Ridge View BBQ — Restaurant in West Virginia

Our visit-- the 328th 'cue stop across 35 states-- proved largely disappointing. While the restaurant is open for lunch, it is drive-through only at the dinner hour. So, we ended up eating the Friday special-- a 4 meat/ 4 side platter-- at our hotel. There was a lot of food here for $24.93 plus tax, with a bag of pork rinds and an apple crisp bringing the bill up to $36.02. For the meats, we chose brisket, ribs, pulled pork and Italian sausage, and for the sides corn muffins, coleslaw, green beans, and mac 'n cheese. The pork rinds were great, but the heavily sauced ribs proved mushy and bland. The Italian sausage was unremarkable, but the pulled pork was a very tasty bite that we would order again without hesitation. The 4 sides and the apple crisp weren't bad, but there was nothing memorable about any of them. This leaves the brisket, which is the epicenter of the BBQ universe. This was sliced too thick, lacked a pink ring, bark and discernible seasoning, and whatever smokiness it might have once possessed vanished beneath a slathering of sauce. Texture and flavor profile alike called to mind buffet roast beef with sauce added. So, if you dine here, our recommendation is that you go with the pulled pork, and sides of coleslaw and...

I tried the "wild hog" sandwich. It's new to the menu. It was pretty good. Not a huge fan of the liquid cheddar they put on top. Don't think you are going to pick this thing up and eat it. I had to dissect it with a knife and fork. Think of a hogie bun opened all the way up with cooked onions and green peppers, pulled pork, liquid cheddar and BBQ sauce piled on top. Not a bad thing, but a little messy. I couldn't eat it all and I'm a pretty good sized dude. It is plenty of food for sure.

My buddy got the pulled pork platter. It consisted of pulled pork on a round bun with two sides. He got baked beans and potato salad. He liked it really well. I think he orders that every time he goes. This was only my second or third visit, so I haven't had the chance to try most of the menu. What I have sampled has all been good.

I would definitely recommend stopping in here. The place was clean and the service was good. It does tend to get a bit crowded at lunch. The parking lot was almost full and we got the last available table. That must mean they are doing...

This place is the kind of place where you want to go if you are like me and are only eating one meal a day. If you are a normal person and eat several times a day, even better.

I got the "Rake" Burger That comes with Pimento Cheese. The freaking burger was literally over an inch thick clear across the whole patty, the fact that it was USDA Angus beef made it even better.

Most people reading this are probably sophisticated enough to know what a rake is, I didn't So for the uninitiated it's an onion, a particularly flavorful onion. I guess they only serve them seasonally so beware it may not be available when you show up.

The side I chose was their "award-winning" mac and cheese, totally awesome! It could have been a little bit bigger portion but hey, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

It just so happens I'm going back tomorrow and try the "Hillbilly Philly" just because I can but I'll tell you this, I would divert a hundred miles or more if necessary to get to this place,...