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.

Smokin’ Hot Fun at 5th Annual Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival – Westport, CT

When we went to our first Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival last year, we had such an awesome time.  Not only did we get to check out some music, some cooking demos, and drink lotsa beer, but we also had the chance to judge in the Kansas City BBQ Society local backyard BBQ competition.  Well, this year seems like it will be even better and we’re judges again!  Check out the 5th Annual Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival from September 1 (11 am – 10 pm) to September 2 (11 am – 8 pm) and get your tickets online.  Pay close attention to the awesome deals such as a family early bird special, student prices, or buying tickets for both days.

Let’s give a breakdown of all the awesome things to expect on the grounds of the Levitt Pavilion and Westport Library:

Offshore Pour: Craft Beer and BBQ Cruise Around Long Island Sound – Norwalk, CT

Yup yup, you read that right.  Offshore Pour, a craft beer boat cruise.  Suds have been rounded up by Harry’s Wine & Liquor Market in Fairfield and grub’s being provided by Bobby Q’s Bodacious BBQ.  Brews ahoy from 1-4:30 pm at Veteran’s Park, but doors open at 12 pm on June 16.

Once you’re on the Island Bell, you’ll be able to eat BBQ to your heart’s content, drink down some of the best craft brews, listen to some badass live tunes, take a cruise around the Long Island Sound, and you’ll even get to take home your own souvenir tasting glass.  Here are the beers that will be available:

New England Brewing Company, Brooklyn Brewery, Sierra Nevada, Merchant du Vin, Stone Brewing Company, Dogfish Head, Harpoon Brewery, Samuel Adams, Sebago Brewing Company, Kona Brewing Co., Blue Point Brewing Company, Olde Burnside, Latis Imports, Unibroue, B. United International Inc., and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

Tickets are $59 or $75 if you buy the day of the event, June 16.  Proceeds will benefit Fairfield Theater Co. so make sure to get your tickets and get your friends to go, too.

 You need to be 21 or older to go and come with a valid ID.  Don’t bring your pets, don’t bring your children, and don’t bring your boo hoo grumpiness.  Bring an empty stomach and an unquenchable thirst!

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

Westport & Weston Restaurant Week 2012, March 25-30

Get your BBQ on at Bobby Q's during Westport & Weston Restaurant Week 2012

On the trail of Stamford Restaurant Weeks, Westport & Weston Restaurant Week is going down.  The food party is happening from March 25-30, 2012.  You’ll be able to have a prix-fixe lunch at $10.12/$15.12 or dinner at $20.12/$30.12.  When we get more specific details about which restaurants will be at the high end or low end of cost, we’ll update this for you.

So, you’ll have a chance to try out some classic spots and you’ll also have a chance to try restaurants new to the area like Tabouli Grill and Oaxaca Kitchen.  In addition, this year’s restaurant week hopes to bring out your generous side.  Please bring in canned and packaged goods to these restaurants and you’ll be supporting Homes with Hope.

Acqua Restaurant

Blue Lemon

Bobby Q’s • (Our review)

Coromandel • (Our review of the Stamford location)

DaPietro’s

Matsu Sushi

Oaxaca Kitchen  • (Our review of the opening)

Rizzuto’s • (Our review of the Stamford location)

Splash

Tabouli Grill • (Our review of the Stamford location)

Tarantino’s

Tarry Lodge

Tavern on Main

River House Tavern

“V” Restaurant & Wine Bar

Spice it up and vote for your favorite restaurants at the 1st annual Chilifest, 2011!

Looking for info on the 2014 Chilifest in Westport?

Think that Chowdafest is freakin’ awesome?  Take that same concept of a spoon, pencil, and a judging card, and a huge appetite and now om nom on some chili!  Yup, that’s right, the first annual Chilifest is coming soon to Westport.  You’ll be voting on two categories:  creative and traditional.  The chiliarians this year?  Quite an impressive list:  Ash Creek Saloon, Bobby Q’s, Brewhouse, Chili Bomb, DaPietro’s, Nicholas Roberts, Old Post Tavern, The Lime, The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood, and Wilson’s BBQ.

It’s hard to say who will have the edge here.  You’d think with a name like Chili Bomb, the new Fairfield eatery would have the edge, but look who else is in the mix.  You’ve got a Chowdafest winner (Nicholas Roberts) and you’ve got solid BBQ joints.  No doubt  we’ll be on hand to taste and taste and taste and judge a bit.  But, it’s really about tasting and tasting and tasting.  After we’re done, though, we’ll drive with the windows down if ya know what we mean.

Oh, and mark your calendars (or subscribe to our Google cal) now.  The 4th annual Chowdafest is 2/4/2011!

Saturday, 10/29/2011 from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm

$6 for adults, $5 for seniors,$2 for kids (5-17)

Address:  Unitarian Universalist Church

                      10 Lyons Plains Road

                     Westport, CT

The 2011 Blues, Views, & BBQ Festival in Westport, CT: 10 reasons to go

When we found out about the 4th Annual Blues, Views, & BBQ festival going on September 23-25, we squealed with delight.  Pig joke #1, check.  This awesome festival will be taking place on the grounds of The Levitt Pavilion and the Westport Public Library.  Add it to your calendar by clicking on our Events section up above and finding the festival or just bookmark this because there’s so much to explore, see, drink, and eat over the three days of this fest.  Let’s pig out (joke two):

• Kansas City Barbecue Society “Competitor Series” cooking contest on 9/24 to benefit the Westport Food Closet.  Contestants arrive from 6-10 am to set up and the chefs start bringing in chicken, pork rib, chef’s choice dish, and dessert to the judges at 2 pm.  You know two of the judges this year…that’s right.  OmNomCT, Kristien and Danny, are judges.  Oooh yeah, say hi!  ;)

• Kids Q contest with burgers, dogs, and chef’s choice.

• Pig races.  Do we really need to pimp this?  Awwwwww.

• 12 different bands, with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes kicking things off on Friday, 9/23.

• Pie and rib eating contest (be sure to register)

• Food!  Look at all these options:

• Bobby Q’s Bodacious BBQ

• Winnie’s Jerk Chicken & Fish

• Blue Lemon Restaurant – Burgers, Roasted Sweet Corn, and  Sausage Sandwiches • Dave & Jerry’s Hot Dog Trolley

• The Smilin’ Chef- Gyros and Baja Tacos

• Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda  •  Michele’s Pies

• Rolling Cones Ice Cream  • Boy Scouts of America Popcorn

• Drinks–hand-crafted beer, premium liquor, wine and refreshments for sale featuring:

          • Tito’s Vodka • Jim Beam Global Products

          • Newman’s Own Wines • Poland Spring Water

          • Steaz Organic Tea  •  Newman’s Own Limeade and Lemonade

• Stuff to buy like spices, rubs, grills jewelry, artwork, and other awesome stuff!

• Schedule of all events

• Ticket prices

• Buy tickets here

• Leave as many pig-related comments as you can.  Let’s bust this post up to

   at least 100 pig jokes.

Blues, Views, and BBQ

40 Jesup Road (behind the public library)

Westport, CT 06880