Avondale Estates has been pretty much the ignored and unloved red-headed stepchild when compared to the number one son, Decatur... AE has never been much to look at but the area has been quietly building new developments like crazy and the prices have been creeping up steadily. The people in the know are secretly buying up property there... And when the real estate prices start to rise in a depressed area, businesses are going to notice and make a move. For example, a pho joint would be the last thing you would think of opening around these parts but Vietvana has been doing brisk business since they opened. Due to demand and the need to self medicate this entire year, the handful of breweries have reopened with enough space inside and out to safely operate and the community seems to be much happier. And more recently, a newish BBQ joint has quietly and finally opened after a 2 year build out and started serving in late July in an old remodeled convenient store. I have been keeping tabs on this joint as have many others waiting to see if the manmeats will be a worthy addition to the competitive BBQ scene in this town. From the reports and pictures I have read and seen, it looked like the BBQ needed a little more time to be ready for prime time. So, after 3 months of waiting and giving them extra time to work out the opening kinks, I thought it's about time to see what the fuss was about this place. I checked out their website and it looks like their online ordering process is up and running... But I prefer to order in person just in case there are specials... Oh, and there were, they were pushing the brisket eggrolls, hard.
Let's go take a first look...
Let's take a closer look at the manmeat... Hold on, let me get my bifocals on because it looks a little dry... I asked for sliced but somehow they haven't had sliced brisket for awhile, only available in big cubes. I then asked how long would the wait be if I wanted sliced brisket... They said they don't have any brisket that can be sliced... I'm like what. da. fuk. yo. Tell-tale sign that the smoked meats were not being served the same day. Most likely they were keeping inventory from the day before or longer to serve today.
Pulled Pork, Mac & Cheese, Pickle Vinegar Slaw, White Bread, Sweet BBQ Sauce, $13. What is that... Sun dried dreadlocks? Holy shit, that pulled pork looked like it was cured in a salt crust. Wait, did I order pork jerky... Is it on the menu? I think we need to let the pork breathe a little... But in the mean time let's sample the sides. The mac should be called mac & mac because it was chalky, flavorless and cheeseless. It was all stuck together, no ooze, no pull, no crispy bits... They should have a sign out front for this like the no shirt, no shoes, no service. The pickle vinegar slaw... Well, if pouring diluted vinegar on top of shredded cabbage to order constitute as being pickled, then more power to them. Let's get back to the Bob Marley jerk pork...
Jesus, a blind man can see this desert mirage... It's like seeing a chick from afar that you think is good looking, but the closer it gets, it's far from good. The closer I inspected this specimen the more it looked like the surface on Mars... It was dry and reddish looking. I poked it with a fork and it was like a rubber sole, it had no give. It's no secret what this was gonna chew and taste like... It brought back memories of my papaw's old leather belt that he used to beat me with. I tried to eat 2 pieces drowning in the very weak lingering ghost pepper sauce to get it down but in the end I got the horns messing with this bull... Shit. The only thing that was lingering in this entire thing was regret. Maybe I can use the rest of it as a mother for a beef stew.
Oh, boy, look at that exhibit... All I could hear in the back of my pea brain was... Said I remember when we used to eat, in the parking lot of Heirloom... So dry your tears I say, and no Pouch, no cry. I sampled a piece that looked the most tender and it was like Clark chewing on that turkey in Christmas Vacation. Cousin Eddie, I think I found the neck you wanted... Wait, it might be the heart. This was unbelievable, both proteins, two of the most celebrated staples of the BBQ standard was utterly disappointing. How could they serve this compacted saw dust in the shape of beef and pork with a straight face is beyond me... Isn't the number rule of cooking is to always taste taste taste?
I didn't want to waste the meat that I paid for, so, I thought about what I could do with them... I ended chopping them up into smaller pieces soaking them in a broth for a bit and then making flied lice with it... And it tasted fucking great.
I will probably never go back after this dismal display but I do hope they get their shit together and wish them the best of luck. I would prefer them to have a smaller inventory of freshly smoked meats and running out early than to have an abundance of days old meats held in inventory.
2759 E College Avenue
Decatur, GA 30030
http://www.taylordbarbq.com/
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