LOCATIONS: Orlando (3 locations, 4th opening this spring), Gainesville, Jacksonville
PRICE: $$ out of $$$$$
KIDS MEALS: Several options, includes drinks, $4.99
WEBSITE: www.4rsmokehouse.com
When I was younger, I was confused about the term Bar-B-Que. I thought that meant my dad was grilling out back and using BBQ sauce on the chicken. This was all I knew. I really can't recall going to many BBQ restaurants while growing up. The only one I remember going to was called "Red White and Blue BBQ." It was open for a very short period of time on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach. Its tagline was "best BBQ in a place that isn't condemned." It was a funny joke, but apparently not a very popular place. Once I got into college, my tastes were able to expand in the culinary realm. But BBQ still was a mystery. We had Sonny's BBQ - a chain that started in Florida with its relatively nondescript offerings. I didn't like pork, especially pork roast - which was a big time offering there. I never really liked the place and didn't hang out there often. I still refused to convert to being a BBQ fan when I first moved to Tampa after graduation. It still wasn't impressive to me.
Then it all changed.
The church staff I was on had to travel to North Spartanburg, SC for a training conference. We got into town and stopped at some rundown shopping center with one store front advertising BBQ. It was one of those condemned places that were mentioned in that aforementioned motto. We got into line and they had two options: Sliced pork and chopped pork. I hated pork. They didn't have beef. What is this junk? I picked chopped pork because I KNEW I hated pork roast. We all got to the table with our baskets. The guys with me seemed excited at the meal. I looked around for sauce and all they had on the table were these bottles with a clear liquid in them. One of the guys said, "Put that on it. You'll like it." It was vinegar sauce - something popular in certain areas of the Carolinas and Georgia. And it was incredible. I had stumbled into the world of BBQ and realized that I had been missing quite a bit.
Once I realized that true BBQ is much more than grilling chicken with KC Masterpiece on it, it became one of my favorite genres of food. I opened my taste buds to pulled pork, beef brisket, sausages, ribs. I still at times gravitate away from pork dishes - especially sliced pork. But I love me some BBQ. I discovered there are different styles and different sauces. I am a bit of an oddball because my favorite sauce is still piedmont vinegar sauce. However, I try all of the sauces at just about every place I visit. And visit places I do on a regular basis. On Foursquare, I have the sixth level Porky Pig Badge. That means I have visited 25 different BBQ places. That isn't that I've eaten BBQ 25 times. I have been to 25 uniqe locations since Foursquare started. Whenever I travel around the South, I try to eat at a local BBQ place. I've been to places throughout Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, Arkansas, and even Texas. I've had dry-rub ribs in Memphis, brisket in Fort Worth, and pig wings in Elizabethton, TN (I'll save that review for another day. Suffice it to say, that is the best BBQ item I've ever had and have never found another place that sells it.)
When it came to writing my first restaurant review, I tried to decide what would be the best leadoff location. Should I do something recent? Something local to me now? Or should I go with an old favorite? I thought back to what talk show hosts do when they start their shows. Letterman, Conan (twice), Kimmel, Fallon. They all did the same thing. They booked someone familiar they liked. The initial show would be exciting enough in itself. It didn't matter if the guest was someone common. The comfort level would be important. So I went with old reliable. When I put up my introductory post, a friend commented, "I guess we'll see a 4Rivers post soon." If that is the first thing that pops into someone's head when I mention this blog, I guess I can't fail with starting there. The fact that it is my very favorite restaurant in my very favorite genre? No brainer.
I know that the backstory of a restaurant shouldn't matter. It is somewhat irrelevant if the owner is a nice person or if he likes puppies or anything. There are plenty of nice people who can't cook a lick. And there are tons of jerks who are great cooks - just watch cooking shows. But the backstory is important here. John Rivers was a very successful pharmaceutical executive. He started making BBQ and sauce to give to parents at the Ronald McDonald House in Orlando. He sold the sauce to underwrite his BBQ Ministry. Eventually, enough people told him to just open a store already. So he did. The first 4Rivers was in a tiny building with absolutely no indoor seating. It was all on a patio out back. There was virtually no parking, so he contracted with a Baptist Church across the street. People could park there during the week and he would donate food to their various ministries. There were so many people lined up for 4Rivers it was a traffic issue. A cop used to park on a side street to ticket all the illegal parkers. But all of that shouldn't matter. It also shouldn't matter that John Rivers has a full-time employee to make sure that the restaurant gives away enough money each month or that he is on the board of governors at our church in Orlando or that the restaurant is closed on Sundays or that he's just a really good dude who is making a difference.
The food is simply awesome. Now, some may label me a 4Rivers apologist. But I will admit that you can get better items elsewhere. I have found a better pulled pork (Piggy's in Tallahassee). I've had better ribs (Corkys in Memphis). I've had better fried pickles (Black Creek in Middleburg). The thing is that you aren't going to find this many good products in one place anywhere else. If I was to rank the products at 4Rivers, they would be like 2nd and 3rd of all the ones I've had. But they're all right there! That's just not fair. Have you ever been to a BBQ place that had one really good item - their sauce, their pork, their beef, their beans - but the rest of their stuff isn't that great? Yeah, that's the opposite of 4Rivers. Their pulled pork? Awesome. Their ribs? Really awesome. Their pulled chicken? Sausage? Mac and cheese? Fries? All of it awesome. And they have a huge menu. Prime rib, turkey, chicken on the bone, pulled chicken, sliced pork (nope, never tried it), pulled pork. It is all there and all great. They have like twenty sides too (baked cheese grits, fire roasted corn, sweet potato casserole) and every single one I've had was awesome.
But they aren't content to just do simple stuff. They have really creative items too - especially when it comes to their sandwiches. The Texas Destroyer, for example, is brisket topped with onion rings, jalapeños, provolone, and sauce. The Longhorn is brisket AND sausage with pickle relish, onions, and provolone. For Thanksgiving, they have a Pilgrim sandwich with turkey, cranberry sauce, an actual slice of dressing, and gravy. In March they do a brisket burger. Oh yeah, they also all have a Sweet Shop with cupcakes, cakes, cookies, homemade ice cream, and more. Their cupcakes could easily compete with any cupcake store. In fact, my all time favorite cupcake is there. It is a cookie dough cupcake - a vanilla cupcake with a wad of cookie dough at the bottom that just barely gets cooked, cookie dough looking and tasting icing, and a chocolate chip cookie sticking out. I have no idea what mystical dimension they dipped into to be able to perfectly replicate raw cookie dough in an icing, but they did. And if you really want to blow your mind, get a cupcake shake. Yes, it is what you think it is. A massive cupcake blended up with homemade ice cream and milk. Good grief.
I haven't mentioned their brisket yet because it deserved its own mention. Texas is the king of beef BBQ. In the Southeast, it is all about pig. But in Texas, it is cow. Beef ribs, steaks, beef brisket. I've had genuine Texas brisket before. And I've had 4Rivers brisket. A bunch of times. It is real Texas brisket. It could stand up against anything the Lone Star state throws out there. This has been verified by several other BBQ aficionados with Texas experience. I got the brisket a lot at first, then switched to the pulled pork. Partly, it was because their pulled pork is so good. But part of it because I don't like a lot of fat in my brisket. 4Rivers changed their delivery method though, and now they ask if you want Lean or Moist. Awesome.
The funny thing is, if I had to pick something I don't like about 4Rivers, it would be their sauce. Ironic, isn't it? The very thing that started the whole company is their weakest link - at least to me. I like vinegar sauce better. But I also like places like Whole Hog in Little Rock, Arkansas that have a variety of different sauces. So that is the weakest thing to me. But they make up for it with everything else, including selling a line of seasonings like their Coffee Rub. That is one of the best thing you can use on your own steaks and roasts at home. So, if you are in Florida, take a chance on 4Rivers. It is fabulous food, huge portions, a great company, and all at a great price. All five of us have eaten there before for under $30. Yes, you read that correctly. I guarantee it is one of the more reasonable quality BBQ places you'll try. Sure, you can get a big bill with desserts, full rib racks, or dinosaur beef bones. But in general, it is a great option. It's number one - but I'm not going to give up finding worthy competitors.
