Mr. B's BBQ With A Kick-Lake City, FL

 

This new barbeque spot generated some buzz on my social media feed, so when I found myself in Lake City around lunch time, I decided to pay them a visit. The parking lot was full, and I was pulling a trailer so I had to park at the Winn-Dixie next door and make a short walk over.

 

The interior looked clean and welcoming, and the hostess was friendly. I was in a bit of a time crunch, so I placed a to-go order for the pulled pork lunch special.  I kind of regretted that I wasn't able to stay and eat.

 

Lunch specials come with garlic toast and one side. I chose Cowboy Beans- their version of baked beans, which turned out to be the highlight of the meal.With my bag in hand, I made my way back to my truck and opened the styrofoam container. At first glance, the meat looked great, but a few bites revealed it to be not quite what I would expect in quality pulled pork. It didn't taste bad, but was lacking much of any smoke flavor. Besides that, it had not been cooked enough to become tender, so it was mostly cut rather than pulled, and contained quite a few pieces of fat. Did I mention it was barely warm?

The hostess said she was putting both kinds of sauce in my bag, which was thoughtful, but an explanation of what they were may have been helpful. The extra large napkins were great too- the only thing she forgot was some kind of eating utensils. Fortunately I had a spare plastic fork stuck between my seats just for such an emergency.

 

I tried dipping the pork in both kinds of sauce. The darker sauce had an unusual taste that I couldn't place. The lighter one marked "S" (sweet?) was a little better, with a slightly fruity flavor. 

It added a little interest to the somewhat bland meat, but just wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

The beans redeemed my meal. They had tons of flavor,  along with bits of meat, onions and peppers- a little bit like a thick soup that could have been a meal in itself. I'd pay a few bucks for that recipe. 

There's not much to say about the garlic toast and the sweet tea, except that it came in a jumbo 32 oz to go cup, which apparently is an important detail in this town.

 

While it wasn't the greatest first impression, I do hope I get the opportunity to return to enjoy the dining room and try out more of the menu.

 

FOOD RATING: 3 OF 5          

AUTHENTICITY: 4 OF 5         

OVERALL: 3.5 OF 5                 

 

543 SW Main Blvd.

Lake City, FL 32055 

(386) 319-8194