: 8
Atmosphere:9
Cost: 6
Comments: Pulling into Swallow at the Hollow, I had the feeling that I was up in the North GA Mountains. The building looks like an old country farm house. The inside is just as rustic. The menu was a bit pricy, especially for lunch. But the platter can easily be spit. I did like the number of options that you had. You can get the beef or pork, chopped or sliced; three types of bread, white, Texas toast, or biscuit (all homemade); Carolina, KC and Carolina Mustard sauces.
I got my beef chopped; fairly tender with a good smoky flavor. It did not come with any sauce. I ended up mixing all three, which came out very well. The ribs were very tender baby back ribs. There were smothered in the KC style sauce, a little too much for me, and I love sauce, plus the sauce had a bit too much of a molasses flavor. The mac & cheese was very creamy, very delicious. The Brunswick stew was more like a soup with bits of corn meal in it. It had a different taste to it. The fried green tomato was a little thick so it did not cook all the way and the breading with a little crumby.

Spiced Right

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Restaurant: Spiced Right
Location:635 Atlanta Street, Roswell, GA 30075
URL: http://www.spicedright.com/
Recommended By: Josh

Score 8.17

Spiced Right may not be spiced completly right but their BBQ is done right. While there was only one sauce to choose from, and it was just OK, their ribs and beef brisket were excelent. Most of the sides were top notch, but the beans were a bit sweet. Overal atmosphere and service is what you would expect from a BBQ joint.


Matt
Overall Score: 8.5
Main Dish Taste:
Beef Brisket - 9
Ribs - 8
Sauce: 7.5
Tenderness: 8.5
Sides Taste:
Brunswick Stew - 9
Baked Beans - 8
Service: 8
Atmosphere:9
Cost: 7
Comments:
Both the Ribs and Beef were nice and tender. The ribs that I got were a little fatty and had small bones, but the meat was really good. The beef came without sauce; once I added sauce it was perfect. The Brunswick stew was very good. The beans were a good but a bit sweet. The sauce was a mix of thick and vinegar. I liked it because it had sweet and spicy. But there was no other choice.
The Atmosphere at Spiced Right is what you would expect from a BBQ joint; Old signs on the walls, worn concrete floors, and a large smoker outside. You order up front and they bring you the food. I ordered the combo meal, 2 meats 2 sides, which was $11, a bit pricy. If you get 1 meat 2 side its $7. Much more reasonable.
Label: Dive BBQ


Mason
Overall Score: 9
Main Dish Taste:
Ribs - 8.5
Pulled Pork - 6.5
Sauce:6.5
Tenderness:9
Sides Taste:
Fries
Hashbrown Caserole - 9.5
Service: 9
Atmosphere:9
Cost: 8.5
Comments:
If I would have just got the ribs then this would have been very close to a 10. The pulled pork was just very mediocre. There was only one sauce and it was "OK". But very authentic BBQ experience!


Dan
Overall Score:
Main Dish Taste:
Ribs - 8.5
Pulled Pork - 4
Sauce:4
Tenderness:8
Sides Taste:
French Fries - 8
Service: 8
Atmosphere:8
Cost: 7
Comments:Ribs and fries were great. Pulled Pork and Sauce to so much.


Josh
Overall Score: 7
Main Dish Taste: Ribs - 7
Sauce: 6
Tenderness: 7
Sides Taste:
Fries - 10
Baked Beans - 5.5
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Cost: 7
Comments:
The ribs are excellent, but the sauce is not very exciting and
there is only one choice. The fresh-cut fries are some of the
best that I have ever had and I would eat at Spiced Right only
for the fries without hesitation. The baked beans are barely
one notch above those you would buy in a can at the grocery
store, not very exciting. Atmosphere is. . . lacking - just what
you would expect from an authentic BBQ joint.