Nebraska

Uncle Earnie's Riverside Inn
South End of Platte River Bridge - Hwy 75
Plattsmouth, NE
(402) 298-7483

Meat 3.5
Sauce 3
Sides 2
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 2.5

Overall: 3.5

Reviewer's Comments: First off, John Earnest is the NE State BBQ Champ for 96 & 97 and holds numerous awards from MIM and other comps. This is one of those out of the way places that I look for, nothin fancy, just good q! I was expecting alot. The BBQ was very good, I had the riblette appetizer (rib tips) and the brisket sandwich plate. Lets start with the rib tips. OUTSTANDING, but slightly over done. The flavor was very smokey and the rub used was good. There was so much on the plate I was getting full before my 'real' plate of food came. The brisket had good smoke and flavor, but was sliced very thin! I took a bit off for this. I like brisket to be a little thicker cut so that you can taste the bark. The sandwich is 2 pcs of Texas toast (grilled) with a good helping of the brisket inside. Much to John's credit, he serves the brisket dry. Q shouldnt be served drowned in sauce! About the sauce, it was good. Tomato based with onion and sweet. I wish it would have been spicier, but it was good sauce the way it was. Luckily, I was getting full because the sides were a real bummer. The beans were the standard pork and beans with some meat added. They werent bad, but rather run of the mill. The slaw, well I only ate a little cause I didnt care for it at all. The waitress was very friendly, but couldnt answer some of my questions about his smoker etc. Would I go back? Every chance I get! I'll just try different sides...

Reviewed by: Wyndell "Fergy" Ferguson (circlef@zebra.net) on 12/8/98

McKenna's Blues Booze + BBQ
7425 Pacific Street
Omaha, NE
(402) 393-RIBS

Meat 2.5
Sauce 2.5
Sides 2.5
Service 3
Atmosphere 4

Overall 2.5

Reviewer's Comments: What a name! It's pretty tough to beat good blues and BBQ! Sadly, I was disappointed in the product. The atmosphere was top notch if you like blues! As normal, I had brisket. Why? Brisket is one of the toughest meats to Q correctly. If they can get the brisket right, the rest will be also (most of the time). Looking at the meat, it appears they only q the flat. The meat was rather dry and slightly tough. My buddy had the ribs and chicken and they were good according to him, but not great or even above average. The sides were 'interesting'. Red Cabbage slaw. Not much flavor other than red cabbage. It tasted like it was just red cabbage with oil. Not much seasoning. The beans were good, a little spicey, but slightly over cooked and mushy. Jalapeno corn bread was good. The sauce had a slight kick, but also an off flavor of what I think was alspice or nutmeg. Go to Uncle Earnies if you want good q, go to McKenna's if you want to see a blues band or just enjoy some blues with average q...

Reviewed by: Wyndell "Fergy" Ferguson (circlef@zebra.net) on 12/10/98

Skeet's
Across from a Boy's Club somewhere
Omaha, NE

Meat: 4
Sides: 3
Sauce: 4
Service: 2.5
Atmosphere: 3

Overall: 3.5

Reviewer's comments: I travel to Omaha on business a lot and for years could not find any decent barbecue there, which was surprising since the city has a fair representation of African-Americans and is not that far from Kansas City. I would always ask cab drivers for their favorite barbecue and would get taken to horrible suburban places with clean floors and bad food. Finally, a cab driver said "Well, the food is pretty good at Skeets but someone got shot in the parking lot there last week, so you want to stay away." It is a rough looking neighborhood, but I've never had any problems and the ribs are well above average. They would be nothing to shout about in Kansas City, but are a real find in Omaha.

Reviewed by: Doug Herbert (dherbert@ix.netcom.com) on 12/2/98

Name: Amarillo BBQ
Address: Fort Crook Rd
City: Bellevue
State: NE
Phone:
Meat: 1.5
Sauce: 1.5
Sides: 1
Service: 1.5
Atmosphere: 3
Overall: 2
Date: June 10 2003
User: Dustin Anderson
Email: danderson@biketechinc.com
Date: 6/10/2003
Time: 7:34:46 PM

Comments

Okay first things first, if you see a sign that says "Voted Best BBQ In Omaha" I warn you it is simply Yuppie override caused by supposed celebrity sightings at the joint. The owners of this joint are to busy shaking hands with visiting country celebrities that they can't even peel potatoes. Now you don't go to a Q-Joint with the sides in mind, but potatoes made from the box, gravy made from powder, frozen corn, the list goes on. Now to the meat. If you can't cook brisket in a Q-Joint stay at the cheap supermarket you bought the thing from, you'd be better suited as the cashier. Dry. Tough. Taste like plain hamburger. Need I say more. Word to the wise, twelve dollars on a brisket plate should at least include real sides, more than four 3 1/2 inch slices of brisket, and if you actually are the #1 place for BBQ in Omaha, try cutting your brisket with a fork before you serve it!

Comments

Tuesday, July 08, 2003