I had previously talked up Allman's BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA as a "must visit" joint in another thread somewhere. After eating there last week, I unfortunately felt compelled to add an updated review...
So last week was my kiddo's spring break, and we decided we'd head back to my old stomping grounds in F'burg where I grew up (~1974 - 1997) and show her around, see all of the history there, etc. Back in the day, Allman's was pretty darn good and a favorite after a long float trip down the nearby rivers. Walking in still smelling like fish, half covered in mud, STARVING, and hearing them call our BBQ orders to "Momma" in the back just got our mouths watering waiting for that first real plate of food after a couple of days on the water.
I was really excited to head back to the place that originally turned me on to "minced" (chopped) pork sandwiches with an eastern NC style sauce. I found out they even serve baby back racks now, so my kiddo was REALLY excited.
Well... it was great while it lasted I guess. "Momma" retired back in 2011, and died a couple of years ago. Apparently she was the magic that made Allman's go. My wife and I got the minced pork. It could have been made in a crock pot. Not even a hint of smokey flavor. No bark whatsoever. Just very bland pork. Time to doctor that up with some sauce... except, no. One bottle was just basically Texas Pete, which is fine, but don't pass it off as your "spicy" BBQ sauce. The other bottle which I was hoping was the traditional eastern NC style was not. I'm not sure what it was... watered down KC style is my guess, not tangy or spicy, slightly sweet. The ribs they brought to my daughter looked like something out of The Walking Dead - grey and dried out. Absolutely no rub on them, and again no smoke flavor. They tasted exactly like the minced pork actually, except drier. The sides were even worse. Bush's baked beans straight out of a can are much better than what I was served as "bbq baked beans". The hush puppies were suspiciously perfectly round balls of fried dough with absolutely no flavor to them - suspect they buy them frozen.
What a disappointment... we were so hungry, having walked around Monticello all day and "saved up" for a big BBQ meal, we choked down half of it, and left the rest on our plates. I went up to pay, and when asked how everything was just replied (as nicely as I could) "Well... it was fine I guess". His response: "Great! Glad to hear it! Would you like a couple to go boxes?" Me: "No thanks, we're just gonna leave it right there..." (this guy just doesn't get it, so this isn't going to improve)
The place was maybe half full, but we weren't the only ones grousing. There was an elderly gentleman with his family sitting right behind us, and we heard him saying "This used to be the place to go, I don't know what happened". So it wasn't just our taste buds on that day, wasn't me being a BBQ-snob or anything. I guess I still have good memories, but that's about all. Definitely cannot recommend Allman's any longer!
So last week was my kiddo's spring break, and we decided we'd head back to my old stomping grounds in F'burg where I grew up (~1974 - 1997) and show her around, see all of the history there, etc. Back in the day, Allman's was pretty darn good and a favorite after a long float trip down the nearby rivers. Walking in still smelling like fish, half covered in mud, STARVING, and hearing them call our BBQ orders to "Momma" in the back just got our mouths watering waiting for that first real plate of food after a couple of days on the water.
I was really excited to head back to the place that originally turned me on to "minced" (chopped) pork sandwiches with an eastern NC style sauce. I found out they even serve baby back racks now, so my kiddo was REALLY excited.
Well... it was great while it lasted I guess. "Momma" retired back in 2011, and died a couple of years ago. Apparently she was the magic that made Allman's go. My wife and I got the minced pork. It could have been made in a crock pot. Not even a hint of smokey flavor. No bark whatsoever. Just very bland pork. Time to doctor that up with some sauce... except, no. One bottle was just basically Texas Pete, which is fine, but don't pass it off as your "spicy" BBQ sauce. The other bottle which I was hoping was the traditional eastern NC style was not. I'm not sure what it was... watered down KC style is my guess, not tangy or spicy, slightly sweet. The ribs they brought to my daughter looked like something out of The Walking Dead - grey and dried out. Absolutely no rub on them, and again no smoke flavor. They tasted exactly like the minced pork actually, except drier. The sides were even worse. Bush's baked beans straight out of a can are much better than what I was served as "bbq baked beans". The hush puppies were suspiciously perfectly round balls of fried dough with absolutely no flavor to them - suspect they buy them frozen.
What a disappointment... we were so hungry, having walked around Monticello all day and "saved up" for a big BBQ meal, we choked down half of it, and left the rest on our plates. I went up to pay, and when asked how everything was just replied (as nicely as I could) "Well... it was fine I guess". His response: "Great! Glad to hear it! Would you like a couple to go boxes?" Me: "No thanks, we're just gonna leave it right there..." (this guy just doesn't get it, so this isn't going to improve)
The place was maybe half full, but we weren't the only ones grousing. There was an elderly gentleman with his family sitting right behind us, and we heard him saying "This used to be the place to go, I don't know what happened". So it wasn't just our taste buds on that day, wasn't me being a BBQ-snob or anything. I guess I still have good memories, but that's about all. Definitely cannot recommend Allman's any longer!
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