The other day, we had our friends Bear and Bona over. The Husband and Bear each made their own kalbi recipe and they “competed” on seeing who’s was better.
Turns out, their marinade was very similar and everyone liked everything. Along with those lateral cut beef ribs, we marinated flank steak (cut for fajitas) in a bottle of bulgogi mix. For sides we had spice cucumbers and korean potato salad. My contributions to the cook off.
What’s your favorite cookout recipe?
We went out to Doc Crow’s in Louisville, Kentucky for dinner. Its a nice place, pretty popping for a Saturday night, about an hour or so wait.
I liked the decor, its set up kind of like a train car. Really long aisle and tables on the side. We got the best seat in the house, right next to the window in front of the street so we could people watch. We were downtown so there were a lot of bachelorette parties going on. Lets just say, people were already taking off their shoes at 8pm. Come on ladies. Gross.
We started the night with beer, wine and peel and eat shrimp. They were boiled in Old Bay and served with cocktail sauce. The flavors were great, but the shrimp had that “I was frozen” texture to it. To be expected, Kentucky is landlocked.
Oyster sampler, came from 3 different places in Virginia. I don’t eat oysters, raw or otherwise. The other ladies liked them though!
Mother of all nachos. Housemade bbq chips topped with cheese, pulled pork, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, bbq sauce. What is this madness? Delicious.
This is what I should have gotten. Loaded baked potato. Loaded with goodness that is bbq pork, cheese, and sour cream. OMG. Now I want more.
Tacos. I didn’t eat them because they were soft shell, but it looks tasty. He ate it so fast I almost didn’t get a picture.
Mussels were great. I’d go back for mussels.
Baby back ribs. Glad I only got half a rack. It was packed with seasoning, and served dry on purpose. But it was so caked on that it tasted like…chalky. I had to rub off some of the rub, and pour bbq sauce on it to get through a couple bones, but in the end it wasn’t worth it. Maybe because I like a fattier rack of rib, so if you like dry meaty, fatless ribs, go for it!
Either way the service, the atmosphere and the company was well worth it. The ribs didn’t put a damper on our night!
Thanks again to this awesome couple for taking us out and about!
Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar
127 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40207
Say that three times fast. Okay, that didn’t do anything. Anywaaays. After a traffic filled trip on 95 South trying to get to Virginia Beach, the honey and I needed to get lunch. We wanted to stay fairly close to the convention center, so we chose to go to Beach Bully BBQ. I always, want ribs.
We opted for the Queen Platter, which is a rack of ribs, and two choices of sides. We went for their version of baked beans, and potato salad. 
Verdict? I’d come again. Very straight forward, tastes good, and quick! There weren’t many people there, for a Friday during lunch. The potato salad, has dill in it, which isn’t what I am used to, and I’d pass on that if we were to go there again. But the beans and the ribs in general were good. Fall of the bone tender, and their bbq sauce wasn’t that bad. Is it something I will crave and have to have again? Probably not. But if I am in the area, and want ribs, this will do.
As crazy as it seems, yes I went to Canada and craved southern food. Let me start off saying, don't go to Canada for American southern food. I just wanted to see their interpretation of it. Just like how I went to France and tried and American burger, what am I thinking. Don't judge me…too cruely.
Food aside, Fatboys was fun. There is out door seating, there is a market, and Harley themed decor. Right down to the bathroom sinks resembling motorcycle handlebars. As with most places in Canada, the service was friendly. There was also a stage that the babies found their way to, which just received smiles from the staff (where if it happened in America someone would have told us to get handle on our kids).
The boo and I shared a Kentucky Trio, we chose dry rubbed ribs, chicken and brisket. We had sides of cornbread, baked beans and bacon Mac n Cheese. It was satisfying but nothing to write home about. But because I love barbecue, I will still probably go to a BBQ place in Canada again, just not this one!
Epic Smokehouse, 1330 Fair Street Arlington, Virginia 22202
The name suits it well. It’s pretty epic. This place is what you would call, upscale bbq. Bacon is a key player in their menu, and I am appeased. On one our date nights, the boo and I chose this place because, after the Bacon Shortage scare, I wanted to consume as much pork product as possible. Lucky for us, there was plenty.
The Appetizers
We chose the bacon app, and the kahlua pig roll.
The Verdict
The bacon appetizer is just a slab of pork belly, smoked and cooked, topped with sprouts and their fig and mustard sauces. Delicious and fatty. The kahlua pig roll was something to write home about. It’s pulled pork and kimchi rolled in an egg roll wrapper, with a lemongrass coconut dipping sauce. I don’t like kimchi on the regular, but the way the flavors presented itself in that rolled up bite worked really well. Top it off with the cool, creamy coconut dipping sauce, it made me sad when the appetizer was over. But at least the entrees were next!
Entrees
We had the filet mignon with the crawfish hollandaise, with fried asparagus and an extra side of bacon sprouts. Also the applewood smoked baby back ribs with fries and an extra side of sauteed portobello mushrooms.
The filet was perfectly seasoned, and you could cut it with a butter knife. I ate it with a bite of mushrooms and it was amazing. Making my mouth water just thinking about it. I love asparagus. But battering and deep frying it was a bad idea. There wasn’t really any flavor to the batter, but the asparagus was perfectly cooked. They topped the steak with two crawfish tails, which was pointless and didn’t bring anything to the meal. Our hollandaise came out later and had no flavor. It literally just tasted like egg and butter..no salt. Nothing. Disappointing.
They don’t say how many ribs on the menu. It’s just “Ribs”. Its a full rack. I got mine with a side of mushrooms, it also comes with fries. These were smoked to perfection. I loved it. It was quite intimidating when it came out, there really was no right way to go about it, so I just dug in. I really enjoyed it. But I like things extra saucy, so I might ask for more ‘cue sauce on the side next time.
Overall, I had a great meal and would love to go back again! Who doesn’t love a bacon dominant menu? If not for food, then at least for dessert!!!
One of the best things about sunshine and warm weather is grilling outside with your friends and family. The smell of charcoal and meat in the air, a slight breeze and chasing after napkins when the wind blows is where it’s at. Had my first cookout this weekend at the condo and it was fuuuuun. I am happy. 
My second attempt at Kalbi (korean short ribs) and they were a hit. Which made me really proud, because instead of using a recipe this time, I just made it the way I wanted the marinade to taste like and it was a winner. We had short ribs, chicken wings, burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, kabobs and chocolate cupcakes! Can’t wait until I can throw crawfish into that mix!
