654851 Fri Sep 25 06:44:32 -0700 2009 21 12 Boston Area 0 5057351 A new Barbecue place is going into the spot that had (in the time I've been in the area -15yrs) an Einstein's Bagels, Barnstormers sandwich shop, then the various incarnations of Knowfat, Lowfat to Ufood healthy restaurants. The new place is called (I think) Firebox Barbecue. Run by a couple of chefs, who've cooked overseas and done local catering. Nice Guys. They were installing a Southern Pride smoker yesterday. Opening is October 12th. The menu seems ambitious, from burgers to burritos to pulled pork and ribs. They want to be upscale it seems: talking about using seasonal produce, finding their own suppliers for meat, seafood, etc. Planning to have various specials to take advantage of their smoker, such as Jamaican and Dominican BBQ. Looking forward to a new option in the area. I'm trying not to get too excited, but am hoping for a real quality spot! Fri Sep 25 06:44:32 -0700 2009 196033 justbeingpolite 1 5057530 I was just reading a little about this place (as well as the new Margaritas which is coming to the old Denny's spot down the street in Lexington). It's indeed called FireBox (they have a capital "B" in the name). From what I was reading, it will be a "contemporary" BBQ place, so yes, it sounds like it will be a bit more upscale than your typical BBQ joint. Fri Sep 25 07:49:02 -0700 2009 5057351 14771 hiddenboston 2 5057574 I was gonna mention the Margaritas (or start another thread). Should I be excited? Chain, but what quality? I actually kind of like On the Border in Woburn, how does this compare? Fri Sep 25 08:07:32 -0700 2009 5057530 196033 justbeingpolite 3 5057630 Eh. Margaritas is ok, IMO. I like the one in Waltham mainly because they have outdoor dining on the river (and their drinks are decent), but their food is so-so, IMO. I'd probably put On the Border just a skosh (a schtickle?) better than Margaritas. BTW, thanks for posting about FireBox. I've been in Bedford a few times over the past couple of weeks, but totally forgot what was happening with the UFood spot. Fri Sep 25 08:25:14 -0700 2009 5057574 14771 hiddenboston 4 5057707 No prob. I'm hoping the Q at the Firebox is at least as good as, and more consistant than Lesters. Maybe even at the Blue Ribbon level, gasp. I can dream, can't I? If you're in the area soon, drop in on them. The owners are charming, and happy to give a tour and discuss their plans. They're Chowhound fans, it seems, and talk a good game. Fri Sep 25 08:51:27 -0700 2009 5057630 196033 justbeingpolite 5 5057741 Will do! Fri Sep 25 09:00:51 -0700 2009 5057707 14771 hiddenboston 5 5057774 What do you think is inconsistent at Lesters? For a while there (before the lecture from the dr. and wife) I was eating the ribs at Lesters on avg. about every other week. Sure there was some batch to batch variation as is the case with bbq, but the ribs always ranged from good to f'n good. Always has at least a base level of smokiness (although the FG ones had more smoke flavor), tender, juicy meat that pulled away from the bone pretty easily and always have a smoke ring. Even when they were just "good" they much better than any pork ribs I've gotten from redbones or blue ribbon in the past 2 years. The brisket I've tried on different occasions was inconsistent though - one time was really good, others just ok. And I have never really liked the pulled pork there. Read recently that Blue Ribbon went back to their old style ribs - so hopefully the smoke flavor and bark will return with them too. Fri Sep 25 09:08:33 -0700 2009 5057707 12014 LStaff 6 5057901 Husband and I had a spit-it-out bad meal at Lester's. No chance, no how, ever again. Fri Sep 25 09:47:18 -0700 2009 5057774 15131 three of us 7 5066214 I had a similar experience there about two months ago with my wife and son. The food was beyond bad and we'll never go back Tue Sep 29 05:51:23 -0700 2009 5057901 1103132 kajana14 6 5057964 Well there you go. I am usually a rib eater, and I've had the occaisional dry bone from Lester's, something I've faulted Redbones (notice the appropriate absence of an apostrophe, MC) with as well. Blue Ribbon has been my local gold standard, though I've had some of those FG ribs from Lester's. Hope Smokebox (I do like the name) makes some of those FG ribs for LStaff to enjoy. Fri Sep 25 10:13:19 -0700 2009 5057774 196033 justbeingpolite 6 5116579 I've had several below-mediocre meals at Lester's, all at lunch (it's popular with some of my coworkers). Among other issues, it doesn't look/taste like real slow-smoke BBQ to me. I'm not going back if I can help it. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Tue Oct 20 05:26:59 -0700 2009 5057774 10143 MC Slim JB 7 5116651 I've been a few times, but only in the evening for takeout or happy hour. Their ribs are a bit too dry, but at least they are not extremely fatty like Blue Ribbon. And their wings have super smokey flavor, although the sauce is too thin and doesn't adhere to the wings well. See below for the pulled pork. Never had anything bad, but just not as good as I hoped for. We've also had them cater a few work parties, which worked out well. Tue Oct 20 06:17:50 -0700 2009 5116579 14951 Tir_na_nOg 7 5117087 >it doesn't look/taste like real slow-smoke BBQ to me. That is an odd statement to me that just doesn't jive with my experience at Lester's. I've been probably 20+ times (at lunch) in the last two years and although the level of smoke in various meats fluctuates, you can always tell it was smoked. Never had any meat there that didn't have a nice smoke ring or at least a hint of smoke flavor, unlike Blue Ribbon (on occassion) or Redbones (much more frequently). Tue Oct 20 09:11:00 -0700 2009 5116579 12014 LStaff 1 5063947 I got a sneak peek at the menu this weekend. It looks like typical BBQ with brisket, ribs, etc., comfort food sides (potato salad, mac & cheese), and burgers and dogs. Strangely, there is a Cuban on the menu. It looks like simple food that, if done well, will be DELICOUS. Mon Sep 28 09:20:30 -0700 2009 5057351 189965 MenuPorn 1 5100826 So I went in today about 3pm. Really, REALLY friendly service, laid back atmosphere, cheery music, HD TV set on ESPN with a comfy couch facing it. I think it could be a great place to hang out with friends or if everyone in there wants to watch the same sports event. Beer and wine are available in the evenings. I had a combo platter with pork ribs and pulled pork. Ribs were quite tough; I was disappointed. Pulled pork was more "chunk pork" style which I like. Although it didn't really "pull" very well with my fork, it tasted good, especially when dipped in NC vinegar sauce. Sides were average. There's a "bar" of various flavored liquid sweeteners for their brewed iced tea, which was neat, but they'll have to brew the tea stronger to handle the dilution from the sweeteners. Nothing wowed me, but I filled out a comment card, and they were friendly and the place looks fun, so I'll give them another chance. More $$$ than Lester's, so they'll have to improve to keep my business (or my car will have to break, as I can get to FireBox on foot if I have to). Tue Oct 13 16:00:12 -0700 2009 5057351 164344 michelles 1 5116120 Stopped in for the first time on Sunday ~1:30PM and ordered the pulled pork sandwich for takeout, $6. Eastern North Carolina style, similar to Lester's. But only slightly smokey, whereas Lester's puts a good smoke on theirs, and very very light on the sauce. I suppose I could have got more sauce on the side, but I didn't think of that. Also, contrary to michelles' experience, this was not at all chunky pulled pork. Looked more like it had been shredded by a machine into too-small fragments, much like Lester's, rather than the fork-pulled chunks of meat I would prefer. I'm not a BBQ expert, but I think this is what they called "chopped". Doesn't make for a very stable sandwich, or much texture. Whether it is authentic, others will have to judge. Did come with a nice pickle slice, which I suspect was home-made. Interior is similar to the previous health food joint, so definitely not what I would call up-scale, but it is attractive. And they have a liquor license with an interesting selection of $6 wines by the glass from around the world (didn't recognize any of the labels, but it sounded like they had put some thought into what would go with BBQ and picked something more creative than 2-Buck Chuck). I'll definitely be back, since I work close by, but based on my single pull pork sandwich (which is my BBQ touchstone), I'm not going to call it a drive to destination. In fact, I probably prefer Lester's at this point, given their much stronger smoke. http://www.fireboxbbq.com/ Mon Oct 19 20:17:02 -0700 2009 5057351 14951 Tir_na_nOg 2 5117959 Had lunch there today and think the pulled pork is more like ground pork and very bland. Mac and cheese was decemt; highlight was the cole slaw. Don't think we will be back. Tue Oct 20 13:39:32 -0700 2009 5116120 12620 Fort Point 1 5144838 Checked out FireBox last night. Very pleasant space. Seating area is great, unlike Blue Ribbon in Arlington which is mostly takeout. Ordered a 3-meat combo (pork ribs, pulled pork, burnt ends) and a pulled chicken sandwich. Also, a couple of beers. They have a tap with a half-dozen interesting selections. General comment is that I prefer a deeper smoke to the meats. They have a beautiful Southern Pride 300# smoker that they are still getting used to. All heat and flavor come from wood, not gas. I think they need to experiment with different types of wood, different temperatures, and different cooktimes to get that smokiness needed for top-notch bbq. After talking to the very friendly owners, I am confident they are paying attention and will make adjustments. The pulled chicken was the winner. Very moist, relatively smoky. Good mix of white meat and dark. As others have noted, it was more chopped than pulled, but I haven't found pulled chicken that had a stringy, pulled appearance except when the meat has been braised, which is a bbq no-no. The ribs were tender, not fall-off-the-bone which is appropriate. The meat came clean off the bone with little resistance, which is the standard for judging ribs (I'm a KCBS bbq judge). As noted, I wanted more smokiness. Also, a little more crust from the dry rub would be good. The pulled pork was almost as good as the pulled chicken, but the lack of smoke held it back. Good mix of interior shredded pork (white and pink) and a few good chunks of exterior bark. They serve it unsauced, which I prefer. But, takeout customers will need to remember to grab some containers of sauce. Burnt ends were not. Actually, I received sliced brisket, that was sauced and grilled. Looked like sausage slices in my container. Definitely not from the point part of the packer brisket. I asked the owners about this and they sheepishly admitted that demand far outstripped their ability to produce burnt ends so they've been substituting this brisket concoction. They need to figure out a better response - either smoke more point to produce real burnt ends or properly label their twice-cooked brisket. Notable was the quality of the sauces - complex flavors that matched well with the meats. The homemade pickle alongside the sandwich was also a hit. You can see that the owners care about the details. Maybe too much. They told me that they had a homemade ketchup that bombed. Everyone just wanted their Heinz. A lesson that you need to nail the basics before adding your own twist. The best part of the visit was talking to the owners and seeing their enthusiasm. They aren't trying to make dive bar bbq; they are bringing their extensive culinary background to make bbq with a twist. It was clear that their launch point is their catering and french training, rather than pit-master bbq. They are planning special nights to showcase world-bbq, highlighting different regions each time (asian, north african, etc.). I support their endeavors, and by the good crowd on a Fri night, it looks like they are on track. My advice to them is to wait for the "foo-foo" until they've really nailed the bbq side of things. SpicyIvan Sat Oct 31 07:23:09 -0700 2009 5057351 118575 spicyivan 2 5146575 Will have to try the pulled chicken. I've been there several times now, but have only had the pulled pork and pork ribs. Ribs are decent, and not overly fatty like Blue Ribbon's. I'm pretty sure the pulled pork has a vinegar sauce on it, but it is very very light. Potato salad--OK Fried sweet potatoes--Good Pickle--Good, but mild Beans--Boring Cornbread--very cake-like, not what I would consider real cornbread Mashed potatoes--With skins, but a bit thin and gluey Are you sure they make their own tomato BBQ sauce? I saw them refilling the squirt bottles (at my request, since they seem to be chronically empty--wake up employees!) from large labeled plastic jugs, suggesting it was purchased (although I suppose they could be reusing the jugs). I can't say I was impressed with the sauce. The spicy version was spicier than average (good), but both the spicy and sweet seemed simple to me. Although, admittedly, I sometimes think ribs are just there to facilitate getting the sauce to your mouth without the embarrassment of using a straw! Probably wouldn't make a good BBQ judge. Homemade ketchup is invariably a bad idea. Food scientists apparently study Heinz for it's ability to hit multiple taste buttons. There was a fascinating article on it in the New Yorker. Anyway, I like a lot of what these guys are trying to do, but I agree with you that they need to take the BBQ up several notches. If you can't impress people with your BBQ, all the other attention to details will go to waste. Sun Nov 01 07:24:45 -0800 2009 5144838 14951 Tir_na_nOg 3 5149639 TNN - Pretty sure they said they made all their sauces. Agree on the fried sweet potatoes - they were good. Nothing complicated, but well-cooked chunks of potato. Going for lunch later this week, so I'll try to get the scoop on the sauces, as well as try something new. Mon Nov 02 12:06:32 -0800 2009 5146575 118575 spicyivan 4 5149680 Tried the ribs: the pork ribs were unusually meaty and low in fat. Good flavor but could have been smokier. I thought the beef ribs were excellent, more fat, melt in your mouth type. Similar to ribs I've had from Redbones. The sauces are ok, I prefer a thicker, tomato based sauce (I really like tennessee's Brickhouse sauce). Good local option, hope they'll improve with time. Mon Nov 02 12:17:05 -0800 2009 5149639 196033 justbeingpolite 5 5153580 Actually, their chipotle & mango sauce is pretty good. Hadn't seen that there before. Tue Nov 03 16:59:08 -0800 2009 5149680 14951 Tir_na_nOg