This post has been updated as of 8/12/12. After our second visit we found a lot of the opening kinks were worked out and the food was even tastier. Giving credit where credits due, we upped Bar Qs score to 3.5 noms!
When we broke the news about Bar Q B.B.Q. back in February, people couldn’t stop talking about what Bob LeRose had in store for Stamford. What could be better? Snack and tapas sized portions of BBQ mixed in with drinks that you wouldn’t be able to get enough of. Well, we thought not much could be better, so we decided it would be a great way to kick off our Memorial Day weekend. And, we knew it was such a great concept, we had to go back went back during the summer to update our review.
Starting off, we love the menu. It’s pretty simple: one side has food, broken down into snacks, BBQ, and fixins. The other side has beer, cocktails, bourbon, and wine. Let’s give you a taste of what we got a taste of…
Drinks
An impressive 26 brews on tap, with a good bunch of those being local. Drafts are divided up into 5 categories, too: Pilsner, Imperial Pint, Weizen, Beer Shifter, and Seasonal.
Dan decided to go with a super refreshing Huckleberry Lemonade. It was made with Huckleberry 44 North Vodka and fresh lemonade. They served it with a sugared rim and fresh blueberries inside. From the second you drink, you get a nice berry taste, then the lemonade. The liquor wasn’t overwhelming at all, so this is a nice choice if you want an alcoholic beverage that is still a nice cool glass ‘o summer. Kristien went with the Allagash White Weizen.
Sauces (ranked mild to spicy)
Bourbon X: good, you get the bourbon and some mesquite.
Vinegar XX: tart at first, but then finishes with a very subtle heat.
Bold XXX: just a bit spicy, smoky.
Snacks
Spicy honey chicken and waffles: this was our favorite of the night. A thickly breaded bit of fried chicken sits atop a tiny waffle. Add a spicy honey drizzle all over the fried chicken and you’ve got a bite of deliciousness you could just keep poppin’! The kick from the honey actually does hit you a bit…it’s a nice touch.
Baked jalapeño brush poppers: just like at Bobby Q’s, these are pretty tasty with creamy cheese and bitsof sweet corn stuffed inside. Definitely on the spicy side, so be prepared.
Southern Egg Rolls: Sound bizarre? Oh, they are. Pulled pork, pulled chicken, collard greens fried up egg-roll style topped with a mustard BBQ sauce. Yeah, totally bizarre, but totally awesome. Our waitress said these are customers #1 favorite and we can see why. Very unique, very flavorful.
BBQ
Sausage: there was a nice crisp to the skin and it was flavorful as one would expect of sausage. But, the meat, itself didn’t have that snap you come to expect from bbq.
Brisket: this was nice and tender and full of flavor. Cooked very nicely. We liked the BBQ jus that it was on top too. That brought an added flavor and warmth to the dish.
Candied pork belly: there was a nice smokiness and a mesquite taste. The flavors jived well with the fattiness of the pork belly.
St. Louis Cut Sticky Ribs: Our favorite of the meats. A nice, slightly sweet BBQ sauce glazed these soft, tender, flavorful ribs. Quite tasty!
Fixins
Fried green tomatoes: thick breading coated the tomatoes. We felt this dish was a little bland on our first visit, however Bobby informed us that they improved the recipe and has been getting some excellent feedback. We’ll have to try them next time.
Mac & cheese: ahhh a nice crispy cheesy layer atop a warm, creamy bowl of cheesey macaroni yumminess. The new and improved mac & cheese is DELISH! We couldn’t get enough.
Fiesta Cornbread: some cheese, corn, and jalapeno all mixed up into thick cornbreadyness. We would have loved more kick from the peppers, but all in all it had a lot of flavor and was just the right amount of moisture for cornbread.
Hush puppies: yummy bites with bits of corn inside. The hush inside was just right…not dry, not soggy. It had a nice give and take and was moistilicious. Delish!
Sweet Potato Crumble: We were very excited for this dish on our first visit, because who doesn’t love mashed sweet potatoes with a nice buttery crumble on top? Unfortunately, the spices were too overwhelming, namely the nutmeg. However, this, too Bobby says has been addressed. We wanted to order this again on our second trip but had no room. Next time for sure!
Overall thoughts
After being open for a couple of months now, Bar Q has made a good amount of improvements in the food and the service. Although the service was friendly on our first visit, it was quite slow. On our second visit the service was the way it should be–both friendly and attentive. And, as you can see, the food was quite good to match.
We’re thrilled to see this improvement because the concept of taking all that we love about BBQ and serving it up in small plates is absolutely brilliant. We definitely recommend Bar Q as a nice place to meet up with friends, graze on some tasty BBQ and small plates, chill at the bar, or just hang out.
Bar Q
Noms: 3.5
Cost: $$$
Address: 15 Clark Street
Stamford, CT 06901
Phone: (203) 316-0278
Dan and Kristien Del Ferraro
OmNomCT 
Went today for lunch. BIG fan of the hush puppies, chicken and waffles and southern egg rolls. My favorite thing was the potato pig skins. I’d go back just to get a few of those. Thought the meatball sliders were dry and lacked flavor. My buddy had the deviled eggs and said they were really good. We also had the pulled pork. Serving was small for two and it came out in chunks, not shredded. Cole slaw was decent. Tried the vinegar and bold sauce. Thought they both had good flavor. Lady behind me ordered some sort of sausage and it smelled amazing. I also want to try the spicy pork empanadas. Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgable. She recommended a few items. Food came out out in a decent amount of time and was hot and fresh. Really like the vibe and feel there. Not like anything else in Stamford. Will definitely go back.
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Yeah Joe, you’re right. The vibe here is different than places in Stamford. Plus, it’s BBQ! :) Who doesn’t love BBQ? :)
Next on our list are those egg rolls and the potato skins you speak of. Yum.
We’re definitely heading back too! :) So many things to try and really some great dishes on the menu. :)
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i’ll let you know what a “professional” BBQ eater has to say wheni get there!
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Ah, yes…you are the expert, years of experience and cooking chops! :) Look forward to it, Whitemist :)
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Randomly ended up there last night. Had the burnt ends, pork belly, jalapeno poppers, meatball sliders and the fries (split all this with a friend). I liked it all, especially the poppers and sliders. Love their BBQ sauces too (and the containers they put them in)
I’m a big fan of the look of the place and the overall vibe (def my kind of place). It’s wierd, even though there are so many places to go in downtown stamford, the are still lacked a bar/restaurant with the specific character/look that I like (That “IT” factor)
I’m sure they will iron out the kinks and I love the concept. When you to go other BBQ joints they serve you enough food for a handful of ppl and we all devour it cause its tasty and in front of you.
My one concern/question is related to the warmth of the food. Ribs, brisket, pulled pork are usually prepped in big quantites (pork shoulder, rack of ribs, 6-7 pound brisket), So I sort of wonder how they go about serving fresh/warm small plates of these things. I think this is probably something they are still figuring out.
Overall, love the place
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Ooh, we wanted the sliders, too. :) Don’t you love how much you can eat there? It feels like you’re going crazy, but it’s not that bad, actually. :)
The looks of the outside and inside are freaking cool, we agree. :)
You know, you make a great point about the bbq usually being served in big portions. Maybe that’s why our pork belly came out cold?
We definitely will give Bar Q another shot and will come back. :)
You’ll be back too, it seems :P
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Oh, duh…what did you think of the beer selection?
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I like the beer selection. Certainly a welcomed addition to the downtown craft beer scene (which is quite limited but will be much better in the coming months). Many of the usual suspects as far as breweries represented (dogfish, lagunites, widmer…) Great as always to see a couple of hooker brews on the list.
Also, love the idea of a few taps reserved for seasonal selections (like darien social does). Also, flights are always a great way to get to try a wide variety of beers.
The only thing that is a minor bother is that some of the selections are nine bucks, but alas it is great beer and fairfield county…so ya gotta pay up.
I hope the places gets creative and has some cool events/deals/happy hours sorta like coalhouse (though the food prices can’t really go any lower)
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Always good to see some Hookers, huh? :P
We’re also a fan of the seasonal taps. That will be great to get more variety and try the seasonals. It’s weird, but the seasonals seem to sometimes taste better than all other beer. Why is that?
We get you about the $ part, some of the beer is expensive, but we also noticed some of the sizes are bigger to fit different glasses. So, you might pay more for the beer, but you get more. Kristien’s Allagash White was HUGE!
:) Excited for more taps all over this city.
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I’m not a beer drinker but I’m guessing the lines for the seasonal brews get washed out when the beers change, hence a better tasting beer…and more sanitary.
I try not to drink soda when I’m out (especially diet) because it’s just awful tasting. I can’t imagine what’s in the lines…and I don’t want to. I’d LOVE to see more restaurants offering bottled soda.
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Taps are supposed to get flushed regularly, so hopefully nothing gets stuck or grows in there. :) Ugggghhh hhhhhhh
As for cans, I get ya. It’s hard to mimic that taste and flavor. :) Cans or bottle?
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Good point about the different sizes of glasses.
As for seasonals tasting better, I think it is a combination of things. 1. cleaner lines like Vanessas mentioned 2. When you drink a seasonal beer, you are getting a beer made from ingredients sourced often just for that beer, so they are often fresher 3. Psychologically speaking, when you are drinking a seasonally brewed beer, you are drinking a beer designed by a brewmaster to pair particularly well with the current season/weather. So, you often get the sense that the seasonal beer you are drinking is going down smooth, tasting better and complimenting your present environment.
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Damn, you know so much about beer. It’s awesome! :) Well said dear sir…well said :)
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I’ve been waiting to hear what you guys thought! First off, great running into you both on Friday night! I hope your service was better than ours! Took forever to get EVERYTHING which I don’t fault them for since it was opening weekend. Since I’m not a meat eater, I was hesitant at agreeing to go without first seeing the menu but I was happily surprised to see the cedar plank grilled salmon on the menu! It was DELICIOUS!!! I went with a side of corn bread and the cool cucumber salad. Both were YUMMY!!
I had to sneak a bite of my friend’s sweet potato crumble (I’m sweet potato obsessed) but just like you, I was not pleased with the taste of it. It was too desserty and reminded me of pumpkin pie rather than sweet potato. Definitely too much nutmeg – you could tell just by looking at the color of it. Oh well, everything else made up for it!
Looking forward to our next random blogger meet up!
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Aww…sounds disappointing. I’m sure it’ll all get worked out as time goes on.
I’m dying for chicken and waffles but I have to have organic chicken :( I’ll have to get a waffle iron and make it myself.
Do they have the burnt ends? That’s my fave!
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Well, some of it was disappointing, but some of it wasn’t at all. They do have the burnt ends, yes yes yes. We’ll be going back, no doubt…I’m sure things will even out.
The chicken and waffles was fun and great…we’re sure that a talented chef such as you can make your own! :)
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