Duke's Brew and Que

We tried this place out on Tuesday at the behest of our friend Marty, who was visiting from the states. The BBQ selection was a bit disappointing -- apparently 'burgers' fits the description over here. They did have two kinds of ribs, though.

Marty's beef ribs were sizable, if nothing else. They had a pretty good flavor with a decent glaze and smoke ring. According to Marty, it seemed the final heat was a little high, because the glaze was overcaramelized on at least one of the two ribs.

I tried one of the specials, the 'Hell Burger.' I scoffed at the moniker, thinking it would never live up to the likes of In the Buns' ghost pepper burger. Much to my surprise, it was smothered in a respectable amount of jalapenos, without going overboard. It certainly had kick to it, and the juicy patty was more than thick enough to keep the jalapenos from overpowering the beef flavor. The challenge burgers of Austin, though, make this seem like a mild-mannered distant cousin.

Becca sampled the sloppy joe on special, which was about as far from Manwich as you can get. It was more like a chopped beef and streaky bacon sandwich, sans sauce. She said it was good, even if this joe was completely missing the sloppy.

Each main was served with pickled onions and coleslaw, as well as a very mild pickle. The onions were very good. The pickle was odd. It had a very mild flavor that was more vinegar than salt, and could have been brightened up a bit. The coleslaw, much to my delight, was excellent, a welcome change after Bodean's last month.

For sides, we had a combination of fried pickles and okra, french fries (not chips!), and beans, which we all shared. The beans were good, but could have used a little more sweetness and a thicker sauce. Molasses or brown sugar would've cured what ailed them. The fries were skinny-style with a good flavor and properly salted. The fried pickles were very good, and the okra was passable, even to my okra-hating commie palate.

One last thing to mention, the 'Brew' side of Duke's Brew and Que. Their selection was pretty good. I've yet to find anywhere in London with hundreds of taps on the wall, a la Ginger Man or Flying Saucer back home, but the number of taps was sizable enough. Think The Dig Pub in Cedar Park and you're on the right track. Marty and Becca each tried the Scrumpy Cider, which suffered from being served much warmer than we expected -- it was quite warm even by UK beer standards. Both of them said they would have enjoyed it more if it were colder. I had the Yakima Red, which was served at a proper frosty temp, and was quite tasty.

I'd say the experience was solid, but it wasn't quite BBQ. Bodean's is still at the top of the list so far, but we'll be trying the Red Dog Saloon sometime soon.