Restaurant Review

On the Cambridge side of the river a debate has been brewing, or rather, slow cooking. Put simply, it’s a question of barbeque supremacy. Is the best barbeque north of the city at Red Bones, the venerable Davis Square landmark, or Blue Ribbon, the Arlington upstart with its roots in West Newton?

It’s a debate my brother and I decided to settle, and, to make it interesting, we decided to add the more recent arrival Brother Jimmy’s, an offshoot of a New York chain that landed in the old House of Blues in Cambridge during November of 2003.

Our plan was simple; eat ribs, with hot sauce, over and over and over. While the day was grueling, the meat piles towering, and the beer bottles numerous -- we were up to the challenge.

The Blue Ribbon –
908 Mass Ave, Arlington
Red line to Alewife, take the 77 or 79 bus

Even in January walking into the Blue Ribbon feels a little like walking into a summer afternoon. The décor is classic fifties and something like southern, looking like a cross between a classic diner and a roadside burger joint. With cool blue tones and nice music, the setting is as low key as can be imagined. There are probably about a dozen seats and we had to begin eating standing at a small island in the middle of a line of customers before the five of us could cram into a booth.

I got a Rib Sandwich, which came with two Memphis dry rub ribs, onto which I poured some of the hot barbeque sauce. After a moment of head-scratching over how to approach a sandwich with bones, I dug in. The meat was cooked perfectly, falling off the bone, flavorful and delicious. The hot sauce was not very spicy, but rich.

The portion was easily manageable, by which I mean to say too small, but at $5.95 it was a steal, especially with the beans, slaw, and homemade pickles. If I wasn’t on my way to two other restaurants I would have wanted more. The bread, which confounded me early on, was like manna when combined with the leftover sauce. The slaw was good, and the pickles were just average, but the barbeque itself blew me away.

This place is great for a date, if you want to take the chance that you will have to bend over and let the girl use you as a table. You also better be confident that you seduce her without booze, since there is no liquor or beer. The scant seating, lack of liquor and superior food combine to make this a take out dream.

Red Bones
55 Chester St., Somerville
Red line to Davis

The first thing you notice entering Red Bones after the Blue Ribbon is that they have space, the second thing you notice is they have beer. There are bars up and downstairs as well as two dining rooms. Despite the fact that I showed up with 14 people and no reservation they sat us easily and the hostess was even nice. The music was good and the beer and drink selection intrigued and satisfied everyone, who sampled everything from Mojitos to Margaritas to old fashioned beer.

The small order of ribs ($9.99) was ordered hot and came hot. Now, my family is from Denmark, where the people, if they are known for anything, are known for cross country skiing. To give you an idea of how they do spice, The Danish Spice Channel, shows Winnie Cooper and Kevin Arnold making out. That being said, the hot was too strong for me, clearly overpowering the flavor of the barbeque and the meat. The meat was cooked perfectly though and there was plenty of it. The ribs had flesh to spare and the three were fully satisfying. The food came with some fluffy scrumptious cornbread on the house. We also tried the corn fritters, which were excellent, but so heavy they might dampen the appetite of lesser eaters.

Upstairs there were families and the bar was half full at 3 in the afternoon, sort of giving a backyard BBQ feeling. The music was some quiet indie rock and the grungy down-home feel of the upstairs put everyone at ease. You could definitely take a girl downstairs where the lights are low, the crowd mostly young adults and the interesting paintings add character.

Brother Jimmy’s
96 Winthrop St. Cambridge
Red line to Harvard

Brother Jimmy’s seemed different from the moment we walked in. The hostess said it would be an hour for our party, now eight, to be seated together. We got separate tables upstairs where there were tons of televisions broadcasting college hoops.

The place must be staffed by a horny man, because every waitress I saw was hot. The walls were covered in license plates and beer signs. I ordered the beer that had the largest sign on the wall, a PBR, but despite the sign, they didn’t have it. This added to the general impression that this was “faux dive,” bought lock, stock, and barrel out of a catalogue in an attempt to replicate low culture. Since they didn’t have PBR we ordered a specialty concoction, called a snake bite. Well, the drink invoked more imagery of suckers than bites, since it cost $5 and if there was any alcohol, it was totally undetectable. The drink was so sweet it was barely tolerable. We switched to something more straightforward, the Jim Beam, but they served it in little plastic cups, low to which even real dives don’t resort.

I wasn’t terribly hungry but it didn’t matter, because ribs came in only one size, the $15.99 size (both of the other restaurant offer individual ribs and variable sizes). I have to admit the drinks and the seating hassles were souring me on the place, but the food really was good. You pay a lot, but you get tons of ribs, nine by my recollection. We had northern style and they were succulent and well seasoned. On the downside, I’m lucky to be to report the quality, since the waitress told my friends at the next table were out of ribs at 7 p.m. on a Saturday. So, if you actually want to eat barbeque, or drink from a glass, I can’t vouch for this place. But the sports fans were enjoying the game, so it’s the best sports bar in Harvard square. It’s also the only one I know in Harvard Square.

King of the pit
In terms of pure food, I’ve got to give it up to Blue Ribbon. The quality of the food and the price weren’t matched by any of the other restaurants. In terms of dining experience, I’m going with Red Bones, the great atmosphere, good food, and seats, really made it an excellent experience. As for Brother Jimmy’s, you make a better bar than a BBQ joint, and that ain’t saying much, y’hear?