My late grandmother was renowned for her chopped barbecue. She was the head cook at a popular barbecue joint for many years. I was twelve when she first showed me how it's made and sixteen when I attempted to make it by myself the first time. Big Daddy and I both come from families that know their barbecue and he can manhandle a grill with the best of them. However, unlike Big Daddy, I am not a fan of chopped pork and vinegar dressing. But I do like pig!
After hearing mixed reviews from family friends Big Daddy wanted to try out THE PIT, a legendary barbecue joint in downtown Raleigh, NC. They serve authentic whole-hog, pit-cooked barbecue. They also have fried chicken.
Now Big Daddy and I are notorious for showing up at a restaurant's unpopular hour, when the waitstaff is ready to go on break, or minutes before closing and the cook would like to head home. It's those moments when you discover the stuff a restaurant is really made of.
THE PIT has three dining sections that open at 11:00 AM for lunch. As the lunch hour winds down they close off two of them, only keeping the center section open. Big Daddy and I arrived just as they'd closed down the section we wanted to sit in. The hostess was a pleasant young lady who advised us that she would first check if one of the servers designated for the center section wouldn't mind waiting on us in the other area. We watched as the young woman asked and a young man nodded his head eagerly. She then came back to say that she just needed to call a manager and have it approved. The call was brief and we were escorted to our table of choice. That's when the whispering started, two waitresses closing down section two clearly annoyed that we'd been seated. The young hostess was questioned about her actions, not once, but twice, to which she responded, "I don't make the rules." We were both feeling just a touch uncomfortable but neither waitress seemed concerned.
Big Daddy was just about to call for a manager when our server stepped to the table. A young man named Eric introduced himself, a bright smile and pleasant expression greeting us. He instantly made us feel welcomed. As we navigated the menu Eric made some suggestions then eagerly rushed off to fill our orders.
Big Daddy ordered the Classic Carolina, a combination of chopped pork barbecue and fried chicken. I ordered the Double Combo, a plate of turkey barbecue and beef brisket. Our sides were french fries and slaw for him, heirloom cabbage collard greens and red beans and rice for me.
Presentation wise, Big Daddy's plate looked much more substantial than mine did. Food was sprawled all over his! But it was lunch so I let the portion sizes slide.
Both the pork barbecue and the turkey barbecue were on the dry side but beautiful bottles of sauce that sat on the tables were the perfect fix for that. One was a vinegar based sauce and the other a sweeter honey/molasses sauce that was perfect on that turkey barbecue. Nothing special about the fries or the slaw, but I did enjoy the greens. They weren't overcooked and had a nice bite to them although the vinegar they were seasoned with was a bit much.
The pleasant surprise for me was the hush puppies and with the hush puppies and greens my only complaint was there wasn't enough to the serving. I'd love to comment on the beans and rice but all I really got was a bowl of rice with a few beans in the bottom. But from what I did taste, they weren't bad at all.
The fried chicken was average. They won't get any awards from us but as fried chicken goes we'd definitely order it again.
The clear winner for both of us was the beef brisket. Theirs was probably some of the best beef brisket we've had in a very long time. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender and seasoned to perfection. We both wish there had been a few more slices and appreciated being able to tell Ken, the executive chef just how much we enjoyed it when he stopped by the table to inquire about our experience.
Our server Eric was on point and I hope our tip reflected just how much we appreciated the service he rendered. An engaging personality, sweet disposition, knowledgeable about the menu and the food and being easy on my eyes made him a definite winner!
All thumbs up for The Pit! We were not at all unhappy with our meals. The ambiance was pleasant and we walked away satisfied. As their marketing slogan says, they gave us Everything but the squeal!
