73 replies to this topic

[MJP]

We went to Bourbon BBQ today and were glad we made the drive from Lyndhurst. I had the brisket and my girlfriend had the pork, and the pork was amazingly wonderful. The brisket was very nice, but it was nice in a dry way. I haven't ever had moist brisket that wasn't braised, but I think I'd order it again.

However, the pork was something else entirely. Perfectly moist, just flavored enough, smoky as anything. It went great slathered in the sweet BBQ sauce. The spicy one didn't do it for me; it just tasted like the sweet with some red pepper flakes or otherwise. I might try the hot sauce the next time around.

I wish I was around Wyckoff more often to stop by frequently; we ate at 11:45 and I still feel totally stuffed. O_O

Next time I'm trying to collard greens. The baked beans were very nice, a balanced sweetness that's definitely taken a lot of flavor from the pork and brisket they put in.

I'm damn sure planning on telling everyone I know about this place. I just wish it was closer to me! :-(

[zhelder]

I took a few months off from Bourbon BBQ because of all the service issues that plagued them during their first few months in business. I really wasn't sure whether they were going to survive. I got my 'cue fix from CC's Barbecue in Haledon, another very good joint.

But I decided to see if Bourbon BBQ got their stuff together recently. And boy, HAVE THEY!!!

Bourbon's meats are outstanding. Moist and flavorful. My favorite is the beef brisket, but the pork is outstanding as well. The meat now seems to have more seasoning than when they first opened, when the meats were very good and moist, but a bit bland. Bourbon's beef brisket is probably the best I've had.

Another mind blower is the recently added fried chicken. I got the 4 pieces for $4.99. This may be the best fried chicken I ever had. Unbelievably moist, yet thoroughly cooked. The coating was super browned without being burned. I don't know what it is (maybe a mix of flour, bread crumbs, and corn meal?) but it's delicious. The menu states that they get the chicken from the Goffle Poultry Farm down the road.

And finally... a decent macaroni and cheese! Gone is the awful stuff from the first few weeks with the gloppy cheese sauce. They now supposedly make it the same way they do at Silver Oak Bistro. (I don't know for sure, because I've never been to SOB.) But it is now VERY good. I think they "fry" it in a pan, but it looks and tastes like baked mac & cheese. It's very good, but not quite as good as CC's true baked mac & cheese.

They also have introduced a pork empenada, with pork, barbecue sauce, beans, peppers and some other spices. It was definitely good quality, but the spices/sauce/beans were too overpowering for me. I'm sure others would love it though.

When I first posted about Bourbon, I stated that I thought the beans were great, but I've recently had a change of heart. The last time I got them, they were kind of bland without any sweetness. CC's beans blow these away.

Overall, however, I'm very happy that this place has worked hard to improve and I now hope they have a long and successful future. With the improvements, they have turned me into a regular customer.

We now have two great 'cue joints in North Jersey: Bourbon and CC's. CC's meats are very good... but Bourbon's are better. Bourbon's sides are now very good... but CC's are better. (And Borubon really has to start offering some homemade mashed potatoes and gravy like CC's.) If these guys teamed up, we'd have a barbecue superpower!

Check both these place out!

[sjmoss]

I took a few months off from Bourbon BBQ because of all the service issues that plagued them during their first few months in business. I really wasn't sure whether they were going to survive. I got my 'cue fix from CC's Barbecue in Haledon, another very good joint.

But I decided to see if Bourbon BBQ got their stuff together recently. And boy, HAVE THEY!!!

Bourbon's meats are outstanding. Moist and flavorful. My favorite is the beef brisket, but the pork is outstanding as well. The meat now seems to have more seasoning than when they first opened, when the meats were very good and moist, but a bit bland. Bourbon's beef brisket is probably the best I've had.

Another mind blower is the recently added fried chicken. I got the 4 pieces for $4.99. This may be the best fried chicken I ever had. Unbelievably moist, yet thoroughly cooked. The coating was super browned without being burned. I don't know what it is (maybe a mix of flour, bread crumbs, and corn meal?) but it's delicious. The menu states that they get the chicken from the Goffle Poultry Farm down the road.

And finally... a decent macaroni and cheese! Gone is the awful stuff from the first few weeks with the gloppy cheese sauce. They now supposedly make it the same way they do at Silver Oak Bistro. (I don't know for sure, because I've never been to SOB.) But it is now VERY good. I think they "fry" it in a pan, but it looks and tastes like baked mac & cheese. It's very good, but not quite as good as CC's true baked mac & cheese.

They also have introduced a pork empenada, with pork, barbecue sauce, beans, peppers and some other spices. It was definitely good quality, but the spices/sauce/beans were too overpowering for me. I'm sure others would love it though.

When I first posted about Bourbon, I stated that I thought the beans were great, but I've recently had a change of heart. The last time I got them, they were kind of bland without any sweetness. CC's beans blow these away.

Overall, however, I'm very happy that this place has worked hard to improve and I now hope they have a long and successful future. With the improvements, they have turned me into a regular customer.

We now have two great 'cue joints in North Jersey: Bourbon and CC's. CC's meats are very good... but Bourbon's are better. Bourbon's sides are now very good... but CC's are better. (And Borubon really has to start offering some homemade mashed potatoes and gravy like CC's.) If these guys teamed up, we'd have a barbecue superpower!

Check both these place out!

Thanks for the review, based on it I decided to get some takeout tonight. I got the garbage plate, some barbecue drumsticks, fried chicken and some sides. I have to say that the barbecue is very good. I agree with you that the meat is now seasoned, but for the ribs, it seemed a bit too much because they were a little too salty and peppery. Other than that they were pretty good. The pulled pork on the garbage plate was good, but it was a little too fatty. I picked out the meat pieces from the fat and they were very tasty. The sauasge on the garabge plate was great and the fried chicken was also excellent; the coating was perfectly seasoned and tasty and it was so moist. Now for the best part. I 100% agree with your assessment of the brisket; hands down the best I have ever had. It was moist and perfectly seasoned. As for sides, we tried the potato salad and baked beans which were both excellent, the mac and cheese was fair (not much flavor), but was made much better when I melted some cheddar cheese on it for the kids, they enjoyed it. The barbecue drumsticks were surprisingly great and my kids (as did I) absoluletely loved them as they were baked with the sauce right on them. By the way the sauce overall was also excellent and I got extra so I can enjoy more tomorrow.

Overall, the best by far is the brisket, while the pulled pork would be great if it had less fat. The sausage and fried chicken were also top notch. The ribs were a little disappointing as I expected better. The sides were very good and with all this said, I will be back.

[PicnicChef]

Glad to hear that CC's is still there. I was worried. Bourbon, good to hear the kinks are out. I'll give it another go. Never crowded, now when I drive by so I was worried about that too. Thanks for the updates, all!

[mfeygin]

Dear Zhelder, based on your suggestion, Bourbon BBQ would like to announce that Chris Rogge of CC's BBQ will be joining our Family as of August 1st. Yes, we are absolute ecstatic about this combination and have great expectations .

Mike - Bourbon BBQ

I took a few months off from Bourbon BBQ because of all the service issues that plagued them during their first few months in business. I really wasn't sure whether they were going to survive. I got my 'cue fix from CC's Barbecue in Haledon, another very good joint.

But I decided to see if Bourbon BBQ got their stuff together recently. And boy, HAVE THEY!!!

Bourbon's meats are outstanding. Moist and flavorful. My favorite is the beef brisket, but the pork is outstanding as well. The meat now seems to have more seasoning than when they first opened, when the meats were very good and moist, but a bit bland. Bourbon's beef brisket is probably the best I've had.

Another mind blower is the recently added fried chicken. I got the 4 pieces for $4.99. This may be the best fried chicken I ever had. Unbelievably moist, yet thoroughly cooked. The coating was super browned without being burned. I don't know what it is (maybe a mix of flour, bread crumbs, and corn meal?) but it's delicious. The menu states that they get the chicken from the Goffle Poultry Farm down the road.

And finally... a decent macaroni and cheese! Gone is the awful stuff from the first few weeks with the gloppy cheese sauce. They now supposedly make it the same way they do at Silver Oak Bistro. (I don't know for sure, because I've never been to SOB.) But it is now VERY good. I think they "fry" it in a pan, but it looks and tastes like baked mac & cheese. It's very good, but not quite as good as CC's true baked mac & cheese.

They also have introduced a pork empenada, with pork, barbecue sauce, beans, peppers and some other spices. It was definitely good quality, but the spices/sauce/beans were too overpowering for me. I'm sure others would love it though.

When I first posted about Bourbon, I stated that I thought the beans were great, but I've recently had a change of heart. The last time I got them, they were kind of bland without any sweetness. CC's beans blow these away.

Overall, however, I'm very happy that this place has worked hard to improve and I now hope they have a long and successful future. With the improvements, they have turned me into a regular customer.

We now have two great 'cue joints in North Jersey: Bourbon and CC's. CC's meats are very good... but Bourbon's are better. Bourbon's sides are now very good... but CC's are better. (And Borubon really has to start offering some homemade mashed potatoes and gravy like CC's.) If these guys teamed up, we'd have a barbecue superpower!

Check both these place out!

[zhelder]

Dear Zhelder, based on your suggestion, Bourbon BBQ would like to announce that Chris Rogge of CC's BBQ will be joining our Family as of August 1st.  Yes, we are absolute ecstatic about this combination and have great expectations  .

Mike - Bourbon BBQ

I took a few months off from Bourbon BBQ because of all the service issues that plagued them during their first few months in business. I really wasn't sure whether they were going to survive. I got my 'cue fix from CC's Barbecue in Haledon, another very good joint.

But I decided to see if Bourbon BBQ got their stuff together recently. And boy, HAVE THEY!!!

Bourbon's meats are outstanding. Moist and flavorful. My favorite is the beef brisket, but the pork is outstanding as well. The meat now seems to have more seasoning than when they first opened, when the meats were very good and moist, but a bit bland. Bourbon's beef brisket is probably the best I've had.

Another mind blower is the recently added fried chicken. I got the 4 pieces for $4.99. This may be the best fried chicken I ever had. Unbelievably moist, yet thoroughly cooked. The coating was super browned without being burned. I don't know what it is (maybe a mix of flour, bread crumbs, and corn meal?) but it's delicious. The menu states that they get the chicken from the Goffle Poultry Farm down the road.

And finally... a decent macaroni and cheese! Gone is the awful stuff from the first few weeks with the gloppy cheese sauce. They now supposedly make it the same way they do at Silver Oak Bistro. (I don't know for sure, because I've never been to SOB.) But it is now VERY good. I think they "fry" it in a pan, but it looks and tastes like baked mac & cheese. It's very good, but not quite as good as CC's true baked mac & cheese.

They also have introduced a pork empenada, with pork, barbecue sauce, beans, peppers and some other spices. It was definitely good quality, but the spices/sauce/beans were too overpowering for me. I'm sure others would love it though.

When I first posted about Bourbon, I stated that I thought the beans were great, but I've recently had a change of heart. The last time I got them, they were kind of bland without any sweetness. CC's beans blow these away.

Overall, however, I'm very happy that this place has worked hard to improve and I now hope they have a long and successful future. With the improvements, they have turned me into a regular customer.

We now have two great 'cue joints in North Jersey: Bourbon and CC's. CC's meats are very good... but Bourbon's are better. Bourbon's sides are now very good... but CC's are better. (And Borubon really has to start offering some homemade mashed potatoes and gravy like CC's.) If these guys teamed up, we'd have a barbecue superpower!

Check both these place out!

YAY!!!! You guys have made me very happy (and I'm sure a lot of other people too!) This is the best food-related news I've heard in a long time! I can't wait to get some of Chris's mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, and maybe even some of those BBQ pork nachos! As good as the place is now, Chris will make it even better! Now go create that Northern NJ BBQ Superpower!!!

[Curlz]

Dear Zhelder, based on your suggestion, Bourbon BBQ would like to announce that Chris Rogge of CC's BBQ will be joining our Family as of August 1st.  Yes, we are absolute ecstatic about this combination and have great expectations  .

WOW. So if we all show up with Zhelder, it's free 'Q for all, right?
Seriously-congrats all around! While I didn't get up to CC's while they were open, it was on my list to try; now I have reason to get up to Bourbon again soon.

[zhelder]

Oh no. I just read on the Second Helpings blog that Chris is not going to be joining the Bourbon BBQ staff after all. I'm absolutely crestfallen. I really thought this would have been a great pairing.

Mike, if it's not asking too much, could you shed some light on what's going on? Why the change of plans?

[tomservo]

The latest from the same blog:

On third thought ...

Chris Rogge may be joining Bourbon BBQ in Wyckoff after all. Bourbon BBQ owner Mike Feygin said in an e-mail that he and Rogge are "trying to reconcile."

[zhelder]

Latest update, gang... and it's VERY GOOD NEWS!!!

Chris Rogge started today at Bourbon BBQ. I'm SO glad that Mike and Chris were able to work everything out. I can't wait to try the New & Improved Bourbon BBQ!

Story on the Second Helpings Food Blog


HIP HIP HOORAY!

[ColNJ]

Bourbon Co. BBQ ads now lists Dave Ilmajahid (corrected to Ilmojahid on the web site) as Executive Chef. Their web site lists him as Pit Master, from South Carolina.

The Silver Oak Bistro ad and web site also list Dave I as the new chef.

Has anyone been to Bourbon Co. BBQ since Chris & Dave arrived?

[zhelder]

Bourbon Co. BBQ ads now lists Dave Ilmajahid (corrected to Ilmojahid on the web site) as Executive Chef.  Their web site lists him as Pit Master, from South Carolina.

The Silver Oak Bistro ad and web site also list Dave I as the new chef. 

Has anyone been to Bourbon Co. BBQ since Chris & Dave arrived?

I've been there twice since Chris joined, and I think Dave joined a bit before Chris, because on my first visit, Chris mentioned a new "kitchen manager".

So what's different? From what I could tell, not a whole lot, yet, but the few subtle changes so far are good. Bourbon's great meats are unchanged. Chris has changed the macaroni and cheese, but unfortunately it's still not the baked masterpiece he served at CC's. It's better than what Bourbon had, but not nearly as good as CC's. It's relatively dry, but not baked. I'm hopeful that Chris will eventually be able to put his great CC's mac & cheese on the menu. But what they have will do for now.

They have also (finally!) added some excellent mashed potatoes. Nice white potatoes (russet?) with bits of skin mixed in for flavor. The first time I went, they mixed the gravy into the potatoes. The last time, they gave me a separate cup of gravy, which is the way to go, IMHO. The potatoes are different from CC's (CC's potatoes didn't have skin, if I remember correctly, and were slightly smoother) but these potatoes are still great.

I think the barbecue sauce is also changed slightly. The new sauce seems to be a bit thinner, but I think the flavor is actually better. I can't put my finger on what exactly I like better, but the flavors seem to have a better balance than before.

I am so glad that this "merger" seems to be working, and hopefully with Chris and Dave on board, Bourbon will eventually go from being a good BBQ restaurant to a great restaurant. They're on their way!

[rooftop1000]

The restaurant was damaged Saturday night by a fire



http://www.northjers...ed_in_fire.html

[rooftop1000]

Bourbon BBQ has been granted approval to rebuild and modify the restaurant


... bergen record

http://www.northjers...___outside.html