Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Blu Pig - blues music, but awesome food!


The Blu Pig

811 S. Main
Moab, Ut, 84535

(435) 259-3333

Website: http://www.blupigbbq.com/

Saturday we spent hiking and climbing many of the off the road areas of Moab; by 4:30pm we were exhausted and just wanted cold drinks and hot food. We'd heard many mixed reviews about The Blu Pig, and decided to investigate it ourselves; and we are sure happy we did.

At that time, the parking lot was relatively empty; upon entering the restaurant we noticed the quietly playing Blues music. The indoor area is air conditioned, very clean and very inviting; and there is an outdoor patio area. We opted for the air conditioning. Mark, our waiter, had also been our greeter, and took our drink orders right away.

The menu items were described in an enticing way, and choosing was difficult. Roy opted for the Slider Sampler (an appetizer of beef brisket, pulled pork and bbq chicken), and I asked for the 2-Meat combo (beef brisket, 1/4 slab of Kansas City ribs, mac n' cheese and onion rings). Poor Mark, I was asking question after question, and he had to keep going to the kitchen for answers...ok management, that's a big hint; your wait staff need to know what they're serving.

Big plus though for The Blu Pig; all the menu food items are made in house; no boxes, frozen goods or reheated items. Big Plus!!!

Food arrived quickly and the tasting began; the pork was succulent, the beef brisket melted in the mouth, and the chicken was moist and flavorful. The meats and chicken are not sauced, so we needed to try out The Blu Pig's. They make three sauces: Chipotle (medium heat, sweet, smoky), Kansas City or KC (mild heat, sweet, bourbon taste, but Mark told us no bourbon is used), Texas (peppery hot, sweet, reminded us both of A1 steak sauce). The KC and the Texas work best with the beef and pork; the Chipotle is best with the chicken; and they enhance their flavors, not hide.

The Kansas City ribs were fall off the bone goodness; moist, succulent, lip smacking good. The mac n' cheese is made with Colby and white Cheddar; rich, creamy and a mild tang; the onion rings had a nice cripsy batter, the onions soft enough to bite through without pulling the whole onion through.

We made room for dessert, Pecan Pie made with pralined (caramalized)pecans. This is a wicked dessert, and each sinful bite was worth the $5.75. All in all, dinner for two, with tip came to $50, and in the Moab area, that is reasonable and average for a meal of this quality. I wish we had met the owners, I would have given them a big hug.

Unfortuately, we were so tired from our day's activity, I forgot to take photos, but will amend this next time we go...yes, we will most definitely be going back. Oh, upon leaving, there was a waiting line, and the lot was almost full.

Mary Cokenour

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