BBQ and Southern in Northern VA?

Hello,

Is Ben's Whole Hog BBQ in Manassas, VA still around, still good?
Any other BBQ place in the northern VA area worth the hike (besides willards)? Anyone recommend any place for some southern food in Northern VA? I miss some good fried chicken and biscuits...

Thanks in advance!

Blade X-
I believe Ben's Whole Hog has been closed for a while. I recommend Dixie Bones BBQ in Woodbridge.

http://www.dixiebones.com/

BB, all the way from Pittsburgh, hits the nail on the head with his barbecue rec.

For southern food, I'd go into DC to the Florida Avenue Grill - reviewed here, click the restaurants tab at the top of the page.

quote:

Originally posted by buffetbuster

Blade X-
I believe Ben's Whole Hog has been closed for a while. I recommend Dixie Bones BBQ in Woodbridge.

http://www.dixiebones.com/

Thanks, I have been there already. I do like it, just wondering if there was something a little close, I live in Centreville and Ben's would have been less than a mile from me ;). Thanks though!

quote:

Originally posted by douginvirginia

BB, all the way from Pittsburgh, hits the nail on the head with his barbecue rec.

For southern food, I'd go into DC to the Florida Avenue Grill - reviewed here, click the restaurants tab at the top of the page.

Thanks, Ill be sure to check it out.

Try the Mighty Midget Kitchen in Leesburg. Real good ribs....kinda limited hours.

Blade X;

For BBQ: Try "BBQ Country" in the truck stop area on Rt 29 south of Warrenton before you get to Opal and the intersection of Rt 17. May sound like a trek but it doesn't really take that much time from where you're at. Definitely try the beef brisket while there... very good!

For Southern: Try "Flavors Soul Food" in Falls Church. here's the website:

www.flavorssoulfood.com/

Great fried chicken. There are some good friend chicken places in VA but most involve a roadtrip of some sort. This one is pretty close by.

Hope that helps.
best regards

I should point out I've only been to BBQ Country once and for that visit found the food worthwhile. If you're willing to travel a little farther afield... you could hit the Pig N Steak in Madison.

www.pigandsteak.com/index.php

quote:

Originally posted by Ride2Eat

Blade X;

For BBQ: Try "BBQ Country" in the truck stop area on Rt 29 south of Warrenton before you get to Opal and the intersection of Rt 17. May sound like a trek but it doesn't really take that much time from where you're at. Definitely try the beef brisket while there... very good!

For Southern: Try "Flavors Soul Food" in Falls Church. here's the website:

flavorssoulfood.com/

Great fried chicken. There are some good friend chicken places in VA but most involve a roadtrip of some sort. This one is pretty close by.

Hope that helps.
best regards

Thanks, I tried Flavors, didnt care for it much. The chicken was beyond oily and ribs were, lets just say 1 out of 5. Ill check out the other places though.

quote:

Originally posted by rebeltruce

Try the Mighty Midget Kitchen in Leesburg. Real good ribs....kinda limited hours.

Yeah, REAL "limited hours" as in:




See[url='http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2067&whichpage=2']here[/url], FYI.

At Flavors, I didn't try anything but the fried chicken... so can't speak for the ribs. I went on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't packed at all, maybe they had the luxury of paying more attention to my food. If you're willing to head even farther south -- this place is in Charlottesville:

http://www.waysidechicken.com/

And I've read (but haven't tried it) that the restaurant Madam's Organ in DC also has very good friend chicken.

There used to be a place in rural Maryland we used to reach by going over Whites Ferry in Leesburg which had the best fried chicken I've tasted around here. The restaurant wa called Staub's Country Inn. Ordering chicken involved a 45 minute wait -- which was easily accommodated by their great yeast rolls. My own search started when I discovered this place had gone out of business. A real shame.

quote:

Originally posted by Ride2Eat

There used to be a place in rural Maryland we used to reach by going over Whites Ferry in Leesburg which had the best fried chicken I've tasted around here. The restaurant wa called Staub's Country Inn. Ordering chicken involved a 45 minute wait -- which was easily accommodated by their great yeast rolls. My own search started when I discovered this place had gone out of business. A real shame.

You are sooooo very right, Ride2Eat, as lamented[url='http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=491&whichpage=3']here[/url], Beallsville, Maryland's since passed Staub's was phenomenal.

thanks for the link i95...

I'm right with you, it is absolutely lamentable. I still remember the last time we went there not knowing they'd closed. We thought it was unusual the parking lot was empty -- the air was suddenly still and an eery sense was palpable like a scene from the twilight zone. Our fears were confirmed when we walked up and read the sign on the door. That was a sad day. And, I still haven't found its equal anywhere in this area though the search goes on...

quote:

Originally posted by i95

quote:

Originally posted by rebeltruce

Try the Mighty Midget Kitchen in Leesburg. Real good ribs....kinda limited hours.

Yeah, REAL "limited hours" as in:




See[url='http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2067&whichpage=2']here[/url], FYI.

Yup, it looks like they've moved out to Route 9, just off seven. I haven't been there yet, I hope that isn't the place that is closed!

Now about Staubs! Staubs was a regular motorbike ride for me and several of my friends also! I can still remember almost crying when we rolled up one Sunday afternoon only to find the doors locked.

The 45 minute wait was well worth it, and those rolls!!!!!!!!!!!! I had tried just about the entire menu at Staubs, but always came back to that Fried Chicken!!!! The meatloaf sandwich was also excellent.

I remember going there for the first time and ordering a four piece and being told that it would be a 45 minute wait, well no one in the group was willing to wait, so we all vowed to come back the following weekend for a big chicken dinner. Just so happened one of my buddies ordered a chicken sandwich............yup you guessed it 45 minutes later he was treated to the best chicken sandwhich any of us had ever seen. We all had ordered something else...and had to wait the 45 minutes anyway.....ILMAO!!!!!!!!

That was OK cuz the anticipation of coming back the next weekend only made the chicken dinner all the better!!!!!!!!!!!

The ice cream was awesome also!!!


Here is the new address for the Mighty Midget in case anyone is interested, looks like they've got a little gourmet store now also.....

Paeonian Grocery & Gourmet
40602 Charles Town Pike
Paeonian Springs, VA
20129 US

quote:

Originally posted by Ride2Eat

And, I still haven't found its equal anywhere in this area though the search goes on...

One somewhat nearby place which comes close (at least in the made-to-order fried chicken part) -- and, surprisingly, a place I have yet to mention on these boards -- is Cindy Dee's restaurant in Knoxville, Maryland (19112 Keep Tryst Rd, 301 / 695-8181) off of Route 340 just north of Harper's Ferry, WV and or the Potomac River.

The place has certainly seen better days and its mashed potatoes are straight out of a box...




...but its 25-minute-wait fried chicken -- hailed as "excellent" by[url='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2003/09/24/AR2005033107130.html']The Washington Post[/url] -- is the real deal and worth the trip.

quote:

Originally posted by rebeltruce

Here is the new address for the Mighty Midget...

Yup. Such was covered on the same aforementioned[url='http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2067&whichpage=2']link[/url].

i95;

thanks very much for the tip about Cindy Dees -- thats great news, I'm not familiar with them at all. I will definitely make the trip sometime soon.

cheers!

quote:

Originally posted by i95

quote:

Originally posted by rebeltruce

Here is the new address for the Mighty Midget...

Yup. Such was covered on the same aforementioned[url='http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2067&whichpage=2']link[/url].

DOH!!!

I was so impressed with allman's Barbecue in Fredericksburg that we went not just once but twice there in the week I was in northern VA.
Allman's BBQ Pit
(540) 373-9881
2000 Augustine Ave, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Their pulled pork plate was excellent. Good sides and decent cole slaw. Great beans! On the second visit I had their baby back ribs and they were falling off the bone tender. They also smoke their own hams now. Definitely worth the trip.

bbq ranch in harrisonburg just off I-81 on Rt 11

+1 on Allmans in Fredericksburg!! great place

Wow some good places for me try in my neck of the woods. I pass by the intersection of rte's 7 & 9 almost monthly. Cindy dee's is maybe 20 miles away.

The Travelin Man must have been in Knoxville, Maryland...

 

i95

...Cindy Dee's restaurant in Knoxville, Maryland (19112 Keep Tryst Rd, 301 / 695-8181) off of Route 340 just north of Harper's Ferry, WV and or the Potomac River...[/quote]

 

...as this place is both...

 

 

 

 

...and for sale:

 

http://www.katiekatz.com/...WA7178567/details.html

 

 

<message edited by i95 on Fri, 06/4/10 11:49 PM>

Ride2Eat


I should point out I've only been to BBQ Country once and for that visit found the food worthwhile. If you're willing to travel a little farther afield... you could hit the Pig N Steak in Madison.

www.pigandsteak.com/index.php

Not a fan of Pig and Steak. It sounds strange to say but I they're a little too greasy. The waitstaff is completely charmless as well.
 
I love, love, love Dixie Bones for their pulled chicken. There's one in Fredericksburg now too.
 
There is also a guy with a BBQ cooker on Route 29 in New Baltimore. My brother tried it and had nothing but raves. If you're coming from No Va it's on your right.
Love Allman's, and a big thumbs up on Wayside here in Charlottesville. So good, and the people behind the counter are very nice and efficient.

Route 11

There is also a guy with a BBQ cooker on Route 29 in New Baltimore. My brother tried it and had nothing but raves. If you're coming from No Va it's on your right.

That is Jammin' Joes.  I wish I could agree with your brother but a visit there two weeks ago left me feeling that the portions are certainly generous, but somewhere along the way they figured out how to extract all semblance of flavor from the meat. The pulled pork was chewy, dry (and moist from the steam table), and completely void of anything resembling smoke. The ribs were undercooked, and shared much of the same qualities of the sandwich. I would like to say that the sweet tea was the highlight of the meal, but it was so warm that the ice stood little chance and it was all sweet no tea. Next time you are heading down 29 avoid being taken in by the sight of the big smokers (on my trip they were spewing forth only heat, no smoke).

BelRose

Route 11

There is also a guy with a BBQ cooker on Route 29 in New Baltimore. My brother tried it and had nothing but raves. If you're coming from No Va it's on your right.

That is Jammin' Joes.  I wish I could agree with your brother but a visit there two weeks ago left me feeling that the portions are certainly generous, but somewhere along the way they figured out how to extract all semblance of flavor from the meat. The pulled pork was chewy, dry (and moist from the steam table), and completely void of anything resembling smoke. The ribs were undercooked, and shared much of the same qualities of the sandwich. I would like to say that the sweet tea was the highlight of the meal, but it was so warm that the ice stood little chance and it was all sweet no tea. Next time you are heading down 29 avoid being taken in by the sight of the big smokers (on my trip they were spewing forth only heat, no smoke).

BelRose,
 
+1...you hit the nail on the head with this review...I've tried Jammin Joes twice.....and each time was disappointed.

LOL - my brother and I have different tastes, but Jammin Joe is smart anyways, because he put the cooker next to 29. Hard to resist, especially if you've just broken free of the Northern VA traffic shackles.

Just read about this place (in Clarendon/Arlington) in the Washington Post's restaurant critic's online chat.
 
I've never been there, but -- fried chicken, biscuits, and southern sides on Monday nights, through Labor Day.
 
 http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=455244023447

rumaki


Just read about this place (in Clarendon/Arlington) in the Washington Post's restaurant critic's online chat. 
 

Liberty Tavern is very good, and I look forward to trying their fried chicken, but I would hardly call it road food.

Ride2Eat


For Southern: Try "Flavors Soul Food" in Falls Church. here's the website:

www.flavorssoulfood.com/

Great fried chicken. There are some good friend chicken places in VA but most involve a roadtrip of some sort. This one is pretty close by.

 
Finally, finally made it here last night for dinner and after YEARS of trying. (They don't open until 2:00 pm on Saturdays and I always seemed to be there earlier.)
 
Anyhoo, DARN good fried chicken and just as good, (not sweet) cornbread. Sides included great green beans and even better seemingly sour cream infused REAL mashed potatoes. The place is sure the heck nothing to look at (I believe it's in a former either High's or 7-11 convenience store) and you pay the small price of waiting 20-minutes for cooked-to-order fried chicken but it was worth every single minute.
 
(BTW, if you ever did arrive at this Falls Church place before it opened, your local alternatives are numerous and inlude the Central American chicken chain Pollo Campero also on Columbia Pike or The Peking Duck down the road on Route 7 -- a favorite of the "first" President Bush.)