Dick Howell Bar-B-Q, Florence, Alabama

Shoals Barbecue Trail, Stop #4

Dick Howell Bar-B-Q

Florence, Alabama – This week’s quest for the best Barbecue in the Shoals area took us to what some folks call one the “Holy Grail” sites of barbecue legends in the Shoals.  Since the 1940’s there has been the sweet smell of pork being slowly cooked awash in the smoke of locally harvested hickory trees in North Florence.  Nothing said you’re in the Deep South like the smell of hickory-smoked meat being converted into barbecue.

Dick Howell’s Bar-B-Q on North Pine St. is known for cooking some of the best barbecue in our area, not a large operation by any means; however, they still pay attention to details and quality.  On the day we visited there was a waiting line to get take out orders as well as dine in orders, we dutifully waited our turn and placed our order to dine in.

My dining partner ordered the large barbecue sandwich along with chips and a drink, and for future reference, they do serve Golden Flake chips and Coke products.  I ordered the barbecue plate and a drink, and, even with the large number of orders being placed, it didn’t take long for the kitchen to get our food ready and be brought to our table.

As you can see from the pictures below, the barbecue sandwich was loaded with a generous portion of meat smothered with Dick Howell’s signature hot mustard slaw and hot sauce.  My barbecue plate came out of the kitchen in a “togo” box, which I unpacked to dine in.  The plate had a good portion of barbecue pork, we estimated 6 or 7 ounces of meat, hot mustard slaw, bbq beans, and potato salad.  Again, additional points were awarded because of the sauce being served on the side.  The sauce being served on the side means one thing “Nothing to hide here, so dig in.”

So I dug right in, the first thing I noticed when I tasted just the pork barbecue meat was that it had a fresh taste to it.  Not the stale flavor of barbecue being rewarmed or held for hours at the Health Department’s required temperature of 140 degrees.  Again, bonus points awarded.

Dick Howell’s barbecue pork rated very high on both of our scorecards and was truly the star of the show that it should be.  The hot mustard slaw also rated well with it blend of sweetness, tamed by vinegar and a cayenne pepper after kick.  It rated right up there with some of the better hot mustard slaws we've eaten.  The bbq beans again started out life as pork-n-beans but were kicked up a couple of notches with additions of brown sugar, bbq sauce and shredded pork.  Not the best bbq beans I've ever eaten but still rated well.  Now, that leaves the potato salad, can’t much be said about it, just run of the mill food service mediocre tater salad.  It was OK, just not something to write home to Momma about.  The last thing tasted was the sauce, a delightful concoction of vinegar, black pepper, tomato base, cayenne pepper and other spice blended well together.  It’s safe to say you won’t get the recipe for it just by asking. 

Both my dining partner and I agreed that Dick Howell’s indeed is keeping the tradition of good barbecue alive and well in North Alabama.  In fact, he ordered two slaw dogs and another large barbecue sandwich to take home for him and his wife’s dinner.  Now that’s showing some love for a q-joint.

The interior of the restaurant is well kept, clean and tidy with not a whole of decorations on the wall.  Of course, there isn't a whole lot of wall space to decorate with as many windows as there are in the dining area.  The restrooms were clean and stocked,  and, all in all, they run a tight ship at Dick Howell’s as is witnessed by their health department score.

Dick Howell Bar-B-Q
1350 N. Pine St.
Florence, Al 35630
256.712.5092

So here are our numbers for the meal:

Judge 1 scoring		Score
Barbecue Pork		8
Sauce		8
Hot Mustard Slaw		9
Slaw dogs		6
Service		6
Atmosphere		6
Cleanliness		7
Style		6
Cooking Method		7
Value		7

Judge 2 Scoring		Score
Barbecue Pork		7
Beans		6
Slaw		7
Sauce		6
Service/Friendliness		6
Atmosphere		6
Cleanliness		7
Style		6
Cooking Method		7
Value		7

Overall Rating:  A 7.5

(Rating Index is Here)

Overall Recommendations: Pulled Pork is excellent as is the hot mustard slaw

Facebook Page:  Dick Howell’s BBQ Pit

Credit Cards		Yes
Catering Service Available		Yes
Recommendations		BBQ pork for sure
Suggestions		Slaw Dogs a buck each
Alcohol		No
Ambiance		Small town diner
Service		Country friendly
Vegetarian Friendly		Ugh, it’s a q-joint, you figure it out
Price Range		$
Health Score		97 (5-21-13)
Smoke Free		Yes, except for the hickory smoke

The opinions expressed in this review are the honest opinions of the author and fellow judge, and who are solely responsible for its content. These opinions were not influence by any third party whatsoever. If and when you visit the reviewed restaurant your opinion may vary greatly. So as always YMMV!

Dick Howell Bar-B-Q Bldg front

Interior 

Interior

Dining room

The gateway to Bar-B-Q

Open the lid and this is the first thing you see

Regular BBQ Pork Plate

Dining room

Large pork sandwich w/hot mustard slaw

Getting the slaw dogs to go

The Shoals Barbecue Trail

Updated:  August 7, 2013
Florence, AL -  Borrowing from an idea of a fellow roadfood foodie, We've put together "The Shoals Barbecue Trail" and beginning this week we will begin paying a visit to each of them and write a review of their merits and/or demerits.  Even though we've eaten at a majority of the Q-joints we are determined to go back and do an objective review based on the food presented that day and score them accordingly.

Our plans call for there being two Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) certified Judges doing the reviews and independently scoring the establishment.  These two scores will then be combined and a total average score will be used in the review.

The BBQ (pork, chicken, ribs or brisket) will be judged using the KCBS scoring rules, with a 9 being Excellent down to a 1 (Disqualification).

9 - Excellent
8 - Very Good
7 - Above Average
6 - Average
5 - Below Average
4 - Poor
3 - Bad
2 - Inedible
1 - Disqualified

A Disqualification (1) will be given if it is discovered that any of the following occur;

• It came out of can
• It was cooked elsewhere and delivered in a boil bag
• Cooked BBQ was purchased from a wholesale dealer
• It was cooked in a Crock Pot
• The meat was par-boiled (think ribs) prior to smoking
• Taste like charcoal lighter fluid

The criteria that will be used to judge will not only include the food, even though that will be first and foremost, we'll also be taking into consideration sides, sauces, desserts and hushpuppies or the lack thereof.  In addition, we'll be scoring on style, cooking method, atmosphere, and friendliness of the staff. The staff of any restaurant can make or break a customer's expectations quickly but we will try to be objective and take into consideration the time of day and how busy the place is.  However, there is never an excuse for impoliteness to the customer.

The below list of fine BBQ establishments are what we could find listed on the internet.  If you know of one we've missed, just post a comment and we'll get it added in.  If any of you at home wants to play along, just print out the list, go eat and report back here.  You can send your comments to us at The Brown Bag Review at yahoo(dot)com and we'll include them in a new post.

And please remember, the opinions expressed are our own and are not influenced by any third party.  If you visit any of these fine BBQ Joints your experience may be completely and totally different than what we report.  And as always, YMMV

The Shoals Barbecue Trail

SBT #1         Brooks Barbecue, 203 Union Ave, Muscle Shoals, AL Reviewed 07-26-2013

SBT #2         Bunyan’s Bar-B-Que, 901 W. College St., Florence, AL

SBT #3         Daily Bread Barbecue, 305 Jackson Ave S., Russellville, AL Reviewed 8/2/13

SBT #4         Dick Howell Barbecue Pit, 1350 N. Pine St., Florence, AL

SBT #5         Henley’s Bar-B-Que, 15908 Main St., Town Creek, AL Reviewed 8/16/13

SBT #6         Mullins Barbecue, 2800 S. Wilson Dam Rd., Muscle Shoals, AL

SBT #7         OK Corral Barbecue, 3106 Woodward Ave, Muscle Shoals

SBT #8         Pilgrim’s Place, 1314 N Jackson Ave, Russellville

SBT #9         Pop’s Barbeque, 3477 County Road 61, Florence, AL

SBT #10       Rick’s Barbecue, 212 Cox Creek Parkway, Florence, AL

SBT #11       Rick’s Barbecue, 2405 Woodward Ave, Muscle Shoals

SBT #12       Right Side BBQ, 3111 Huntsville Rd, Florence, AL

SBT #13       Singleton’s Bar-B-Q, 4220 Huntsville Rd., Florence, AL

SBT #14       Southern BBQ, 1510 N. Pine St., Florence, AL

SBT #15       Southern BBQ, 1686 S. Wilson Dam Rd, Muscle Shoals, AL

SBT #16       Southern BBQ, 425 W. Avalon Ave., Sheffield, AL

SBT #17       Speedy Pig BBQ & Restaurant, 13670 Hwy 43, Russellville, AL

SBT #18       Wright’s Pit Barbecue, 4503 Alabama 157, Florence, AL  Reviewed 08-09-2013
SBT #19       Hickory Barn BBQ, 10047 US 72, Athens, AL  35611
SBT #20       FloBama, 311 N. Court St., Florence, AL
SBT #21       Ole Smokey Boys BBQ, 10109 Lexington, AL
SBT #22       Whitt's Barbecue, 16146 Hwy 72, Rogersville, AL 

Poplar South Deli and Grille

Two updates posted, see below
Florence, Alabama - When we heard there was a new deli and grille opening downtown we had our hopes up that finally someone would open a great little sandwich shop with artesian style sandwiches.  We always give a new restaurant some time to hit their stride before going and sampling their offerings and this time was no different since they have been open for a couple weeks.

We decided to visit them at lunch time and check out their menu, one of the first things you’ll notice about Poplar South is that they are located in a small building that has housed several other restaurants in the past.  The building has been refurbished both inside and out and has a very nice “Curb Appeal.” The day we visited parking was tight in front of the building and we parked across the street.  Our first impression was “Wow, this place is busy”, however, when we went inside there were only two customers present.  So, when you visit don’t be fooled by all the cars parked outside and be scared away, because there are other businesses located nearby that utilize the same parking area.

Once inside we were greeted by the young lady behind the counter and told to take our time deciding on what we wanted to order.  I chose the Angus Burger, fries and iced tea, while my wife ordered the Castle Club with a Diet Coke.

The young lady told us she would bring our cups of ice to the table and we thought it strange since the cups were sitting on the counter and we were standing in front of them.  We went ahead and got seated and then when we saw her go from behind the counter and into a storage room on the other side of the dining room and return with cups of ice for the previous customers we understood the process.  Their ice machine is not behind the counter and is inconvenient for both the staff and the customers.  We waited patiently for our drink cups which were received after the next customer’s order had been taken.

$8.79 Cheeseburger

Our food was brought out by the same young lady at the cash register and while visual appealing it was sort of underwhelming in substance.  Sort of "all show and no go" so to speak.  My Angus Burger which on the menu is advertised as “over ¼ pound”, which is a fancy way of saying a five ounce patty, was on the thin side and served on a rather nondescript bun that was listed as being corn-meal dusted bun.  The meat patty reeked of so called “frozen premium meat patty” from US Food Service, these patties are heavily seasoned with various and sundry spices both dry and liquid injected.  Whether it was 100% Angus, Hereford or just a run of the mill cow I couldn't tell you because only the company that ground it knows for sure. 

The order of fries which was priced extra were the cheap crinkle cut fries that are the staple of a lot of restaurants, but I was again hoping for something a little more upscale.  For a two dollar order of fries I kind of had hoped for freshly fried real potatoes, but alas, no winner this time.

My wife’s sandwich which again was visually appealing but also lacked substance one you tasted it.  It

$8.95 Castle Club

was just your average food service deli styled ham and turkey that was only served with a pickle spear and it cost $8.95.

Now for some constructive criticism; If you are going to charge $7.99 for a burger, plus tack on another $.80 for a slice of cheese then by golly that burger should knock my socks off with eight (8) ounces of fresh ground beef, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper and smothered with a top shelf quality slice of cheese of my choice.  I’ve ordered and eaten $8.79 cheeseburgers before and I can tell you flat out this wasn't even in the same universe as those.  And, in most places I’ve dined, chips or fries were included in the price.  So there is lots of room for improvement in Poplar South’s burger offering. 

Having been in the restaurant business I know that food costs are very high and you have to make a profit which is totally acceptable to me, but if you charge premium prices, then deliver a premium product.  And, get some ice behind the counter so customers don’t have to wait to get their cups.

We might give Poplar South another try in the future, but with all of the food choices in Florence it may be awhile, because a mediocre $10.79 cheeseburger and fries is not an everyday event when there are places offering better values and better tasting burgers.  I do hope that Poplar South will get their act together and become a Florence success story.

UPDATE (08/22/2013)  

Poplar South posted this announcement on their Facebook Page, dated 08/21/2013:  NEW: We have been using your industry standard crinkle fries... Well, we are out of those and we're not going to replace them. We have started making our own, which is something we wanted to do from the start. Come check them out! 
This is a second step improvement  to success in The Brown Bag Review's opinion.


UPDATE (07/21/2013):  Poplar South just announced on their Facebook page that their sandwiches will now come with a choice of plain or BBQ Chips or crinkle fries.  This is a first step improvement to success in The Brown Bag Review's opinion.  

Poplar South

105 South Poplar St.

Florence, AL 35630

256.766.6197

Hours 10:30 – 6:00 Monday thru Friday

Credit Cards accepted

Please note:  The opinions expressed in this article are the honest opinion of the author who is responsible for the content of this blog.  When and if you visit an establishment we've reviewed your experience may be different and you may form a completely different opinion.  And as always “YMMV” (Your Mileage May Vary.)