(12/24/06)

Bobbique is a slick looking BBQ joint right on Main Street (route 27A) in downtown Patchogue. The walls are brick, the ceilings are high, and the overall vibe is a modern take on the traditional barbecue aesthetic, with lots of corrugated aluminum. A freshly painted steel girder serves as both a long countertop (with stools) and a room divider, separating the long bar on one side of the room from the main dining area on the other. Most of the tables are hightops with stools; butcher paper is used instead of tablecloths. A series of framed black and white barbecue photographs accents the dining area. Besides barbecue, Bobbique’s claim to fame is its assortment of 70 beers, plus a good selection of bourbons. They have entertainment on the weekends.

At Bobbique, you order and pay at the front counter, take a numbered table stand to any table you want, and a server will bring you your food and drink. This, as well as the entire look and feel of the place, right down to the food presentation, reminds me a lot of Q in Port Chester, NY.

I started with the fried pickle chips, served in a basket lined with a paper liner. They had a lot of batter, but the batter was very crisp and much lighter than you’d think. The fried pickles were tasty as is or aided by the creamy, tangy dipping sauce that accompanies them. If I had some Tabasco to mix into the sauce, it would be even better, but I was very pleased.

The main course was a no-brainer: a 3-meat combo with ribs, pulled pork and brisket. For sides, I chose collard greens (for that illusion of eating healthy) and baked beans (because the counter person claimed it was loaded with bacon)(so much for healthy).

The combo arrived on a metal tray lined with a paper liner, with all of the meats and sides arranged in separate areas, making for a very attractive presentation. The ribs were fairly small, well sauced and slightly charred from grilling. The meat was nice and tender. I found the flavor decent but fairly nondescript; I didn’t get an overwhelmingly positive or negative impression. Not bad, I guess.

The pulled pork was a generous pile with a little bark and lots of strings. It was lightly sauced, and the flavor was decent enough, but was cooked to the point of losing that chewiness I like in pulled pork. Again, not great, not bad.

The sliced brisket came with an excessive amount of ketchupy sauce. The meat was sliced very thin, deli style, but tasted much better. There was a little char on the edges, a faint hint of a smoke ring and a pleasing, light smoky taste. The brisket was far and away the best of the three meats. If I could get a sandwich of this without sauce, I’d be happy.

Sides were OK but a little disappointing. The collards had more stems than leaves, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was Stop & Shop frozen broccoli in that ramekin, with a little sweetener thrown in. The “Southern Pride beans” were decent, with the typical New England flavor, but I didn’t get any of the smoky taste that the menu name suggested, nor the bacon (there was only one piece) that the counter person claimed. Cornbread was pleasantly light and airy. I wish it was a bigger piece.

Overall, the meal was still pretty good in spite of my nitpicking. Trying them on the day before Christmas didn’t give them their best chance to shine, and they still did a fairly nice job.

The bottom line: The barbecue wasn't as good as the appetizer; the service, overall vibe and beer selection were excellent. Bobbique was certainly good enough to try again, and I’m looking forward to it. But for now, I place them in the middle of the pack among the Long Island barbecue joints I’ve tried so far.