Blues, Views + BBQ 2013 returns hotter than ever! – Westport, CT

One of our favorite Connecticut festivals is happening 8/31 and 9/1:  Blues, Views & BBQ.  And, it’s pretty easy to see why it’s one of our favorites:  there’s BBQ, there’s a whole lotta food, there are some killer tunes, there’s lots o’ beer, and there’s lots to check out.  This year you’re able to buy your tickets online (go to their Homepage then click on the link) to make entrance super easy.  A one day pass for an adult is $25 or you can get a two day pass for $45, Seniors 65 or older pay $15/$25, students from 13-20 pay $15/$25, and children 12 and under are free.  Here are all the juicy and smokey cool deets:

Pork in the Park BBQ and Food Festival Piggifies the New Mill River Park in Stamford

Bob LeRose can’t seem to sit still or remain inactive.  He first brought Bobby Q’s to Westport and quickly stacked up awards, smoking out the competition at contest after contest.  From there, he organized and built up one of the best events in the state:  Blues, Views & BBQ.  Then, Bobby took BBQ in Fairfield County in a whole new direction with the creation of Bar Q, tapas style BBQ in Downtown Stamford.  And, just recently, he opened up Bobby Q’s Pit Stop in Old Greenwich with his cousin Joey Boucher, serving up BBQ, burgers, chili, and dogs.

For the average, ordinary person that might be too much to handle in just a few years, but we’re not talking about anyone average.  We’re talking about Bob LeRose, whose veins run rampant with BBQ sauce.  He’s taken it to an all new level now with the creation of the first ever Pork in the Park, happening July 13 (11-8 pm) + 14 (11-6 pm) in the brand new Mill River Park in Stamford.  You can think of Pork in the Park as a similar kind of experience to Blues, Views & BBQ, but Bob shared with us that this festival will have a stronger focus on food.  And, a portion of money made from the event is going directly to help the Mayor’s Youth Employment Program and the Mill River Collaborative.  Here are the details that Bob shared with us:

Celebrate 1 Year w/ free cocktails, deals, and snacks @ Bar Q in Stamford

More bbq, sides, and fixins at BarQ B.B.Q. in Stamford, Connecticut

The three bbq sauces at Bar Q B.B.Q.

Huckleberry Lemonade and Allagash White at Bar Q B.B.Q. in Stamford, Connecticut

Plate of bbq, snacks, and fixins at at BarQ B.B.Q.

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When we talked with Bob LeRose about the opening of Bar Q in Stamford to say we were excited would be an understatement.  Small plates of BBQ with great drink options?  It seemed like a no-brainer!  Now, having been there five times, we can say the food has definitely improved and they’ve worked through their opening kinks.  But, it’s crazy to think that they have been open for a year already!

And, with that year of being open, they’ve changed things up a bit.  First off, they’ve revamped their menu by adding some larger BBQ plates, salads, sandwiches, and other options that will get you excited like the Bar Q Cuban sandwich.  They have also added in good options for family dining such as the Sunday evening $50 family style dinner that gets you 3 fixins’, 5 BBQ items, and 3 sides.  And, you also might have heard about their new concept on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights starting at 10:  Bar Q Saloon.  Cowgirls dance on the bar and serve up some mighty fine drink specials.  They play country music and, at times, they even have a mechanical bull for your to conquer out on their patio.  You’ll need to follow them on FB to see when the bull has arrived.

Bobby Q’s BBQ Kicks off the Season with Beer Garden Opening – Westport, CT

Ah, that’s a beautiful beer garden. Photo from Bobby Q’s FB page.

Biergarten:  literally translating over to beer garden.  Much cooler than kindergarten which is, literally, a garden of children?!  Um, no thanks…we’ll take a garden of brews, ales, and stouts thank you very much.  And, we’ve seen beer gardens sprouting up recently:  the popular Beer Garden @ Harbor Point opened recently  and The Landmark Biergarten at Station Eats is opening up any day now.   But, Bobby Q’s Bodacious BBQ & Grill in Westport has been ahead of the curve.

Bobby Q’s Pit Stop in Greenwich: Bob LeRose Opens 3rd Restaurant with Cousin Joey Boucher!

BBQ…burgers, dogs, and more to be served at Bobby Q’s Pit Stop in Greenwich

Bob LeRose, owner of Bobby Q’s in Westport and Bar Q in Stamford grew up in the Riverside neighborhood of Greenwich, CT.  Do you think he ever realized that just right down the block from his first home would be the site of his future restaurant, his third nonetheless?  Or, do you think he ever could have imagined that he’d create one of the best festivals in Connecticut:  Blues, Views, & BBQ?  How could any person (aside from John Edwards) fortell such awesomeness?

So, what does Bob LeRose have in store for us in Greenwich with Bobby Q’s Pit Stop (no site yet) that will open in about three weeks?  Well, starting off he’s teamed up with his cousin Joey Boucher who first opened up Joey B’s in Cos Cob.  This team makes the perfect pairing for what Bobby Q’s Pit Stop will be all about:  bbq, burgers, dogs, chili, sides, and salads to go.  Their new restaurant will be located at 1340 East Putnam Ave. in Greenwich right where Moe’s Burger Joint used to be.  If you feel like eating in, there will be 12 seats and plenty of standing room while you devour the best of American cuisine.  Speaking of the food, let’s dive deeper into the menu.  There will be some classic dishes from Bobby Q’s in Westport.  On the menu will also be five different chilis based off of the family recipe, held onto by their Uncle Frank.  The dogs featured here blew Bobby and Joey away and are made by a company in Boston.  They are the first restaurant in Connecticut to serve these dogs up!  The burgers are going to be great too, made with fresh daily ground beef that is sourced locally.  Also, the salads are a nice option for friends or family members who don’t want meat or want something not as heavy…there are plans for three different kinds right now.  Rounding things up are the sides, many of which are vegetarian friendly…very nice touch.  You don’t have to be Debbie Downer anymore and be the one to say, “Oh, but they don’t have anything vegetarian here!”

Get an Exclusive Deal on Biergarten on the Green in Westport

We’ll just cut to the chase here, no flowery language, no extended metaphors, no crazy stories:  Bob LeRose of Bobby Q’s and Bar Q is one of our most favoriterest people in the world! When Dan couldn’t finish the Pitmaster Platter, he offered to give him a shirt.  He has allowed us to be judges at Blues, Views, & BBQ for two years in a row.  And, frankly folks, he’s a class act.  So, when we found out that he was the brains and brawn behind Biergarten on the Green on 10/27 from 1-4, one of the events of the Downtown Westport Foodie Fest, we knew that we had to help spread the word.

You’ll get an oh so cute tasting mug, a fancy box lunch filled with sausage, pretzels, and other German goodies, and lots of beer to taste.  All of this for $35 online or $40 the day of the event.  But, we’ve got a special deal for you from our friends at BEVBUCKS (see our intro to them).  You’ll pay just $27.50 when you purchase your ticket here.  Quite a nice deal, huh?

Bar Q B.B.Q.: OmNomCT Noms on the Menu, Bite by Bite – Stamford, CT

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