Fat Cap Smoked Meats — Restaurant in Roseland

I went for dinner. We grabbed some mac and cheese, pulled pork, and ribs to go. I wanted brisket, but they were out.

The mac was good. It wasn't amazing, but it was good and I'll definitely order it again. The ribs were okay. It wasn't tough, but it wasn't melt in your mouth. It didn't even really pull away from the bone that well. The flavor was good, and with the mac it was enough food for me (and I'm a 200lb guy who hadn't eaten all day). The pulled pork was awesome. Plenty of bark, great smoke flavor, good texture. It didn't really need sauce.

Speaking of sauce, we had Kansas City sauce and South Carolina (?) sauce. The Kansas City sauce had a good, subtle spice to it and the slightest bit of sweetness. It had a little more tomato present than I would have preferred, but it was all around a solid sauce. The Carolina Sauce (it could have been the NC, I dunno) was a great balance of mustard and vinegar flavors with a little BBQ spice mixed in. It had a nice tang to it that played really well with the BBQ spices. No sweetness to be found, no tomato flavor present, though it looked like it could have still been an ingredient (the other Carolina sauce seemed more like a straight vinegar, this was a little red and a little thicker). I enjoyed both sauces, but lean more towards the Carolina one.

As I said above, serving sizes were good. The mac was probably a 6-8oz serving, which was plenty. The ribs were four ribs with a good amount of meat, weighed out at a little more than half a pound. The pulled pork was about spot on for half a pound (they weigh it in front of you). My wife eight about 3/4 of both her mac and the pulled pork along with the slice of included white bread. I ate the ribs and all of the mac and bread, and felt satisfied. I finished off the remaining pork, and feel stuffed. The portions might be tricky if you don't overindulge, they will likely be too much for one serving, but not enough to split or save for a second meal. If you are willing to push yourself a little, and it didn't take much convincing, then you should have no problem finishing it all and being perfectly content.

Inside it is pretty barebones. There is corrugated metal on the walls, a giant chalk board with the menu, and a large counter place your order and watch them carve it up and weigh it out. They were processing payments off of an iPhone with Square, but I'd imagine that will change after they get a bit more situated. There are long picnic style tables for eating in, a small soda fountain, and pumps with the various sauces.

I can't compare it to Prized Pig, I unfortunately never got to go. I can say that the food is good and I will definitely be going back somewhat regularly. It's worth making a special trip to check out, and I think once you give it a try you won't have any problem with swinging by whenever you are in the...

If you're thinking Arby's, think again. Fat Cap has the meats.

After hearing about this restaurant on the local news, I decided to give it a try. While the exterior of the restaurant may be unimpressive, being a converted former Long John Silver's location, this little spot has it where it counts: the food. Fat Cap has quickly become a go-to lunch when I'm out with my parents.

Not only is the food affordable, but it's exceptional and delicious. Having been here a few times now, I've had the chance to try a few different things off the menu, and each time I've been thoroughly impressed at how delicious and well prepared everything is.

The menu consists of dishes that are made with a few simple ingredients, But it's the simplicity that allows the cooks to give special attention and care to how well prepared and flavored each of the meats are.

My personal favorite is the smoked chicken thigh sandwich. The meat is hand pulled from a fresh chicken thigh and leg, topped with poblanos, feta cheese crumbles, and a housemaid Alabama sauce, that is basically ranch, but also has a bit of a smoky flavor from added spices.

What really surprised me is how delicious the French fries are. Fresh, crispy, and perfectly salty. You also get a more-then-fair amount. The small is enough to feed two people, and the large is nearly an entire tray of Fries. As a French fry lover, this is definitely something I look forward to when we decide on heading here.

The man who I believe is the owner is also extremely nice and personable. Even though I've only been to this spot maybe three or four times, he already recognizes us and remembers some of our preferences. This to me shows that he pays attention and truly cares about his customers, and making sure that they have not only a great experience, but one that keeps them coming back.

If it wasn't clear, I highly recommend Fat Cap.

If I could offer one criticism, it would be a lack of beef on the menu. I'm someone who doesn't typically care for pork, and while I do enjoy the pork here at Fat Cap, having another primary option outside of chicken would definitely help keep me coming back even more. Definitely not a burger, but maybe some kind of roast beef sandwich. Maybe this is the Arby's fanboy in me, but I would love to see if they could make their own spin on the Beef 'N Cheddar.

That being said, outside of personal wishes, I hope this place continues to grow and find new customers. Hopefully my review of this place convinces you to give it a try. I think you will absolutely enjoy your experience.

I may even have to grab one of their t-shirts and rock it for a while. The design is pretty cool...

Fat Cap BBQ in South Bend, IN. First of all, this seems to be a one-man operation. It wasn’t very busy with only one other couple there with me, but he had been going through his supply pretty quickly. I got there rather early for dinner, but he was already out of spare ribs. I guess I was twenty minutes too late. That turned out to be in my favor, since I went with the brisket. I am a huge fan of brisket and have even toured Texas to taste the best. Compared to the best, this stuff was really good. I got it sliced and I’m used to brisket turning dry and tasting like roast beef. This was not the case. Fat Cap’s brisket was moist and had a good amount of fat to it. The bark was tasty and added to the flavor. Yes, it had flavor. I was impressed.

There were four sauces to choose from. One from North and one from South Carolina. Alabama white sauce and Kansas City sweet. I can’t attest to the South Carolina because, I’m not into runny vinegar based sauces. But the North Carolina sauce which is usually mustard based, was very tasty. It did not come across with too much mustard. The Kansas City was a sweet tomato based sauce and very tasty, but the Bama White was probably the tastiest. It probably shouldn’t go with brisket, but I am glad I did. It was fantastic.

As for ambience, I can’t say much. It looks like it was originally a Long John Silvers with the booths replaced with multiple picnic tables. The men’s room was out of order, so I’m glad it wasn’t busy. Despite the rustic interior and running out of product, what was there is very good for northern Indiana. It’s also a testament to this one guy making amazing bbq and trying to weigh supply with demand. It must be a difficult...