Fox Brothers- The Kings of Atlanta Brisket

St. Patrick's Day was a long, but fun afternoon. The day started with a brisket face-off between Fox Brothers and Rolling Bones, transitioned into drinking several (maybe more) pints at Limerick Junction, and ended with my left knee the size of a grapefruit. Maybe I am getting too old for days of excitement like this? More on that later.

The day started at Rolling Bones, an old gas station that appears a little too sterile. In all honesty, there aren't a ton of places to sit inside, so it may be more condusive to takeout. RB covers their brisket with a tangy barbecue sauce, but I found the meat itself to be somewhat dry and chewy. Good, but I found their pork shoulder to be the better of the two main courses we had. The sides were completely uninspiring (and that may be generous as it applies to the pinto beans).

Next, we headed east to Fox Brothers, a new fave of mine since they opened last year. This place has considerable more seating than Rolling Bones, and the atmosphere and smells scream BBQ joint. The brisket here may be served dry (without sauce), but the meat is moist and tender. The flavor is much smokier than RB. Nick, my partner in crime for this all day fiesta, raves about the sides at Fox Brothers, and he is right. The baked beans here put to shame the pintos offered at RB. Fox Brothers also offers a bigger selection, including Brunswick Stew. So, in the end, it really wasn't that close. Fox Brothers won on all three areas I was judging- brisket, sides, atmosphere.

Then it was on to Limerick Junction. We met this 87 year-old guy who apparently served in an Irish brigade in WWII and later became president of Guinesss US. Needless to say, we liked him immediately! While I didn't understand most things he said, he seemed to be telling us to go f- ourselves every 5 minutes. Funny stuff.

So after a couple of hours (maybe more) of this revelry, when trying to find Nick to give him back his credit card, I wound up tripping over a wheel stop in the parking lot and severely bruising my knee. Of course, I'm claiming that the fact it was St. Patrick's Day is complete happenstance. I am uncoordinated enough naturally. But that still hasn't stopped the jokes. But its a good story (well, its a story, maybe not so good) and a day that I won't forget anytime soon.

BBQ Challenge & Green Beer

In the South, I have learned that one must tread lightly when discussing barbecue joints. Expressing partiallity to one place over the other can be equated to one wearing Gator colors to a Georgia fan, or donning a #24 hat to an Earnhardt fan. Looks like my review of the brisket at Fox Brothers has garnered some attention. I have been asked by Cliff Bostock to do a comparison between Fox Brothers and Rolling Bones and it is a request that I will happily undertake. And why not make it an event? This St. Patrick's Day, to celebrate my Welsh/German heritage, a Jewish friend and I will be hitting Rolling Bones and Fox Brothers for a lunchtime tour de force of brisket sampling, then making our way to Limerick Junction for a few libations. If anyone is interested in joining, please email me at steakhead@earthlink.net.

Getting My Groove Back at Fox Brothers BBQ

In a recent blog entry in OmnivoreATL, Cliff Bostock poked fun at my recent trip to the organic/vegetarian Dynamic Dish. Since his readership is considerably larger than mine, maybe my meat-eating reputation could be put in jeopardy? So today I took my carnivorous cravings to Fox Bros BBQ to regain my manliness, rebuild my brand, and, oh, to have one helluva plate of cue.

Fox Bros started out as a catering outfit with an outpost inside Smith’s Olde Bar. While those operations still exist, they now have their own stand-alone restaurant on Dekalb Avenue just east of Moreland. As soon as you park the car, you pretty much know you have come to the right place for barbecue. The building has the appearance of a roadside shack and the smells of smoked meat surround you as you make your way in the door.

We started with an order of sliced jalapeno “chips” (a special of the day, literally its breaded slices of jalapenos), which comes with a side of ranch sauce for dipping. The Tomminator, a mound of tater tots covered in melted cheese and Brunswick stew is a treat, although very filling (go with the ½ order if there you don’t have a full table, because you don’t want to be too full for the main course).

They have all the standards you would expect- pulled pork, ribs, chicken. But the real treat here is the brisket, which really soaks in the smoky taste from the cooking process in each bite. The outside skin of the meat can be slightly charred (I actually like this), but the inside is moist and tender. In general, this is not a place that serves their meat covered in some thick sauce that hides the true taste. Here you get pure barbecue, smoky flavor and all, with the option to add a peppery vinegar-based sauce that sits on the table. I have had numerous sides and all are first rate. The Brunswick Stew (with chunks of fatback) and the hearty baked beans particularly stand out.

I have probably hit Fox Bros. every month or so since they opened last year and have never had a disappointing meal. The staff is exceptionally nice and genuinely interested in making sure your experience is top notch. With places like this in town, Fat Matt has to be worried.

Steakhead Recommends: Oh yeah
Price: $

More Sports Bars Coming Downtown

The sports bar scene in Downtown Atlanta will change rather significantly over the next few months. First, Jocks n Jills at CNN Center is closing, potentially as early as the end of the month. According to the AJC, Dantanna's is in the final stages of negotiating a lease to take over that spot. And for those that have noticed some construction on the facade of Philips Arena that faces the GWCC, that is going to be a Taco Mac. This will supposedly have access from both the Arena and from outside the Arena. While there is no official opening date, I have been told from a source at Taco Mac's corporate office that it will be this Spring.