Hollis Famous Ribs ~ Athens, GA

 

 While searching Athens Georgia for memorable barbecue, a seven foot tall man holding a large sign flagged us down. Yes, a modern-day-giant waving a hand-held-sign caught our attention, and, therefore, we pulled into Hollis Famous Ribs. The temperature (being around 98 degrees Fahrenheit) qualified the event as a photo opportunity for this fine fellow. Happy and hot, he shouted out the specials to us and the others passing by.

Seeing my photo enigma of his employee, Famous Clark Hollis greeted us with a pose at the door. He then immediately took us to look at the aforementioned famous ribs which smoked happily in a large pit within a covered barbecue hut.

  I love barbecue huts. Any shape, any size, no matter they are a spectacular feat of architecture. Keeping the cookers dry and free of bugs, these huts are the backbone of America. Now I will be famous like Famous Clark Hollis just because I have been in his barbecue hut. One cannot simply walk into a barbecue hut and live. This is a sacred building. It is a holy building of barbecue. I have been inside this holy building. I have seen and smelled the magic in Athens Georgia.

  Occupying a 1955-style burger-car-hop makes Hollis Famous Ribs look like a classic barbecue joint. There are plenty of picnic tables, some which are in the shade under an old car hop covering. I discovered that Hollis Famous Ribs cannot serve inside the building as they do not have a license to do so. Therefore, all food is delivered in to-go boxes for your dining pleasure. Maybe this is how barbecue should be served nationwide. This is perfect for the Bulldog enthusiasts who go tailgating before the big game. The BIG game is with the South Carolina Gamecocks, but more about that at a later time. A drive through window makes Hollis Famous Ribs the "go to" place for tailgate barbecue in Athens.

  All of the meat was "fall-off-the-bone" tender. Short ribs slow cooked in a barbecue hut cannot be anything but Famous. I ordered a portion of white-meat chicken for the moisture test. The chicken glistened with a tomato sauce with a hint of spice and was tender and moist. This is a middle of the road sauce which can be enjoyed by all. The sauce is nothing extraordinary mind you, but it is delicious. After diving into the perfectly cooked chicken and ribs I focused my attention on the pulled barbecue.

  Clark mentioned that they should have put the sauce on the side as he and I saw that the pulled barbecue was swimming in the sauce. I would have liked to have tasted the chopped barbecue with out sauce to enjoy the smokiness of the dish. In the future, one should order the sauce on the side.

  The sides are in need of some perking up according to gf. Clark needs to focus a bit on making his macaroni and cheese at least semi-famous. I would not say that it is infamous, but it does need an overhaul. The slaw was average but tasty.

Hollis Famous Ribs also serves Hash and Brunswick Stew which I sampled with pleasure. There was a lengthy discussion with the chef about the proper way to eat Hash. The lack of white rice to put the Hash on puzzled me. Evidently Georgians do not willingly put Hash on rice. This is a fatal flaw. South Carolina law states that Hash must be served with white rice. Since South Carolina seceded from the Union first, I believe that everyone must follow this Hash eating rule. If one does not know what Hash is, click here. The Brunswick Stew was right on the money.  If one does not know what Brunswick Stew is, click here.

  Overall, Hollis Famous Ribs is rightly named. Are they the best in North Georgia? I am not sure about that, but I will be back to enjoy these famous ribs.


Update: Hollis Famous Ribs is closed.
Click here for details. gf


Thanks for reading,

gf

Heirloom Market BBQ ~ Atlanta, GA

  "Never judge a book by its cover." This is a true statement for most influential barbecue joints. Multiply that thought by approximately 7.5 when thinking of Heirloom Market BBQ.

  I wore my newly acquired Bass Pro Shop T-Shirt for the dining experience as a hint for my wife. Unable to decode the signals, she got all gussied up for dinner.

If one does not look to the left, this is a quaint restaurant.

  Pulling into the smallish parking lot, not only did I get "the look", I also received  a "what the hell" softly spoken under her breath. Reassuring my spouse, I explained that there was absolutely nothing to worry about except that she was slightly over dressed. This is a small joint. The smallness of the place is part of what I enjoyed about it.  There is only one table. I know! That is awesome, right? We landed at the"Rails" (long boards attached to the perimeter walls) after ordering at the register/display filled with sausages and jars of kimchi.

  We both chose the "Chattahoochee Punch" for a beverage. Tap water served in large, clear bottles (with those crafty springy tops with corks) made the tap water feel expensive. I love the beverage choices. Heirloom BBQ does not have the free-flowing free-refilling coke dispensing machine. Rather they have several unique choices of soda with real ingredients in bottles. Coke made with sugar, (and not High Fructose Corn Syrup) Homemade lemonade, sweet tea, and Jasmine green tea also made me smile.

  Looking into the kitchen, I watched smoke wafting out of smokers, and chefs bustling about preparing orders. As we waited for dinner, the stream of customers getting to-go orders became steady. At three (O'clock) in the afternoon, Heirloom BBQ was hopping. I knew it was not the fancy dining room bringing in the flow of guests, but rather the quality of food. The food arrived on metal platters lined with paper. Grabbing a fork off of the wall, I dug in to find out what all the fuss is about.

   The Smoked Wings (the chalk board special) arrived with a small side of Korean Sweet Potatoes. In the back of my brain, I heard a famous chef say BAM! The baked and sauteed sweet potatoes (delicate and delicious) added to the plate perfectly. A subtle smokiness and a semi-sweet sauce enveloped the wings. Sesame seeds topped the mound of goodness to make this an above average dish for a barbecue joint next to a convenience store. (I am not sure if that is a barbecue category or not.) Maybe it should be. Well then, Heirloom BBQ wins the category if there is one.

The Georgia Sampler came to the rail on two trays, and all of a sudden I felt awful greedy. After some needed adjusting, we started to dissect this monstrosity of a "platter". I dove straight into the chopped barbecue. Grabbing up half of an egg bun (my favorite) and jamming it with some Q and some slaw took me to the seventh level of barbecue happiness. Heirloom BBQ does not over sauce their barbecue. However, they may have over smoked some of the brisket (as well as over cooked it). One has the opportunity to taste the flavors of the meats that they cook without the sauce taking all of the credit. There were several sauces on the table:  Settler Sauce - (North)Carolina(ish) vinegary with peppers, Table Sauce - Sweet and smokey (a thin Tennessee Style), Kitchen Sauce - Peppery tomato Texas blend, and KB Sauce - Korean sweet and spicy.

  Excessive tasting and dunking of barbecue into sauces did little to solve the puzzle in my head as to which one I enjoyed the best. I did conclude that I may have to come back to solve this mystery. Therein lies the Heirloom BBQ marketing plan.

The macaroni and cheese proved to be creamy and slightly spicy. Specs of pepper appeared on occasion throughout the dish as it disappeared from the platter. The chefs prepared the baked beans with hints of barbecue sauce and chunks of meat. Bean eaters (who do not like chunks of meat in baked beans other than hot dog slices) do not fear the Heirloom BBQ baked beans. They are excellent.

Is Heirloom BBQ #1 in Atlanta? I am not sure about that. They are in the game; no doubt.  It may prove to be a long summer at the rate I am going.

Thanks for reading,
gf