Ott's to keep driving!

Being a BBQ enthusist, I've been eager for the famed Ott's BBQ to reopen. For months I've saw blogs of folks recounting just how great the sauce was. Having opened last week, the Prodigal Pig, yours truly, made the trip over the hill (If the wind blows just right I can smell the smoker cooking) to see what this Ott's was all about.

The renovations to the resteraunt looked fantastic - although somewhat upscale from many of the BBQ joints I've frequented. Since it was a nice evening, the family decided to sit outside on the patio. Having two smaller kids, I gave my wife my order and then took the kids outside to get situated.

I should have know something was wrong with the place shortly after my wife appeared on the patio with "the" look. You know the look, the one where something was expensive or where she just encountered bad service of some sort. Turns out that in order to finance the renovations, Ott's has set their prices too high and skimped on the amount of meat they include.

Having recently acquired a taste for french food, I still held out hope in that sometimes small portions of excellent quality food more than make up the difference. Since I've been on a diet and exercise campaigne, I didn't really need the USUAL amount of pork I have been known to consume. Which brings me to another negative point...not a single available side dish had the hint of being healty (no side salad, green beans, corn-on-the-cob, etc.). So I opened up the sandwhich and was amazed at the lack of pork. Nevertheless, I charged on. The first bite of my sandwhich was nothing spectacular, in fact, not even half-way good. The pulled pork had very little, if any, smokey flavor. Further, the meat had large pieces of fat still attached. Hoping that the sauce would add value to the meat, I grabbed a bottle and covered the bun liberally...what a mistake. The sauce, to me, had an overwhelming pepper taste...

So, my first trip (and perhaps only) to Ott's was a HUGE disappointment! As the title suggests, perhaps next time I "Ott's" to just keep driving...for further down the road is Buddy's BBQ which, in my humble opinion, is MUCH MUCH better and less expensive. Better yet, continue on to Famous Dave's or the Bread of Heaven.