Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

Let’s get the positives out of the way first. One Star Ranch is the most authentic-looking barbecue restaurant in Alpharetta. I like to ding Q joints on fake decor that comes across as cheesy. One Star has its share of bling on the walls. Old license plates, rattle snake skins, etc. If you pulled it all off the walls and hung it up in a strip mall space it would look contrived. But given One Star’s dive joint location, I find it completely believable. Maybe that’s a double standard I have. I just really enjoy the look and feel of this restaurant. I also like that they have live blues music from time to time.

But, (and this is a big BUT), the quality of the barbecue here is seriously lacking. I used to kinda like this place years ago, before the barbecue scene in town got competitive. Or put another way, I liked them before Smokejack and ‘Cue considerably raised the bar. I last visited One Star about three years ago. The ribs at that time were fatty and tough. I vowed never to return. I felt they needed another shot before writing a serious review.

On my last visit I stuck with chopped pork with a few sides. The pork comes out a course, thick chop with an average amount of outside meat. They will sauce it in the kitchen so I asked for it on the side. Their sauce, served warm, is a heavy ketchup base that I don’t really care for. The Q itself was a little on the chewy side and lacked flavor. The outside meat has promise, but several bites tasted of soot from the smoker. I struggled to eat half of it. Very disappointing.

For sides I picked stew and jalapeno corn bread. I’ve enjoyed the bread in the past, which has a little kick. On this night it was dry and tasted like it had been reheated. The stew wasn’t bad, the only part of my meal I enjoyed. I’ve heard folks rave about the tub of onion rings. I’ve never had them, might be worth a try.

Maybe judging these guys on pork alone isn’t fair. But to this barbecue fan (with North Carolina roots and Memphis taste buds), One Star doesn’t do it for me. If you’re from Texas and want a feel for a Q joint in that genre, One Star might work. The rest of the menu, with brisket, sausage and beef ribs, round out the Texas feel. I’d come back for a beer and some blues music, but skip the barbecue.

Wanna chew the fat on local barbecue? Leave a comment, email me at lee@rootsinalpharetta.com or catch me on twitter at http://twitter.com/rootsalpharetta.

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

I vividly remember my first visit to ‘Cue about a year ago. This random barbecue joint opens up shop with no fanfare in a space that had proven to be unlucky to restaurants. It didn’t take me long to figure out that they were a boutique barbecue shop. But slowly I started to notice some familiar things. The racks of fresh bread, hand-cut fries, course chopped Q, delicious stew. It all reminded me of something. Then I started seeing faces that looked familiar including the owner of the joint. It all came together for me then… this is Swallow at the Hollow!

I went home and googled like mad, thinking this must surely be the second location of my favorite Roswell Q joint. Not so much. Turns out that Swallow’s former chef, Paul Doster, went out on his own. Thankfully he brought the best of what I remember from his days in Roswell. If you’re familiar with Swallow at the Hollow then you’ll know what to expect at ‘Cue. The barbecue is very similar. Many of the side items are as well. The Brunswick stew is a tad different but very similar. Everything is made from scratch, even the pickles.

But let’s talk about the barbecue… They cook shoulders and serve as a course chop. There is always a good mix of outside meat with the inside stuff. Noticeable smoke ring? Yep. Tender and moist? Check. Decent sauce that doesn’t overpower? Stick to the vinegar and pepper stuff and you’ll be alright.

I’ve had the ribs a few times but find them to be inconsistent. When they are on, look out! Very good stuff, tender yet with some body (fall-off-the-bone is over tender in my book). But I’ve had racks here that are fatty and unappetizing.

Don’t like ribs or pork barbecue? Shame on you! ‘Cue also has brisket, chicken, and sausage in addition to off-the-wall stuff like barbecue pizza and nachos.

I mentioned that the sides are all homemade. It is tough to go wrong with anything. I enjoy dipping the bread into stew. I’d also suggest trying their seasonal veggie of the day. Almost always a winner.

Can you tell I’m a fan of this place? Of all the Q joints I will review this summer, ‘Cue is by far my favorite. Nevertheless I think they have some things to improve upon. Those would be…

- Often I find the outside brown portion of my chopped pork to be overdone. It can sometimes be the consistency of very crisp bacon. It should be chewy but not crunch. They also don’t apply a rub to their pork (if they do, it isn’t much). In my opinion they are losing the chance to add a big flavor profile to their barbecue.

- Their restaurant is small. There’s no other way to put it. ‘Cue is very popular right now and is literally bursting at the seams. This tiny strip mall can’t handle it. Parking and finding a seat are tough. They’ve gotta get out of this piece of real estate pronto.

- Decor. To be fair, I can’t knock places like Dickey’s on fake Q joint decor and not do the same for ‘Cue. It is a little hokey.

So there you have it. ‘Cue is a winner. Disagree with me? I’m always up for a barbecue debate. Leave me a comment or shoot me an email at lee@rootsinalpharetta.com