Moab, Utah is known for magnificent scenery and an outdoor sports culture. I was hellbent on checking out the local Arches National park, and sampling some nostalgia at the Moab Diner, but hit a small distraction on the way.
The Blu Pig.
Even cruising by on the highway entering town, the Blues, Brews, and BBQ sign was about to make me slam on the brakes because anytime you want to combine good food, alcohol, and music, I’m down. Unfortunately, I had many hours to fill till they opened at 4 pm, so I did my hiking/photography thing and pulled in as the full moon was rising over the blue neon.
The restaurant is laid out with a huge table running down the middle, and the servers seemed to be preparing for a big party. Bummer – I like a nice, quiet, and preferably empty setting when I’m going to geek out taking food and restaurant photos.
My waitress was friendly and very professional and told me they do have live music Wednesday through Sunday, but on this Tuesday night, I had to settle for piped in blues. Eh, I’ll take that. It beats the hell out of Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, or whatever top-40 douchebag du jour is on heavy rotation on the radio.
Even though I wasn’t very hungry, I opted for the three meat platter, choosing sausage, smoked turkey, and pulled pork. Call me crazy, but I have yet to meet a Texas brisket I’ve liked, so I left that for another day. You also get two sides with this order, and they have a huge selection, including southern favorites like fried okra as well as more traditional sides of baked beans.
As I figured I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone else offering red beans and rice in a radius of, well… several states, I went with that and asked for a recommendation from the waitress for my second side. She recommended the coleslaw – a classic BBQ side, and a simple dish, but one so many restaurants can’t seem to get quite right.
I got my cornbread before the main meal was served, and after smothering it with butter, couldn’t resist starting in before the rest of my food arrived. It was moist and fresh, and a nice start to the big plate that came out quickly after.
Thank goodness for take-home boxes.
The waitress explained each of the sauces at the table: Carolina mustard sauce, Kansas City-style, and their “house” Texas BBQ sauce. The smoked turkey comes with a special BBQ sauce, as well. And the pulled pork uses the house Texas sauce, so I tried the Carolina and Kansas City-style both on a little turkey, as well as the turkey BBQ.
Much to my surprise, I liked the Carolina sauce best, perhaps because it stands out so much from more traditional sauces – I found the Texas and Kansas City somewhat similar.
The red beans and rice was a little bland, and it occurred to me afterward it really needed the sausage mixed in with it to give it some kick, as it didn’t really seem to have any in the side dish by itself.
But the coleslaw… I swear they resurrected my mama and had her back in that kitchen making slaw. It was a creamy, fresh cabbage (not browned, old cabbage like so many restaurants serve) adding a nice contrast to the BBQ sauces.
Good tip for me, means good tip for you, Ms. Waitress.
The sausage was my favorite of the meat offerings, with good spicy flavor and nice and juicy. The turkey had just a hint of smoky flavor but paired well with all the sauces offered. The pulled pork was moist, tender, but a little less flavorful than some pulled pork I’ve had, but hey, we’re in Mitt Romney/Mormon country, not the deep south of Kansas City, so how high can you really set you BBQ barometer? Especially for a girl who used to live less than a quarter mile from Slo’s BBQ in Detroit.
Tasty food, good service, and good music, in a beautiful town. You can’t beat that.
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