Travels of the Taste Buds- Due South in Christiansburg, VA

3/23/13

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Decor, Menu, Food, Sauces, Environmental Practices

Cons: 

     Welcome to a new(ish) kind of post. It's about the places I visit when I happen to travel. It's not often, so there won't be a ton of these posts. I hope you find them as helpful as my other posts... which I hope you find helpful...

     This past weekend I was in Blacksburg taking care of some business. While there I stayed with my former roomies C & SW. They are always so gracious to host me and my dog. I truly appreciate that. Having my dog in the same house as their 2 dogs means that there is A LOT of energy that needed to be released. So, on Saturday morning SW and I took all three menaces to the dog park. While there, SW and I  discussed lunch. We wanted some place cheap, but good. Usually, these don't go hand in hand. Thankfully, there are always exceptions. Due South BBQ (Due South BBQ) in Christiansburg is one of those exceptions. And seeing as SW had never been there, it was a no brainer.

     Due South is located on Roanoke St. right off of the 460 bypass. It has been in it's current location since 2007 when they moved to Christiansburg from South Carolina. The owners are committed to freshly smoked bbq and homemade sides. The outside of Due South is basic, but welcoming. I personally think the smell has a lot to do with that.  They smoke everything on-site, which you can smell as soon as you get out of your car. When you come in the front door you are greeted by the people at the register. The staff is extremely friendly. The counter is directly to your left when you come in with tables and booths in front and to the right of you. The walls are covered in newspaper articles, awards and paintings. Take a second to glance at all the banners and ribbons from the competitions Due South has competed in. It helps build the mood.

The view from our table towards the door.

     SW and I took a second to browse the menu. The menu has what you expect to find from a BBQ place; ribs, chicken, pulled pork. All of it smoked on-site and all of it tasty. SW went with a basic pulled pork sandwich, which comes with hush puppies. I got the "The Trough" which is a jumbo sandwich and 2 sides, also served with hush puppies. I went with mac n' cheese and fried green tomatoes as my sides. We took our number, got our drinks and found a table. So begins the waiting game.

     While we waited, we took a look at all the sauces on the table. Due South has 5 different sauces, enough to appeal to all taste buds. The sauces are as follows: Sweet Brown ( tomato based with brown sugar and molasses), Hot Red (tomato based, sweet and spicy), Sweet Red (tomato based, sweet and tangy), Lexington (vinegar based, tangy and spicy) and Yellow (mustard based, sweet and tangy). I am a big fan of the Hot Red and the Yellow. I use one on one half the sandwich and one on the other half. Allows for contrasting flavors. I suggest you try them all and see which one works for you.

     The staff brought out our meals and made sure we understood the sauces. Once I dressed my sandwich with the proper sauces I dove in. You get the smokey flavor right away. The meat is done perfectly. It's not dry or over done. The smoke ring on the outside provides for an incredible crunchy bark. Needless to say, it's a great sandwich. The mac n' cheese is solid and homey. It is creamy and cheesy, but I wouldn't hate a little breadcrumb topping. The fried green tomatoes are tasty. They aren't dripping with grease, which is good. Green tomatoes didn't have a very tomato-heavy flavor. It was more like eating a mild pickle, in my opinion.They are served, like everything in the South is, with ranch dressing. All of it was very very tasty.

     The really cool thing about Due South is that they are trying to go green with their trash. A lot of their trash is biodegradable. They separate it all out and it goes in a different container. They send it all out to a place in Riner, VA that turns it into a soil amendment. That is a pretty great way to get rid of usable trash. Better then letting it clog up our dumps. The other thing that Due South does is provide free dog bones. They take all the bones from the pork they smoke and put them in plastic bags for customers to take for free. They are located in a basket on the floor by the front door. And as we got them for all three dogs, I will attest they are completely safe.

     Due South is a nice little gem of BBQ goodness located in Christiansburg. The staff is friendly, the food homemade and the company thinking about the environment. It's a great place to grab a sandwich or a pint for takeout. Next time you are looking for a hit of BBQ in your life, try Due South BBQ. You won't be disappointed.

Sticky Rice Revisited

3/8/13:

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Specials, Service, Food

Cons:

     As you all know, I've been to Sticky Rice (Sticky Rice) before. This can be found here: 1st Sticky Rice Post. So, you know now that I am a big big fan. EG had never been before and we had talked about it several times, but always in passing. Well, this night we were prepping for a little get together and we knew we needed something good in our stomachs. We had driven deep down Grove Ave. looking for something. Nothing had struck our fancy and we were talking about hitting up Belly Timber Tavern again. Then we drove past Sticky Rice and EG said, "I haven't been there. LET"S DO IT!!" I am not one to say no to food and CERTAINLY not one to say no to Sticky Rice. So it was spoken, so it was done.

     It was fairly crowded when we got there, with only a few tables left. The very attractive hostess attended us quickly and sat us by one of the front windows at roughly 5:50pm, moments before happy hour ends. EG and I both had a flash of panic that we may have to pay full price for our PBR's (yeah, I like PBR. But I liked it before all these damn hipsters did). Thankfully our waitress sensed our panic and arrived quickly. We checked with her to ensure we did indeed qualify for the $1 PBR's. She assured us that we made it before 6 and would be ok. She even offered to run and put in our drink order before taking our real order. We gratefully accepted. That's an in-tune server right there. I truly appreciate someone who understands our priorities after a long long work day. She also told us to pray for rain as that means $1 PBR's while it's raining till 9pm. Excellent idea. While she was gone we perused the menu. EG isn't a big red meat eater but Sticky Rice attends to all needs. They have plenty of dishes that contain chicken, seafood or just veggies. A choice for any palette. When the waitress came back with our beers we ordered. EG went with the Asian Sesame noodle bowl. She went with the chicken and the udon noodles. Those are the thick noodles that so beautifully hold the sauce. I went with the special, the "I Have A Sultry Lust For My Pork" sandwich. I mean, the name alone begs it to be ordered. I will dive into the description in a moment. For now, just savor that name. Our waitress was off once again in pursuit of our happiness as we feel into conversation.

     Just before our food arrived we decided a second beer couldn't hurt. A little something for the kids, know what I'm saying? Our beers arrived with our food, an award-winning combination. EG's noodle bowl looked and smelled amazing. The colors alone were pleasing. A lot of reds, greens and purples with flashes of white from the sprouts. I could only assume that it tasted as good as it looked and smelled. She was very happy with it. The portion was excellent for her, if not a little big. She said that the teriyaky sauce was flavorful, but not over powering. She also really enjoyed the copious amounts of fresh vegetables. I congratulate Sticky Rice on securing themselves a new fan.

     Now, on to MY sandwich. Allow me to first give you the menu description, then I'll delve into my thoughts. Seared pork loin medallions tossed in a sweet and sour passion fruit glaze. Served on a toasted sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, crispy bacon and a slice of tempura fried pineapple. Served with a side of tater tots... After you get done drooling and clean up the keyboard, keep on reading. This sandwich sounded like someone just sliced happiness and put it on a bun. How could I not order it? I, of course, added a side of Siracha ranch to go with those tots. I'm a civilized S.O.B. after all. The sandwich arrived carried by angels with rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds to illuminate it accompanied by a choir of the worlds finest voices singing its praises. At least that's what I saw/heard. You could smell the passion fruit sauce first off. Certainly the best way to start. As I bit into the first bite the pure artistry of the sandwich was realized. The sharp crunch of the lettuce, the bite of the onion, the sweetness of the sauce, the juiciness of the pineapple and the saltiness of the bacon all melded together to form the perfect bite. And that high standard was met bite after bite. This was truly a top 5 sandwich. Kudos to the inventor, this is truly your opus. And let's not forget the tots. A WAY better side then french fries. Add that dipping sauce and you have one hell of a boy wonder to that Batman sandwich.

     Once again Sticky Rice came through to make an excellent meal. They certainly have locked up a new return customer in EG and have continued to hold their top 5 spot in my eyes. So, like I said before, if you haven't had a chance to visit Sticky Rice, make the time. You won't be disappointed.

Virginia Barbeque

2/18/13:

Stars: 4.75 out of 5

Pros: Service, Food, Portions

Cons: Decor/Setting

     It was my first day of my new job. Lot of pounding the pavement trying to make a little money. That, of course, builds up a fierce hunger. As we were moving around my trainer mentioned a barbeque place that he had seen the week before. I'm a fan of a little BBQ, so I suggested we hit it up. A little nourishment goes a long way.

     Virginia Barbeque (Virginia Barbeque) is located in a little strip mall off Lakeside Avenue. It's a franchise, so there are quite a few locations in VA. When you walk in, it's very basic. Not much on the walls besides newspaper articles and a few decorations. The place is small, with about 6 or 7 tables. Basically, the outside is like the inside, unassuming and basic. A fresh bright coat of paint on the walls and maybe a few more decorations could really bring some life to the inside.

     The woman at the counter was the owner. she was very pleasant to speak with and incredibly helpful. She took the time to explain some of the sauces to me, which I appreciated as it helped in my decision. I ordered the Original Sandwich Combo. This is basic traditional style hand-pulled pork, tossed in BBQ sauce and served on a roll. I prefer this sauce to the vinegar-based North Carolina sauce. I got coleslaw on mine, because that's how the inventors of BBQ intended it. I also got corn muffins and collared greens. A little Arnold Palmer to drink really rounded off the meal. Let's be honest, I was pretty excited for this whole package. Now for the waiting game...

     The owner brought out our food when it was ready. Let me tell you, it looked and smelled amazing. She also pointed me to the bottles of hot sauce. Well played madam, well played. So, I grabbed a bottle of something with fire all over the label and dug in. The sandwich, pre-hot sauce, was delicious. The BBQ sauce on it was excellent, both tangy and smokey. The coleslaw brought a little crunch to the sandwich, which I always appreciate. The greens could have been drained a touch more, but they were also good. My favorite part, as it is anytime I have the option, was the corn muffins. They were warm, which allowed butter to be slathered on perfectly. Absolutely perfect. The whole meal was great. And filling. I left there satisfied 100%.

     Virginia Barbeque is a nice little franchise. They provide an excellent meal with friendly service. If you happen to be going past one, I recommend you stop in for a quick bite.