Harold's Barbecue
Portland, OR 97217
Phone: (503) 240-0288
04/23/2007 Posted by bluesbread
It's in a bustling, multiethnic neighborhood of North Portland, it's black-owned, it's clean, it offers local organic meats, the owner has supposedly studied barbecue all over the country, and he greets you as you walk in. So we were all ready for a transcendent barbecue experience. But we didn't get it. The ribs were very tender, in fact too tender -- they lack the "bark" and multitexture of good barbecued ribs. He uses baby back ribs, which he says are healthier, but I'm afraid they just don't stand up to slow cooking the way that spareribs do. More importantly, Harold's ribs lack flavor. He claims to use special woods, but they don't taste of smoke or of anything else. You need to sprinkle salt and hot sauce on them to give them any taste. (Being rib lovers, we did not try any of the other meats on the menu -- perhaps those are better.) Another big problem is the side dishes. The greens are good, but the rice and beans are tasteless, the coleslaw is generic and sweet, the cornbread is nothing special. Harold's wants to be a healthy bbq place -- well, a truly healthy bbq place makes the side dishes healthy and delicious. Because the way to eat healthy in a bbq joint is to have a little bit of meat and fill up on greens, rice, beans and cornbread. That ain't gon' happen here at Harold's. He'll probably do well because of his great location near a college and high school and with lots of foot traffic. But if you're seeking great 'cue, there are now many other options in North Portland and other neighborhoods.
Pros: clean place, local organic meats
Cons: the food
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