Memphis BBQ & Wicked Wings

Date Visited: Lunch on Saturday Dec 20, 2014

Company: Take-out for 8

For our Annual University Secret Santa gift exchange this year, we decided to hold it at +Kelvin's parents new house rather than our typical restaurant only outing. I still needed to find a place for lunch in the Woodbridge area though as a potluck wasn't happening with our group. I happened to find Memphis BBQ which is practically in Kelvin's backyard on a BlogTO list for one of the Best BBQ Restaurants in Toronto, lucky us! We decided to do take-out there since the photos didn't show it was very large and may have been a hassle to find a seating for 7.

When we arrived, the place was very dive-y, located just beside a convenient store with nothing else around. The place was hustling when we entered with the cooks just a few feet away and tons of steam coming from the meat, it smelled heavenly. It was a bit crowded when we were all standing there looking at what to order on their take-out menu, but we just decided to get one of their Party Packs listed on the wall. Split between 8 of us, it came out to be $12 each. There was quite a bit of seating as well in the next week if we really wanted to eat here, it wasn't too busy in the late lunch hours on the Saturday. The Party Pack we ordered came with 3 racks of Ribs, 2 lbs of Wings (Honey Garlic & Spicy BBQ), 2 lbs of Pulled Pork, Beans, Coleslaw, Cornbread and Fries. We waited outside for about 15-20 minutes and they called us in to grab our food to go.

When we arrived back at Kelvin's, we had a table for all the food to be laid out and where we could fill up our plates. It was a bit of chaos at first but we all divided the food evenly and sat down to enjoy the meal together. The main part of the meal was were the Ribs since we had 3 racks and the most leftovers of that. The meat was very tender and fell off the bone with a smoky, sweet flavour. I really wish I could have had some more of that but knew I needed room for the rest! We all had 1 wing of each flavour and I preferred the Spicy BBQ as it had a nice kick to it. The Honey Garlic was a bit plain and bland. The Pulled Pork was also very delicious, full of tangy flavour and easy to eat. Some people complained that they had large chunks of un-pulled pork in theirs though. The Beans and Coleslaw were a nice addition, the beans had a ton of flavour and the coleslaw added some vegetables and acidity to the meaty meal. The Fries were nothing special, as with the Cornbread, it didn't taste like much.

The amount of food was perfect for our group size, we had a bit leftover but everyone was happily full. Memphis BBQ did a great job on their meats and definitely worth a visit here if you're in the area.

Food: 4/5 - Great authentic BBQ!

Decor: 2/5 - Pretty sketchy but roomier than I thought it would be on the inside.

Service: 4/5 - Very friendly and decent wait time for the amount of food.

Willingness to go back: 4/5 - Worth it!

Overall: 3.5/5 

Website: http://www.bigbonebbq.ca/woodbridge/

Buster Rhino's

Date Visited: Late lunch on Sunday Oct 6, 2013
Company: Grabbed a meal with +Will after he dropped me off in Oshawa.

I got a ride from Will back to Oshawa after the weekend and we decided to grab some lunch before he started making his way back to Toronto. I looked up on my phone to see what kind of places we could go on a Sunday and decided on Stuttering Johns. I wasn't actually sure if it was open but knew that Buster Rhino's was nearby enough to be our backup plan. We arrived in downtown Oshawa, parked right in front of Stuttering Johns and of course it's closed. We made our way up the street to Buster Rhino's, a similar type of restaurant, known for its Southern BBQ. It was about mid-afternoon so the place wasn't very full but about 4 tables were taken, we grabbed a seat near the back where football was playing on the big screen. The restaurant is very spacious with ample walking room between the tables. There were some people working on some construction near the back in a separate room... maybe an expansion?

There were paper menus already on our tables so we checked out our options as it was our first times there. The menu was simple and helpful, advising some favorite dishes and providing 'combo' options that come with a side and drink. They had all the classic BBQ items and sides but at reasonable prices ($9.50 for a sandwich combo!). I went for the Beef Brisket Sandwich with Onion Rings (Staff Favourite) while +Will went for the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries (Most Popular).

I also ordered a Chocolate Milk with my meal as it comes with a drink but it tasted a bit skunky and the waitress was very nice in returning it for a water upon my request and taking it off my bill (even though it didn't make much of a difference in the price!). Our orders arrived and were very hot off what they came from. The Beef Brisket was smoky and had great tenderness, it was simple (beef on a bun) but delicious. The Pulled Pork also was an excellent choice and I can see why it's so popular, it's sweet and packed with meat. The onion rings were a bit on the greasy side but it's expected as they were pretty thick. The fries and onion rings were also coated with a lot of salt which made them very addicting. We were extremely stuffed and satisfied with our meals afterwards, hit the spot! 

I really like how Buster's has their own special events and keeps customers updated on what's going on in each of the restaurants. I follow them on FB and Twitter now and they're very active in informing people of promotions, deals, and events they have. It's refreshing to see!

Food: 3.5/5 - Authentic southern BBQ at great prices!
Service: 4/5 - Genuine waitress with great attitude and care for the customers, loved the service.
Decor: 3.5/5 - A bit too spacious but nicely lit and good space. 
Willingness to come back: 3.5/5 - Have to try their famous ribs!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.busterrhinos.com/