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Finally tried Sweet Cheeks yesterday. Shared pork belly, ribs, farm salad, cheese broccoli casserole and a tin of biscuits. I agree with the overly salty comment and the lack of smoke. Meats were good quality and I liked the farm salad, broccoli not not so much. The biscuits rock. Quantity is reasonable and price is a dollar or two higher but given the location that is understandable. I would return but not a destination the way that BT's in Sturbridge is. i view it as a toss up with Soulfire and better than Blue Ribbon or Redbones at this point.
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We had some young visitors in town and were trying to think of somewhere fun to take them. This thread motivated me to give Sweet Cheeks another shot. We arrived on time for a 5:30p reservation and were told that the table was “being cleared”. 10 minutes later I asked which table and was told it was one with someone sitting with a nearly full drink in front of them - that certainly didn’t look like being cleared to me. I asked if we might sit at another table I saw open and was told that it was being saved for another party. Apparently their reservation was more important than someone holding a toddler while waiting for their table for 15 minutes. The atmosphere was lively and good for the kids, so we sit down excited to eat. There were a few definite hits, but even more misses:
-Biscuits: Excellent as mentioned several times here. As huge as they are, our 2.5 year old put down more than one. However I’m not sure why the force them so hard as a starter prior to the meal. I would prefer to have them served with the rest of the food. The good news is that it’s OK to fill up on these as it’s mostly downhill from here.
-Fried Chicken: This is some of the better fried chicken I have had in Boston. It may have more breading than some would like, but it was very flavorful (well seasoned) and extremely moist. We did pick off a good deal of the coating, but overall I would get this again (as takeout). I like cold fried chicken at tail-gates, and this might fit the bill perfectly.
-Pork Belly: WAYYYY too salty, and actually a bit lean for pork belly. Everyone had a bite, and 80% went untouched. Epic fail.
-Pulled Pork: Pretty good, but a bit lacking in flavor. Everyone was dumping sauce on this.
-Pork Ribs: The 11 year olds liked them, but the adults thought they were meh. A bit fatty, not seasoned adequately with rub and overcooked (falling off the bone).
-Mac & Cheese: Pretty tasty and creamy. The toddler seemed to enjoy.
-Farmers Salad: The combination of Brussels sprouts and pecorino really works well. This was the best cold scoop.
-Cole Slaw: Virtually flavor at all. The large hunks of cabbage coated in more mayo than vinegar were hard to get on a fork. Another thing that went largely untouched.
-Beans: Again, 2 hot scoops largely untouched.
Service was friendly enough, but the waiter disappeared for 20 minutes after we were done with the meal. He was surprised that we just wanted the check instead of desert at that point.
All in all the food is way too inconsistent and the price of $140 (all in for) 2 adults (1 alcohol beverage in total), 2 children and 1 toddler just seems like a really terrible value. The kids loved the huge sodas, but my nephew still asked if we could go to Tasty Burger instead before Sox games this year – smart kid. Also, if the parking garage is attached to the same building, validate for it.
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re: Gabatta
One quick correction to my post, I was just checking what AMEX bill and the $140 was actually BEFORE tip. That means the grand total to over $170! I sort of wish I had the itemized receipt see if I was overcharged somehow. That is absurdly expensive for (very inconsistent) BBQ for two adults, two children and a baby.
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re: Gabatta
Good but expensive and salty is my best summary as well :-P
Their lunch prices do *not* match prices on their web site. The plate cost is supposedly $12-13 on the web site, but when you go there, the menu lists $18-23 which is expensive for the small amounts they give you :-P
I got the pulled pork sandwich which was only supposed to be $12 on their menu, but was $18 on the bill...should have questioned it then, but thought they might have given me the plate instead until I got back and checked their web site :-P
Baked beans were salty (tasted more like chili than baked beans which are supposed to taste more like brown sugar and bacon, though if they used that overly salted pork belly you mentioned, that might explain it :-)
The carrot salad was my highlight. And I liked the pulled pork with my custom mix of sauce on it and part of the carrot salad...very tasty. The ribs were four smallish ribs for lunch and I think $18, though I actually prefer ribs w/o bark so that made this better than redbones or blue ribbon for me. Broccoli side was salty as well.
Biscuit was also good an buttery, but overly salty to me as well :-P The honey butter was excellent though.
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re: Chris VR
Chris VR
Apr 23, 2013 11:48 AM
As a followup, went for lunch today and the prices on the website did match the menu, so I am not sure why there was a discrepancy when Spike went. The pork belly tray was billed at $13, the brisket sandwich $11, both matching up to what the online and printed menus said.
Loved the pork belly, biscuits, farm salad, and salt and pepper potatoes. I'm usually pretty salt-sensitive and didn't find anything too salty except the salt and pepper potatoes, but it is right there in the name so I didn't expect otherwise. I didn't find a lot of smoke flavor in the pork belly (but it's in my hair and clothes!) The butterscotch pudding was much thicker than a typical pudding, with some sort of syrup and crystals of salt on top and was swooningly good. After a full meal, it was too rich for one person to eat alone but perfect for two to share. I'd definitely go back.
The bill was $50 for all of the above (plus one sweet tea) which, while on the high side, didn't seem too unreasonable to me for the quality.
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Biscuits and farmhouse salad (salad with brussel sprouts)are amazing, must trys. Really enjoyed the meats we tried, pork belly and fried chicken. Our friend really enjoyed his short rib which was a HUGE serving on the bone, looked oustanding (I want to get this next time).
It was worth the trip to Boston but not worth fighting a sox crowd. Definitely better than Blue Ribbon BBQ (my usual go to).
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I thought it was worth it to at least try it.
Out of the three meat platter I got, I thought the pulled pork was the best traditional bbq item - nicely smoky, soft texture without being mushy and the right amount of fattiness. The pork belly was quite unique - like pork candy - I would definitely order it again. I wasn't a fan of the ribs - they were ok, but no bark, small, and not as smoky as I like. The plain salt and pepper rub left them lacking in texture and flavor imo. I would like to go back at some point and try the brisket and get more pork belly and pulled pork.
Pigtrip Gary updated his review somewhat recently.
http://www.pigtrip.net/review-SweetCh...›2 Replies-
re: LStaff
I was there on Friday night. around 7:30. The wait was about 30-45 min to get a table. Most people in the restaurant were wearing their winter jacket. It was that cold. The table next to us complained at the end of meal and the waitress said they had no control over the heating system as it it is their landlord responsibility.
Pork belly was really good. Biscuits are a must-have but I won't be back until the weather is warmer. -
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Just a heads up as far as the biscuits.... A few months ago, we went for lunch and they said the biscuits were only available after 5. We were very disappointed having had them at a previous visit(that visit was after 5). Does anyone know if that's changed?
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BostonZest
Jan 20, 2013 12:42 PM
Second the biscuits!
And, get the Salt & Pepper potatoes. Now that you've reminded me, I may have to wander that way today.
Yes, it is worth a trip!
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re: BostonZest
Msample
Jan 20, 2013 01:23 PM
Although I haven't been to Blackstrap, I finally made it to SC a couple weeks ago and came away very impressed. The one thing I'd recommend, which most other places don't have, is the pork belly. Simply amazing.
It certainly blows away Redbones and Blue Ribbon.
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Sweet Cheek's is definitely better than Blue Ribbon, but if I was getting in the car, I'd be heading to Blackstrap instead of Sweet Cheeks.
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re: Gabatta
jgg13
Jan 20, 2013 09:31 AM
Likewise. The advantages that I see Sweet Cheeks as having is that they're in the city and they have booze. I wouldn't bother going to them if it entailed a trip into the city.
That said, I echo the "get the bbbbbbbiscuits" comment above. Those things are phenomenal.
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