BACKYARD BBQ PIT - DURHAM, NC

Tea & Breakfast, an online news, entertainment and fashion sight recently published a list of the Best Soul Food Restaurants in America. Some sixty food places made the cut and we were intrigued. As we perused the list there were some we had heard of and others that we knew about and had dined in. We were suddenly excited by the prospect of trying the others. I screamed, “Road Trip!!!” and Big Daddy gassed up the car.

Our first stop was number 39 on the list, Backyard BBQ Pit in Durham, North Carolina. We headed in that direction and arrived about 7:15 pm on a Friday evening. The place itself is a dive, nothing at all that gives you any warm and fuzzy feelings once you step through the door. But there was a line of customers wrapped around the building and that in and of itself had us intrigued. Once we stepped inside, however, every ounce of that intrigue dissipated.

Pure chaos greeted us at the door. We have never witnessed the likes of such ever before. As we stood in line for some twenty-five minutes we watched patron after patron be disappointed as the food began to run out. “Sorry, all out!” became their mantra. We were slightly confused until the man in front of us noted that they closed at 8 PM. Then a young man stuck his head out the kitchen window and cried out last call for fried food. If you didn't order it right then and there you weren't going to get it.

We quickly ordered a fried catfish plate, a fried whiting plate and a fried pork chop plate. Chaos continued as minutes later they were still unsure of who had ordered fried what. Another twenty minutes passed and we watched as they locked the door some ten minutes early. We asked about sitting down and dining and were told it wouldn't be a problem but there would be no refills on any drinks we purchased since they were closing. We opted to take the food home instead. Once home, I filled our plates and we sat down, hopeful that the meal would meet our expectations. It didn't.

Big Daddy and I both believe the catfish is probably much better if eaten hot out of the fryer. But I found the catfish fishy and I was not a fan. Both of us were willing to try it again when we had an opportunity to dine in.

The vegetables were mediocre at best. The greens were tough and clumpy and tasted of a hint of sugar. Neither of us is a fan of vegetables with sugar added. The macaroni and cheese was good, not great, but okay. The canned yams were right out of the can with nothing added to spice them up and the string beans were blah. I was wholeheartedly disappointed but I agreed to give them another try.

We tried them again this past weekend and the experience wasn't much better. This time we arrived at 5:30 for dinner just to discover that they close at 6 PM on Saturdays. Really? On a Saturday? This time we ordered two rib plates. We wanted to try the fried chicken but they weren't taking any more fried food orders. And, again, someone was yelling for the door to be locked so that no one else came inside.

Again, we ended up taking the food home. Again, the macaroni and cheese was good and actually better this time than the last.  And this go round we tried the sautéed cabbage. They were good and neither of us had any complaints. Now Big Daddy enjoyed the ribs. They were heavily sauced and the sauce was sweet. I’m more of a dry rub kind of rib girl. And the sauce was too sweet for my tastes. He would eat them again. I would pass.

What we did agree on is that we won’t be repeat customers at Backyard BBQ Pit. The food didn't live up to the hype and I was thoroughly disappointed. But what was most off putting for both of us was the customer service. We watched as plates were prepped and handed to customers before their fried pieces were finished. Then the fried food was wrapped in wax paper and just handed to the customer over the counter. No bag. No nothing. The staff was surly, clearly more interested in closing the doors than making their paying customers feel welcomed. Questions were met with abrupt answers and the whole vibe felt extremely amateurish. For a food business it was just not good.