Having lived in Rochester for many years, I’m familiar with having a dinosaur barbecue right around the corner. Folks in Troy and the capital region haven’t been so lucky, with the previous closest outpost of the chain in Syracuse, or perhaps a trip to Harlem. The chain has previously been voted best barbecue in the country on Good Morning America, but can that hold up once the chain expands.
While I don’t necessarily agree with that, Dinosaur BBQ makes excellent BBQ. The restaurant in Troy has all the right decor, but it lacks the soul. This is something that I’m confident Dino restaurants pick up over time from continuous beer and pork fat applications. The restaurant is also still in it’s infancy, being less than 6 months old.
That being said, it’s doing pretty well. While it wasn’t overly crowded for a Tuesday night, most of the tables were full, and the staff was busy and seemed cheerful. The waitress we had was prompt and helpful, and the hostess had no problem giving us a different booth than the one we were originally walking toward when asked.
One of the best parts of Dino is the great selection of beers, with 25 on draft and rotating wildcard drafts. The selections are also things like Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Shipyard Export, and various other lesser known brews. The selection is also good from the perspective that a flight of 4 tasting portions is only $5 dollars, and comes on a nice little paddle. There is also a decent wine & cocktail list, and non-alcoholic selection if beer isn’t your thing.
What goes better with a nice cold beer than some barbecue? Dinosaur has this covered as well. We started with the creole deviled eggs, which were delicious, and had a nice creamy texture to the filling with a kick of southern heat. While I don’t like eggs, even I found them quite delicious.
The barbecue at Dino in Troy was just as good as barbecue at their other locations. I ordered the tres hombres and swapped out the ribs for the hot link, while my dining partners got 3/4 racks of ribs. The brisket was tender and juicy, the pulled pork salty, sweet, and nicely crusted with a smoke ring, and the hot link was juicy and spicy, with a case that snapped with every bite. The ribs were also delicious, thick with meat, and well cooked. A huge size for the price. The sides were also very good, from the creamy spiciness of the mac & cheese, to the spicy peppers laced into the sweet BBQ beans, to crisp crunch of the side salad, and the sweet touch of the corn bread.
The desserts were also good, but nothing to write home about. The sweet potato pie was definitely fresh but was too reminiscent of pumpkin, while the oreo icebox pie, was very much a custard. The texture was somewhat off-putting, but the flavors were good, evoking memories of oreos pureed with hot cocoa.
If I had one major complaint, it’s that bottles of sauce on the table. A barbecue joint should not evoke memories of a chain where you can buy nicely crafted bottles of the sauce. Put it in squeeze bottles. They’re easier to use when you hands are covered in pork fat, and they don’t make you look like a chain.
http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
377 River St. Troy, NY 12180
518-308-0401
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