Barbecued ribs are a lot like kiln-fired pottery, except that critics rarely applaud artisans for producing a pot that, when handled, falls to shreds. Embrace structurally instable eats with today's Groupon: for $10, you get $20 worth of barbecue fare at Goodies Barbecue Restaurant in College Hill.
Goodies doles out a wide variety of barbecue classics that envelop the flavors of red meat, white meat, and suspiciously non-meaty sides. Professional eaters and amateur strongmen can share the spare ribs, available in whole ($19.99) and half ($13.99) portions, and palates with a propensity for preconstruction soak up bites of savory rib tips ($18.99 large, $13.99 medium, or $8.99 small). For meats devoid of red tint, the Goodies chefs slather on satisfaction with turkey ribs ($6.69) as well as barbecued chicken, available in whole ($9.99) or half ($6.29) portions, and wings that cordially greet the mouth by wearing a barbecued or fried tuxedo ($6.59 for five). Goodies also separates star-crossed slices of bread with hearty, down-home meats such as the Texas beef brisket ($4.19) and the top-dwelling catfish ($5.99).
A wide selection of side dishes, including collard greens, potato salad, coleslaw, mac 'n' cheese, red beans and rice, fried okra, and potato wedges (all $1.60 for a small), ensure that finding the right accent to a meal will be only slightly less difficult than picking the perfect DJ for the next silent auction. Goodies also massages sweet teeth with its desserts, including slices of peach cobbler ($2.65), sweet-potato pie ($2.39), and cherry cheesecake ($2.89).
Reviews
CityBeat, Metromix, and Andrew's Lair all positively reviewed Goodies Barbecue Restaurant:
- Pork pit-smoked slowly 'til the fat has completely dissolved and a crunchy caramelized crust has formed on the outside, resulting in a deep but delicate smoked flavor. – Donna Covrett, CityBeat
- After licking the sauce off your fingers, dive into a sweet dessert, like peach cobbler or sweet potato pie. – Metromix
Goodies Barbecue Restaurant
You can still spot founder Bill “Mr. Goodies” Dickerson strolling around the Goodies Barbecue kitchen, testing sauces and ensuring the pork, ribs, and chicken are slowly pit-smoked just right. His daughter Creola Robinson has now taken over his business, overseeing the chefs as they dry-rub meats, fry up fish, and bake peach cobbler and chess pie.
They season a tangy tomato base with dashes of brown sugar and vinegar, resulting in the hot and mild barbecue sauces that reporters from City Beat lauded as “legendary.” The barbecue artists have been perfecting these recipes since the restaurant's founding in 1986, and today, their sauce can be found on the shelves of local grocery stores and flowing out of the water fountains of select community parks.