This is odd. At some point during the last couple of years, a number of BBQ restaurants have opened up in Montclair, as if to compete with what used to be the lone BBQ restaurant in town, Indigo smoke. Let's take a look at the competitors. Indigo Smoke 387 Bloomfield Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 (973) 744-3440 www.indigosmoke.com The first BBQ place in Montclair that I was aware of. They serve KC-style BBQ. They don't have pulled pork though, which is one of my favorite BBQ'd meats. More info in the Indigo Smoke thread. The Wood Pit 108-110 Bloomfield Avenue Montclair, NJ 07042 973-954-4679 www.thewoodpit.com This joint opened up a little over a year ago. When I first read that it was Southern-style, images of ribs that were boiled, grilled, then drowned in BBQ sauce first came to mind (nothing against Southern-style BBQ, that's just standard rib-prep for the chicken and rib places around here). The name though did imply that there was some smoking going on, which was later confirmed by a glowing review from Pete Genovese. I plan on trying them out tomorrow. Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza 64-1/2 Chestnut Street Montclair, NJ 07042 (973) 509-1134 www.ruthiesbbq.com I don't think this place is much older than The Wood Pit. Genovese gave it a decent review, but noted, "The Wood Pit, on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, would win the local barbecue joint showdown, but Ruthie's has the advantage of pizza, and better parking." They offer a few different styles of BBQ (Carolina pulled pork, Memphis-style ribs, etc). Sandy's St. Louis Style BBQ & Soul Food 146-148 Bloomfield Ave Montclair, NJ 07042 (973) 233-0510 I know the least about this place. There's very little information on the internet and no reviews - they might not even be open any more. Seeing as most rib places around here don't smoke their food, I suspect that it might not be real BBQ. Grilled/boiled ribs aren't bad, they're just not BBQ. There you have it. There are now 3 (possibly 4) BBQ restaurants in Montclair alone, when a mere decade ago there were barely that many in NJ. So how is the Montclair BBQ scene? What do you guys think of these places? Who makes the best ribs? Brisket? What should be avoided? I figured it'd be easier to share experiences in a single Montclair thread rather than start a new thread for each restaurant. Disclosure: I really like BBQ. In fact, I first discovered eG's forums while scouring the internet for good, local BBQ places, at a time when NJ was mostly devoid such smokey subsistence. I had been to the chains (Famous Dave's, Big Ed's, Dallas BBQ), but wanted something more authentic. With eGullet's help, I discovered many decent to good BBQ places (Stickey's, Front Street Smokehouse, Grub Hut, Bourbon BBQ in NJ; RUB, Dinosaur, Brother Jimmy's, Hill Country, and Daisy May in NYC). Thanks eGullet!
