J Bob Barbecue

J Bob Barbeque is in a very humble building on Route 50 in Ballston Spa. You will recognize it by the bright red color of the building and the huge smoker outside. The parking lot may not be very full, but don't let that dissuade you. Despite the humble exterior, this restaurant serves up some excellent barbecue.

We had the sampler, which included pulled pork, ribs, wings, cole slaw, beans and corn bread. Everything was excellent. Since this is Tennessee style barbecue, it is dry rub and does not have sauce like us Yankees like are used to. However, J Bob does supply the table with three bottles of different barbecue sauces. The sweet one was my favorite. All of the meats were very lean and moist. I particularly liked the wings, which had a strong smoky taste. I was less fond of the pulled pork, which did not have much taste to it.

The cost of our meal was $26, which was a bit pricey for the pound or so of meat that we got. However, I did appeciate the variety of food. If we were looking for value, we could have both ordered pulled pork sandwiches at $7.50 each. Overall, we had a very good experience at J Bob.

Shane's Rib Shack

I was quite excited to try Shane's Rib Shack in Clifton Park because I love good BBQ food. This place is conveniently located and reasonably priced. The food is good and the atmosphere is fun, however, the restaurant did not live up to its billing.

I ordered the chicken dinner, which came with two sides and texas toast. The chicken looked like it came out of a e-z bake oven, with the painted-on grill marks. It did have a nice, smoky taste to it though. I had onion straws and french fries as sides, and was not too impressed with either. Neither was particularly crunchy, and both tasted as though they might have been sitting for awhile.

Capital Q Smokehouse

Capital Q Smokehouse was rated one of the best barbecue restaurants in the Capital District. Though they did have good food, I was not wowed by this restaurant.

The restaurant is located in the student ghetto of Albany. If you are not in your 20's, you may feel slightly out of place in this restaurant. When I was in the restaurant, the crowd was exclusively college-age individuals. Dollar bills on the wall by the cash register had greek letters written on them of the various frats and sororities of the local colleges.

We ordered the pulled pork in this two-pound portion, assuming we would get a better deal ordering by the pound than each having a sandwich. We may have gotten a large jug of meat, but we didn't enjoy it too much. The meat was of high-quality and was not fatty, unlike Pig Pit. However, the North Carolina vinegary taste of the meat was not to my liking. I had left-overs the next day, and I almost did not finish them. This is slightly unusual behavior for me.



With our 2 pounds of pork, we ordered a couple of sides. The winner among the sides was the sweet potato fries, which were excellent. They were freshly-made, and worth the wait.



There are different barbecue flavors at Capital Q, so next time we might try one of those. However, I am not running back to this establishment.

Chico's BBQ

I went to Chico's BBQ, past the Route 20 and 146 intersection in Guilderland. I was a little disappointed, but perhaps boneless buffalo wings were not the thing to get at Chico's.

The ambiance suggests that Chico's is a serious barbecue place. There were motorcycles parked outside the smoker in front of the restaurant. Inside Chico's there is the same rustic, rugged feel. The crowd seemed to be a mix of working class men getting a beer and families looking for a good meal.

The chicken was no better than anything one would get from any restaurant. They were all white meat, but a little dry. Overall, this was a 8 out of 10 on the wing scale.

My wings were $8.90, which is slightly more than the Wings of Albany meal I enjoyed so much. Considering I got a coupon for a large ribbon fries that expires at the end of March, I may try Chico's again. I would get pulled pork, or something else that gets made in the smoker.

Smokey Bones BBQ

I went to Smokey Bones BBQ on Central Avenue in Albany on Friday, and I definitely enjoyed my experience. The food is a solid 9 out of 10, though it still fails to compare to the Pig Pit in Cohoes. However, if you want a solid barbecue meal in a restaurant, this is the place to go.

I ordered the two entrees (pulled pork and smoked brisket) and two sides (mashed potatoes and french fries). I was not a big fan of the pulled pork. It was a dry rub and there were a lot of spices in their that masked the flavor of the meat. However, it was a lot less fatty than the Pig Pit. The smoked brisket was excellent. It was covered in barbecue sauce which was sweet. The fries and potatoes were both homemade and both better than average. I only wishes they had given more of both. The portion was average rather than heaping.

The ambiance is also pretty good. The restaurant was able to easily accomodate our large party, though they do not accept reservations. There are tons of TVs everywhere, so it feels more like sitting in your living room than a restaurant. The waiter was very friendly and helped explain the different options on the menu.

For $13.95, I felt like the amount of food and the quality were reasonable. I enjoyed a nice sampling of some fresh barbecue food. If you are looking for a good meal out, you cannot go wrong with Smokey Bones.