High Plains Barbecue — Restaurant in Virginia

My recent visit to your establishment left much to be desired. While I appreciate the effort that goes into preparing a meal, the dishes I sampled unfortunately missed the mark.

The brisket, a cornerstone of good BBQ, was notably dry and tasted only of pepper, lacking the smoky flavor one anticipates. The collard greens presented a similar imbalance with the prominent taste of jalapeños overshadowing any other notes. Oddly enough, the collards weren't even that spicy. The black-eyed peas failed to offer any discernible flavor. Even the bread was a flavor vacuum. There was simply a consistent lack of depth and balance across the board.

To call this good BBQ would be an insult to actual BBQ cuisine. It was a stark reminder that some kitchens simply lack the fundamental understanding of flavor, balance, or even basic moisture retention.

When I came here to leave my review I noticed the owner's negative responses to critical reviews. It's truly telling that an establishment's response to genuine, constructive feedback is to resort to egotistical, rude, and cruel attacks. Such behavior not only highlights a profound lack of professionalism but also reveals a deep seated insecurity with criticism. When an owner is more concerned with tearing down customers than addressing valid feedback, it speaks volumes about the immaturity and short-sightedness at the helm. This childish defensiveness only reinforces the poor quality of the experience.

Update - my response to the owners reply: You're right, my idea of great food is different as I expect edible food and professional courtesy. You, on the other hand, seem to be perfecting the art of the defensive meltdown. Thanks for clarifying why your restaurant...

It was my daughter and I for a late lunch on a Saturday, it’s a walk up window to order, the menu is on a chalkboard and the girl behind the window will tell you the specials. We both ordered the pulled pork plate, I got the black eyed peas and collard greens and my daughter got the mac&cheese and collard greens. The food looked great and smelled amazing. We were actually excited to go inside and sit down and eat it was nice and cozy they had both fireplaces going wasn’t overly hot, it was comfortable. The dining area was clean, and the tables were clean. The pulled pork was amazing. It didn’t have any barbecue sauce on it, but you had your choice of a sweet sauce, a vinegar sauce, or a vinegar mustard sauce. We both went with the sweet barbecue sauce, and it paired very well with the pulled pork. My Black Eyed Peas were outstanding! In my opinion just needed a little bit of salt, but there was none on the table, and we just didn’t feel like going back out into the cold to the ordering window to ask if they had any. My daughter‘s macaroni and cheese was OK, but had a little bit too much black pepper for her liking, but the only negative drawback that we both saw with the entire meal was the sweet, collard greens. I was not expecting the sweet sugar flavor of the collard greens, again, this is my opinion. But how I was raised, sugar doesn’t go in your greens. We grew collards, kale. and spinach, and my mama never put sugar in any of our greens, so to taste, sweet collard greens was extremely offputting to both my daughter and myself, but that was the only drawback to the entire meal. It won’t stop me from stopping in and eating there again, I just won’t order the...

As a self-proclaimed BBQ conissoure, I just tried this place today for the first time. Great service, super friendly staff. The restaurant was very clean and well maintained. I ordered the pulled beef, black eyed peas, and sharp cheddar mac and cheese. My girlfriend had the same, but with slaw instead of peas.

As for the food, the portion size was certainly a pleasant surprise for the price. The jalapeno cornbread muffin was a nice bonus and very tasty. I will go ahead and note that, as a former butcher, the beef is NOT brisket (not advertised as such). It appears to be a lower fat cut such as a cut from the round end. It was very tender and very much like a good pot roast in consistency. We had the sweet sauce, which was average in flavor: not as sweet as Sweet Baby Ray's (which I find to sweet at times). The meat itself was definitely rubbed with a spicy cayenne rub before smoking, which added a slight kick of heat for me (I love spicy food). The peas were lacking a bit of salt, but had jalapeno and pieces of pork in them. The biggest disappointment was the mac and cheese. It lacked the creaminess and flavor I was hoping for, and was a little dry - no cheese sauce left after finishing the portion. My girlfriend commented the same, and said the slaw was decent.

All in all, it's a unique BBQ experience for the area, and a great place to eat if you want something different. I would like to see more variety in the menu in the future: perhaps some smoked mashed potatoes, fried okra, our smoked baked beans. They certainly have a good thing going, and I will eat there again. I have gave it 4 stars because of...