Bootleg BBQ — Restaurant in Westport

It's not very often I'll go out of my way to review a place unless it goes out of it's way to leave an impact on me and unfortunately Bootleg BBQ has done just that. Bootleg is indeed the correct name for this place because the brisket you will get from here will feel like you bought it in a shady back alley. My party ordered the Pappy's Platter and a double "smash" burger. The smash burger in question was a bog standard, thick burger with chopped lettuce, weakly sauteed onions, and limp bacon on a standard bun. The fries however were fresh cut and fried which felt like a nice effort to establish originality through the food. A 6/10 experience that ran me about 22$ for the food. My friend however offered an opportunity for this place to really shine by ordering the most expensive thing on the menu. I cannot describe to you the brisket that came out to him. I've never seen someone call something with the consistency of gum, a non-existent smoke ring, with next to zero charing on the outside. I'm not sure what smoker they're using, as I somehow doubt it's a smoker at all, but there perhaps need to be some dialing in when it comes to the most prolific item from a barbeque place that should be priding itself on that brisket.

The place reaks not of smokey aromas and sweet sauces, but the machinations of a bored, rich, inexperienced dolt...

Go to the Roadhouse instead. By far the worst barbecue that I've ever had. We ordered the cheese curds, paddy's platter with macaroni and cheese instead of cole slaw, and my wife ordered a cocktail. When they brought out the platter the first thing that my wife and I thought to ourselves was where's the rest? Incredibly small portions (who sells half-sized ribs??), beans obviously from a can, macaroni and cheese which was basically pasta with yellow mortar, dry corn bread that shattered with the first bite, and every meat was as dry as the Sahara. The waitress forgot about the cheese curds and brought them out after the entree. The curds and meats all tasted freezer burned. Can't say that I'm shocked. We should've known that it was lousy, the parking lot was empty and doesn't smell of barbecue or even anything. Even McDonald's smells like fry oil. My wife's cocktail had some kind of sludge on the bottom. All in all, we're still sick to our stomachs an hour later. I hope that they spend our...

Stopped by Bootleg BBQ for a return trip. Still a Cozy environment and really nice staff. Good service. Started off with a Shiner Bock again. Went with their bacon burger special and it was fantastic. One of the best I've had in awhile. Hand cut fries were excellent as well. Previously have sampled other items. Flying pig cider was a little too dry for me. The fried pickles were good. The last bacon cheese burger I had was very good. As were the fries. Mack and cheese was good. Not overly impressed with the Cole slaw or corn bread from my 1st trip. Had high hopes for the baby back ribs. Definitely come dry and have a natural smoke flavor. Felt that the BBQ sauce was some what necessary. Place was busy, visited during peak weekend hours. Place isn't huge so the wait was over an hour. We got lucky and grabbed a seat at the bar to save time. Always a bonus when you have ribs and can end with a wet napkin. I wish them...