I joined the girls who had already grabbed a table in the back. Because of it's size there's not a ton of seating, but they make sure the dining area doesn't feel cramped. We looked at the board to make our selections, which was difficult since many things sounded good. After a few minutes, Kim ordered the half chicken combo with green beans and coleslaw with the sweet and spicy BBQ sauce.
Rachel got the pulled pork sandwich combo with potato salad and cornbread. I also got the pulled pork sandwich combo, but I ordered collard greens and cornbread.
I asked the gentleman behind the counter if I could get mac n' cheese as well (Kim had raved about it), saying I'd be willing to pay extra.
"Oh, you'd have to pay for it. Unless you can quickly join our Text Club, and then you can get the mac n' cheese for free."
I was at first a little put off by the pitch, but when he showed me how easy it was, I was impressed. Even though we live further away now, and really don't know when we'll be back, it's always nice to have the incentive.
We got our food and got to work rating our experience based on our 7-point criteria. As we tasted, we considered what we enjoyed or disliked. Kim is the first to speak up about the lack of flavor for her green beans or the coleslaw. Rachel agreed that her potato salad was also lacking, describing it as simply "eh". They both claimed my sides were the best, and while I did agree that the collard greens were pretty tasty (probably due to the big bits of juicy pork tossed and cooked with them) I found the mac n' cheese to just be OK. We did all agree that the cornbread was quite good, not too dry or sweet.
We then turned our attention to our surroundings, commenting on the walls that were sporadically covered with license plates and pig memorabilia. Not bland but not especially unique either.
After we had finished and shared our final thoughts, one of the workers asked if we'd be interested in trying a dessert, namely their bread pudding. We all exchanged looks, not especially interested, but Kim was intrigued and offered to pop for it if we wanted to taste it. It arrived nice and hot with big pieces of blueberries and strawberries baked in with a white chocolate sauce. I'm not a fan of bread pudding (it's texture thing) but we conceded that it wasn't bad.
I then averaged out each of our points and came up with a number for each category.
Menu Options
4
Flavors
3.3
Location
2
Presentation
4
Cleanliness
4
Service
4
Decor
3
OVERALL SCORE
3.5
Price:
$
Delivery: Yes
Wifi: No
Outdoor Seating: No
Carry-Out: Yes
Pet-Friendly: No
Recommend to Friend: Yes
Final Comments:
Kim- "The chicken was good but I didn't care for the green beans or coleslaw. I actually enjoyed what [you girls] ordered instead. The corn muffin was good, as was the BBQ sauce. Unfortunately, I thought the dessert was just OK."
Rachel- "I used the sweet BBQ sauce, but it still had a nice kick. I think it would be able to satisfy a wide variety of palates. The pulled pork was cooked well and I liked the mac n' cheese. But I wasn't amazed by the potato salad- it was just 'eh'. Overall, I get the impression that they def want to satisfy and impress every customer with their service. They seem to really care. Also, I thought the dessert was interesting- a unique take on bread pudding. If I had more room in my stomach, I would've eaten more."
Kris- "As much as I still believe that you can find great food in the worst-looking places, I didn't love the small parking area or how it's on the busy road of Bahia Vista. Still, the pulled pork was pretty good and did like the greens and cornbread was dense but pretty good. I didn't love the mac n' cheese just because I enjoy a more baked-version of mac n' cheese, with a mixture of textures rather than just gooey cheese. But I think we all appreciated the folksy and friendly attitude of the Roadside Rib Shack, along with the savory scents wafting throughout. This is by no means a fancy place, but for a BBQ craving, this place satisfies."
