Slow Cities

Slows BarBQ is Detroit's newest restaurant and everyone is talking about it. No, wait, EVERYone is talking about it. That's better.

Normally, I'm not one to trust the urban hipster elite. They can suck it for all I care. I have other reasons to believe the hype. Full disclosure: one of the owners, Phil Cooley, is an old classmate of mine, or rather my sister. His brother Ryan (who is helping out with the business side of things) graduated with me. Mike Lindow, one of the head chefs (assistant, I think) is a former co-worker of mine. I knew about the restaurant when Phil owned the space, and the idea for the restaurant was just an idea. The brothers are really good guys who want to take part in the current revitalization going on in the city. Mike is an amazing cook. For these reasons, I believed the hype and couldn't wait to check it out.

Last night, I did just that. The space isn't huge, but it's a decent size. The walls are either bare brick or wood slats that are just slightly uneven to give it a rustic touch. The bar is right in the middle and is in a narrow 'U' shape. I'm particular about things like interior design, it can make or break perceptions. I liked the shape of the bar and the wood on the back walls. The booths on the one side are all wooden, and while I'm sure some people would complain about that, they looked really good, and I was quite comfortable. Our server (yet another former classmate) told us that for now, the music was coming directly from Phil's iPod. There's nothing quite like eating soul food in a restaurant while drinking Japanese beer and listening to Kraftwerk.

So, onward. The beer list was extensive, mostly for the bottles. I saw a lot of names I recognized, and a lot more that I didn't. I always hope to find Stella Artois in a local bar, but no luck so far. Ryan told me last week that they hope to rotate the beer list regularly. Something that caught my eye: Rogue Chipotle Ale. I haven't tried it, but I heard it's really good, and not as spicy as you would think. I'm pretty sure I've never seen that served anywhere else locally. The wine list is also decent, featuring wines from several small international vineyards. Originally, I ordered the Hitachino Nest White Ale, a good light Japanese ale similar to a hefe-weizen, but then my friend pointed out that it was a 24 oz bottle and $22. I really didn't want that much beer so I changed to Xingu Black Beer, another good Japanese (or is it Chinese?) beer.

It took the three of us fifteen minutes to decide on what we wanted to eat. Paper, scissors, rock were thrown at one point in the decision-making process. In the end, Deanna went for something light: mac 'n' cheese as a side and a small caesar salad. Chris and I both got the same thing: the pulled pork entree with mac 'n' cheese and waffle fries. You actually have a choice of two sides, including mashed sweet potatoes, hoppin' jack, green string beans (very popular from what Mike the chef told me), black eyed peas, cole slaw, and baked beans. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I had to get pulled pork. It is the true American barbecue: meat smoked over a period of 24 hours, and there is none more American than pork. There's also a beef brisket, short ribs, babyback ribs, and another big meat dish. Can't remember right now. Unfortunately, there was no takeout menu available so I'm just goin' off my memory right now. There are also sandwiches and some salads on the menu. One of the sandwiches is named The Special Purpose, and I think it's a reference to The Jerk. Catfish and salmon are also offered in entree and sandwich form.

All of the entrees are listed with a particular sauce, but those are just recommendations from the chef. When you order food, the server automatically brings out five squeeze bottles of sauce to your table: North Carolina hot sauce (similar to Red Hot, but hotter), a sweet & tangy sauce, a sweet mustard, a straight Slows BBQ sauce, and the Apple BBQ. According to Mike the chef, they're thinking about bottling and selling the Apple BBQ, and let me tell you, that's a damned good idea. I'd buy it. I couldn't get enough of it.

My pulled pork was perfectly complimented by it, and they give you a huge pile of the meat with the entree. The waffle fries came with a cheese sauce, but they weren't smothered in it, which was nice, it was just enough. The mac n' cheese was shells bigger than velveeta shells n' cheese, but not huge like the stuffed shells you can get at Italian restaurants. It was a little spicy and served right in the dish it was baked in.

The prices are good, too, and that scares me. Mike was telling me that there are a lot of people who have been coming in more than once a day to eat there. He said, "if you're looking to gain 100 pounds, this is the place to do it." Right, at these prices, portions, and quality, I'll never lose weight.

Check out Slows on the web at: Slows.