BBQ Fred

610 North Greece Road, North Greece
Visited Feb. 25, 2011
Written by Tyler



Barbecue is my favorite cuisine. There aren’t a ton of barbecue-specific places on the west side, as noted in previous posts, so having one open near my home in Hilton is intriguing, to say the least.

BBQ Fred opened last summer in a former sub shop near the corner of North Greece and Latta roads in North Greece (though it has a Hilton mailing address), becoming an instant must-visit.

Drew and I took the three-mile trek to BBQ Fred late last summer, eager to get involved in some barbecue and see if it would become a part of our regular dining rotation. For me, I was practically licking my lips awaiting some chicken.

Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed they when the cashier told me they were somehow out of chicken. How on Earth does a barbecue place run out of chicken, on a Friday evening nonetheless?

Anyway, Drew and I agreed to split one of the more interesting menu options, a pulled pork French-bread pizza.
Its novelty made it stand out somewhat, but there wasn’t as much flavor as we would have liked – which was probably due to the relative lack of both pork and sauce – and there was too much cheese (mozzarella and cheddar, but a lot mozzarella). It was decent, but nothing that will put BBQ Fred on the map.

I made sure to get a corn muffin – one of my top-five favorite foods – but was skeptical about the one I received when it arrived cold and with a dollop of butter plopped on top. Truth be told, it was actually quite tasty and nicely put-together, in that it didn’t crumble all over the place.
I also got Cowboy beans, which were the highlight of the meal. They weren’t generic, straight-out-of-the-can beans places most quick-service restaurants have, and weren’t drowned out by an overly sweet sauce. They had a nice smoky sauce with just enough sweetness, along with pieces of bacon and ground beef for flavor, and were probably the best I’ve had in the area.

To be fair to BBQ Fred, I had to wait to grade it until a return visit, which didn’t come until six months later when my family and I ordered takeout.

The menu had undergone some additions since my first visit, and the pulled pork French-bread pizza appears to have undergone some proportional changes. No one got the pizza during the second foray, but I have included a picture of the concoction courtesy of BBQ Fred’s Facebook page.

Anyway, my dad got a sampler platter of pulled pork, chicken legs and baby-back ribs. He enjoyed the pulled pork and ribs, but said the chicken wasn’t great because there wasn’t much to it and it tasted like it had been reheated after sitting out awhile.

My mom opted for the Loaded Chicken Nachos, including a ton of basic yellow-corn tortilla chips, a mound of diced grilled chicken, onions, black olives and peppers, with salsa, sour cream and nacho cheese on the side.

Apparently my mom misinterpreted her order, as she was expecting pulled pork nachos for some reason, along with shredded cheddar (rather than nacho cheese), leaving her disappointed.

We agreed the concept of the nachos was good, and the portion size was exceptional, but she thought it was simply a combination of generic items – albeit a unique one.

Then there’s my Fred Plate, including the long-awaited grilled chicken. These are BBQ Fred’s version of garbage plates, but my specific combination choice didn’t resemble one, which is fine.
I got two grilled chicken breasts, a long slice of garlic bread, half of a large corn muffin and a large bowl of Cowboy beans. I was licking my lips over a dream of a meal.


Truth be told, the chicken was very disappointing. It looked dry, and it was just that. It had no visible marinade, wasn’t tender and had average taste. I doused some of Fred’s barbecue sauce on the chicken, which somewhat of a saving grace, as it provided a nice smoky punch with a perfect hint of sweetness.

But the Fred Plate was uphill from there, as the corn muffin and garlic bread were slightly above average, and the Cowboy beans were, once again, excellent. The muffin was much different from the one I had last time, which appears to be a trend among many BBQ Fred menu items.

Aside from the aforementioned items, choices include burgers and hots, salads, wraps, subs (including a pizza sub section of the menu), sandwiches and a host of other chicken dishes.

Overall, BBQ Fred is a serviceable choice for food in the Hilton/North Greece vicinity, an area where barbecue is not very prevalent. It has fairly generic barbecue, but its novel concepts make for a compelling menu.

Ratings

Service/Atmosphere: It’s not much of a sit-down place, but there are a few tables. The food is ready at a reasonable rate.

Food: A lot of choices, many of which are very unique. Some of the popular meats – pork and ribs, particularly – are pretty good, but the chicken is below average. Good sides, especially the Cowboy beans.

Value: Large portions, reasonable price.

Overall: A lot of the food is generic, but BBQ Fred fills a niche this area doesn’t really have. It’s worth returning to based on its novelty and food concepts alone.

Grade: B-

Olympia Neighborhood Restaurant and Lounge

1100 Flynn Road, North Greece
Visited Feb. 1, 2011
Written by Drew



On this particular Tuesday evening, I traveled out to Greece Athena High School to watch my brother play basketball. After the game, my Mom and I went out to grab a bite at a place we have visited before, the Olympia Neighborhood Restaurant and Lounge, on the corner of Flynn and Latta roads in North Greece.

I was hesitant a bit the first time I went, but it obviously didn’t bother me that much, seeing as we returned. They say you learn something new every day, and I’m glad we ended up here because I learned they have a second location, out in Gates.

My mom and I walked right in and sat right down. Even though we were eating at prime dinner time, roughly 6 p.m., we expected little to no wait due to a winter storm that was supposed to hit the area within a few hours, and ended up being one of maybe five parties dining at the time. After walking in from the parking lot, I was cold. I sat down with the intention of getting a cup of soup with my meal.

I mixed it up a little bit, and instead of going with a chicken meal or a burger, I focused my attention on their 10 special sandwiches section on the menu. One that stood out to me was the roast beef au jus. This sandwich was probably eight inches in length, but was almost too tall to fit into my mouth.

The roast beef wasn’t overly cooked or dry at all. The sandwich was perfect when dipped into the au jus, and definitely filling. I was able to finish all but one bite of my sandwich, and brought the rest of the beef home.

My sandwich came with a large helping of steak fries, which were good, as well as a cup of soup. I was given the options of three or four different soups, but I ordered the Chicken Florentine, which ended up as a good move.

My mom ordered the Spanakopita. When she told me what she was going to ordered, I responded, “Excuse you,” because I wasn’t sure what language she was speaking. From my understanding, it was like a quiche with egg and spinach filling. Her meal came with soup and salad, as well as a side of different fruits and vegetables. She also ordered the Chicken Florentine, which she was also satisfied with.

Our meal came with a basket of bread and crackers, and good service. The location is very convenient because it is near both Athena and Arcadia High Schools. I will probably return, but would be interested in going to different places near it as well.

Tyler has been to Olympia before as well, though not in a few years, and said they have a good breakfast. He said he remembers having excellent Italian-bread toast, which came in large slices, and added the home fries were solid. Greg has also voiced interest in trying Olympia because he heard they have good gyros.

Looks like we’ll be making another stop in the near future.

Ratings:

Service/Atmosphere: Very friendly service, felt like home.

Food: Very good soup. The sandwich was average, but definitely filling.

Value: The meal my mother and I had came out to be about $20, which is a little pricey considering we both ordered ice water as our beverages.

Overall: Not a bad meal. I didn’t find much wrong with this place, as the meals I had were good, but nothing that stood out as a ‘must-return.’

Grade: B