I am very pleased with myself that I chose to go to Kingston instead of Poulsbo. I would have never had the privilege of meeting Mr Patrick Momany and gotten to chow down on his interpretation of Texas Style BBQ. The other location, which I found on the Internet and was led to believe that it was the main site, was closed for good and the Kingston joint is the only one around these days. If I had chosen Poulsbo, I would have ended up taking my riding buddies, Wookie and Andy (he needs a nick name), to some other BBQ establishment. Upon arriving in Kingston, Wookie and I searched around for NE Maine. After making a right turn Clyde we traveled the entire 2 city blocks of its length in vain. Aghhhhhhhh! Didn't see it anywhere! On the flip side Wookie's nose pointed us in the right direction. Sure enough, just after he pointed out the joint the sweet and savory smell of a pit smacked me in the face. The shack was located behind another business that had the NE Maine address. As we were pulling into the parking area this cowboy looking dude comes out of the tiny building and greets us. This guy looks like he could costar in western movies right along side of Sam Elliot and Tom Selleck. I found out later that he was from this area and that he had learned the art of BBQ just a few years ago. He had even taken a course on the subject. We got to listen to his story of how he was involved with the Wounded Warrior project and that he had even flown to Germany to serve up our men and woman service members some good ol' USA BBQ. What a treat it was to meet this gentleman. Wookie presented him with a PGR coin and we 3 expressed our thanks for what he does. Again , it has been my incredible opportunity to meet another kindred soul. Patrick, it was an honor to shake your hand. Now, lets talk about some BBQ.
Taste: After being handed samples of ribs, rubbed nuts (yes, they are pistachios; get your minds out of the gutter) and some incredible smoked corned beef I couldn't make up my mind. Staring at the menu didn't help. Well, pulled pork was at the top so that is what I ordered. Wookie and Andy ordered the same. We also shared an order of riblets. Tree hugger tea for my cohorts and I had a diet "whatever is on top of the cooler". Our sandwiches were served up on big hamburger buns with a side of slaw that was intended to go into the sandwich. OK by me. The pork was incredibly tender and the smoke assaulted my senses with its aromatic flavor. We all pretty much shut up except to eat and to offer our praises. I chose not to dress mine up with any sauce, but there were plenty to choose from with Carolina vinegar and mustard at the front of the pack. I tried dipping one of the riblets into a Habanero sauce which made me glad I just had a drop on it. I tried another with the Mustard sauce. Homemade and very delicious. 9 very well deserved stars.
Value: The bill came out to 41 bucks for sandwiches all around, a big order of riblets to share, drinks and a jar of his self labeled rub. Not bad, not bad at all. The pleasant experience of meeting Patrick and hearing his story certainly even added an additional worth. 9 stars.
Staff: Well I can't say that your waitress was very cute. Kinda hairy in the face and should have been starring in western flicks. Wait a sec.......that was no waitress.........that was Patrick. See what happens when I'm bedeviled by BBQ. All kidding aside, the one man operation that is TaTu BBQ was not understaffed as this one man seemed to be everywhere all at the same time. 9 stars.
Ambiance: No complaints at all here. The pit in use was ever so smokey good. The joint had a "side of the road" (which it was) easy in and out atmosphere to it that ranks it high amongst others and puts the pretenders to shame. The white board with the simple menu , the table of sauces and the lone smoker in operation (there were others) were the only trimmings necessary to this no frills operation. The single table offered was a wee bit to far away for my taste and not really needed as a day in the saddle left me with the desire to stand anyway. 9 stars.
Friends: This is an excellent place for a destination ride. Being right next to the ferry terminal in Kingston, I could see a motorcycle run having a quick chow break here as we all waited for the next boat ride. I will recommend you to my buddies and I bet that my riding partners of today will probably do the same. 9 stars.
Overall (this is a no brainer) I award TaTu Texas style BBQ 9 solid stars out of 10. I will be using your rub tomorrow to smoke up some pork ribs as my daughter will be in town for a visit. I hope my next visit isn't too far down the road, but you never know where the BBQhunter will strike next. Folks, if you want to meet a genuine good guy, and you are in the Kingston area, you probably couldn't do better than to stop by this place and give it a try.
Check him out at:
http://www.tatubbq.com/index.htm
Later...
Taste: After being handed samples of ribs, rubbed nuts (yes, they are pistachios; get your minds out of the gutter) and some incredible smoked corned beef I couldn't make up my mind. Staring at the menu didn't help. Well, pulled pork was at the top so that is what I ordered. Wookie and Andy ordered the same. We also shared an order of riblets. Tree hugger tea for my cohorts and I had a diet "whatever is on top of the cooler". Our sandwiches were served up on big hamburger buns with a side of slaw that was intended to go into the sandwich. OK by me. The pork was incredibly tender and the smoke assaulted my senses with its aromatic flavor. We all pretty much shut up except to eat and to offer our praises. I chose not to dress mine up with any sauce, but there were plenty to choose from with Carolina vinegar and mustard at the front of the pack. I tried dipping one of the riblets into a Habanero sauce which made me glad I just had a drop on it. I tried another with the Mustard sauce. Homemade and very delicious. 9 very well deserved stars.
Value: The bill came out to 41 bucks for sandwiches all around, a big order of riblets to share, drinks and a jar of his self labeled rub. Not bad, not bad at all. The pleasant experience of meeting Patrick and hearing his story certainly even added an additional worth. 9 stars.
Staff: Well I can't say that your waitress was very cute. Kinda hairy in the face and should have been starring in western flicks. Wait a sec.......that was no waitress.........that was Patrick. See what happens when I'm bedeviled by BBQ. All kidding aside, the one man operation that is TaTu BBQ was not understaffed as this one man seemed to be everywhere all at the same time. 9 stars.
Ambiance: No complaints at all here. The pit in use was ever so smokey good. The joint had a "side of the road" (which it was) easy in and out atmosphere to it that ranks it high amongst others and puts the pretenders to shame. The white board with the simple menu , the table of sauces and the lone smoker in operation (there were others) were the only trimmings necessary to this no frills operation. The single table offered was a wee bit to far away for my taste and not really needed as a day in the saddle left me with the desire to stand anyway. 9 stars.
Friends: This is an excellent place for a destination ride. Being right next to the ferry terminal in Kingston, I could see a motorcycle run having a quick chow break here as we all waited for the next boat ride. I will recommend you to my buddies and I bet that my riding partners of today will probably do the same. 9 stars.
Overall (this is a no brainer) I award TaTu Texas style BBQ 9 solid stars out of 10. I will be using your rub tomorrow to smoke up some pork ribs as my daughter will be in town for a visit. I hope my next visit isn't too far down the road, but you never know where the BBQhunter will strike next. Folks, if you want to meet a genuine good guy, and you are in the Kingston area, you probably couldn't do better than to stop by this place and give it a try.
Check him out at:
http://www.tatubbq.com/index.htm
Later...
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