You Can't Always Get What You Want...

My first experience with Fox Brothers BBQ in candler Park was so positive that it was instantly catapulted into "favored restaurant status", mainly because of a massive beef short rib my "special someone" ordered. It was tender and juicy on the inside, charred to black on the outside, and looked like the brontosaurus ribs that toppled Fred Flintstone's car in the cartoon series. Seriously, the two of us ate off that thing for two or three days! Amazing would be an understatement.

I was excited to hit the joint up for my final meal of 2010 with my pal Rosie, but this time there were a few disappointments.

I was under the impression (from previous visits) that the short rib was only available Thursdays thru Saturdays, but I was wrong. It's only Thursdays and Saturdays, meaning that short rib lovers were SOL for NYE. Sensing my obvious disappointment, our waitress didn't hesitate to offer up an alternative, the beef tenderloin (only available on Friday nights from 7pm-9pm) which she said was the "best entree they serve". How could I say no to that hard sell?

I decided to go with the combo plate. Two meats - the aforementioned tenderloin & sliced beef brisket and two sides - brisket chili & tater tots. Simple enough, right? Not for our waitress. Not. Even. Close. she nailed the tenderloin, but completely missed the mark on the other meat and the two sides. I was going to complain, but the onion rings on my plate looked so good that I just gave Rosie a shrug, rolled up my sleeves, and got down to business.

The meats didn't disappoint. The tenderloin was as advertised, looking more like a really good slab of Ahi Tuna than something that came from a cow. The pulled pork? top-notch. It's what a BBQ joint's reputation is built on, meat. The onion rings were big, with the right ratio of crispness to greasiness. My mac & cheese stood out on the plate for its complete lack of flavor - I had to strain (not to mention add heaps of salt & pepper) just to taste them. If I had to make a comparison, I would liken their mac & cheese to those dehydrated meal kits my Grandparents stocked up on in anticipation to the post-Y2K world. Yuck.

Judging by meat alone, Fox Brothers is probably the best in Atlanta. Their sauce is excellent too, and they get bonus points for having such a wide array of sauces on the table to please any palate (helloTexas Pete and Hotlanta). What makes me want to steer clear are the aloof attitudes from the waitstaff and the fine-dining prices. Dropping an Andrew Jackson at a BBQ joint is ridiculous and embarrasing, shining a light on the hubris of Fox Brothers. They're good, but they're not that much better than the competition to justify the Texas-size check.