I was sitting in my car looking at a 2 page restaurant list trying to decide where to eat and dealing with sore feet. I had two blisters on one pinky toe and could hardly walk, a thrilling way to end a trip. So I let apathy because of the foot pain entice me. I didn't feel like driving anywhere and have to deal with finding parking. So I found this place literally across the street from my parking garage.
I didn't know it at the time but this is a small chain across the east coast with 8 other locations in big metro areas. I normally avoid these types of restaurants when I travel because they believe in making everything predictable from the service to the food. Plus as a customer your knowledge of that city will not grow and your understanding of the local culture will not be enriched. Since they have corporate monkeys in another city who expect that local restaurant to follow them. Some people love these types of restaurants while others like me would rather find the mom and pop place down the street that blows the chains out of the water. However I was ignorant of the fact that Dinosaur Bar B Que has multiple locations in other states besides Maryland.
So I made my choice and thought BBQ close to me. How bad could it be? So I closed my car door, limped to the elevator and went to the ground floor. I crossed Fleet Street from one side to the other and entered this place.
When I sat down near the bar on a two seater with high chairs. I was given a menu and looked at it. The waitress was nice but inattentive. I ended up choosing the brisket and ribs.
I got my food maybe 10 minutes later and the waitress didn't bother to deliver it. She had somebody else do it. All through out the meal she ignored me not a great way to earn tips. She was more concerned with couples and groups which is fine if your in that group but I wasn't which in my opinion this behavior isn't a hallmark of good service. I can understand why she did it - $ - but being aloof isn't an admirable quality.
The side dishes were a mixed bag. The salted potatoes were horrible but the carrot salad tasted awesome. Plus, the cornbread tasted good.
Now the main course: brisket and ribs. The brisket was tender and tasted great. In addition, the BBQ sauce on the brisket added to the flavor. However, the ribs looked good but they were tasteless and didn't fall off the bone. A lot of the meat was fat. I wasn't impressed at all with the ribs. This is the first time I've eaten ribs at a restaurant and thought that Denny's could do better ribs. So much for good ribs at a barbeque joint.
The price with a tip was a little over $20.
Address
1401 Fleet Street
Baltimore MD
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