Red Hot & Blue Fairfax Blvd. — Restaurant in Fairfax

I was in the mood for bbq chicken and all things bbq today. I decided to try out a local new spot I've never been. The ratings were pretty high BUT I should have stuck with intuition and traveled to one of my favorite bbq spots in Alexandria. Let me say I bbq and smoke meat quite often so I know what good bbq looks like and smells like. I ordered;

Memphis Pit 1/2 Chicken - absolutely the most unflavored chicken I've ever had. There were no grill marks or color of smoke in the chicken. The texture of the chicken when I chewed it was way off. I feel like the chicken was baked in an oven with little to no seasoning. I only ate a small portion of the 1/2 chicken as it just was not edible to my taste. Ribs - the ribs were ok as they actually tasted liked they had been smoked or grilled. Baked beans - the beans were basic, sweet, lacked any distinct flavor or seasoning. Cole slaw - basic nothing special about it, tasted ok. Collard greens - overcooked and a bit greasy, didn't finish eating it. Hush puppies - these were the best tasting item of the meal. Berry cobbler - the cobbler lacked sufficient berries/filling, it had more breading than fruit filling, didn't finish eating it.

Overall I was sorely disappointed as I really had a taste for good bbq and this didn't meet any of my expectations. I feel like I wasted my money. Definitely will not be returning. I will make my trip to my regular good bbq spots outside of...

My review is for food only. I was craving some bbq and wanted to try a new place. I came across this place on my Grub Hub app and thought I would give it a try. Unfortunately, it failed me.

I ordered brisket, ribs, macaroni and cheese, green beans, hush puppies, and French fries. The brisket, fries and hush puppies were good. But that was all.

The ribs were partially edible; almost as if one end of the slab cooked unevenly and so one side was tougher than the other end.

The Mac and cheese had no seasoning whatsoever and the green beans were sweet like sugar or syrup was added to them. I did not...

We stopped at a different store in the shopping center and on a whim decided to get lunch at Red Hot & Blue, and I am so glad we did! Very friendly greeting as we walked in, and they let us know of the great lunch special (main, side, drink, Cole slaw, and hush puppies for $11). We had our food in just a few minutes and it was delicious! It is a small store, so not a lot of indoor seating, but it worked perfectly for us. And there is some outdoor seating for nice days. Would 100% recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for...