A couple weeks ago I was in Syracuse for the weekend. As is so often the case, that meant I spent part of the weekend at the Dinosaur.
For most of the last decade, the Dinosaur was my reference point for restaurant barbecue. The overall competence of the place seemed head and shoulders over anything Buffalo places could muster.
The ribs were good, but they tasted a bit shallow, like they’d been hurried.
The Dinosaur’s barbecue was quite good, across the board – in my rating system, “quite good” means “worth a stop whenever you’re near.” But I couldn’t call it “great” – “worth a trip by itself.” All the years Dinosaur’s been open in Rochester, and I’ve never gone for dinner there. Being a man who has driven two and a half hours for a slice of great banana cream pie, this has given me pause.
(Again, this is my own taste metering I’m talking about, admittedly tempered by my increasing willingness to make a mess of decent ribs because I feel like it.)
There’s no doubt the Dinosaur has also mastered elements that add to the enjoyment of a meal there. Great beer list, and sassy waitresses that add to the “joint” feel.
The decor is genuinely funky, the patina of good times and nights full of barbecue, blues and beer warn into the wood of the place. (My boy Jake was so impressed by the mural next to the outside picnic tables, right, that he asked for my camera.) Not the faux funk that so many places have, cluttering your line-of-sight with so much junk that you wish the owners had spent more time worrying about the food, and less time screwing license plates to the wall.
So, yeah, the Dinosaur is quite a place.
But there I was, chewing on a rib as Harleys rumbled up and parked next to my outdoor table, thinking: Buffalo barbecue is this good. There might not be one place that’s as conspicuously a real, fun joint, but I’ll take the ribs at Suzy-Qs and Kentucky Greg’s or the brisket at One Eyed Jack’s over what the Dinosaur served me.
Whoop-te-doo, you say? Well, fine. I just thought it was worth mentioning. The Dinosaur might be a more complete joint, but Buffalo’s best barbecue has raised its game to meet it (meat it?) or beat it.
You won’t see that on Page One, but it was news to me.
3 Comments
August 9, 2007 at 8:38 am
You must head on over to Donnie’s on Jefferson, right by the 33. This dude is the KCBS real deal, and his sauce is perfectly hot/sweet.
August 9, 2007 at 9:16 am
I agree – I’ve been to, and blogged, Donnie’s. He does baby back ribs, though, and at $22 a rack I like a little more meat on my bones.
July 3, 2009 at 12:58 am
[...] Buffalo Buffet agrees, and pimps Tonawanda’s Suzy Q’s ribs (amazing), Lockport’s One Eyed Jack’s brisket (tender & smoky), and Cheektowaga’s Kentucky Greg’s ribs (quite excellent). Andrew’s photographs are literally mouth-watering, too. [...]