Wallace Barbecue

Wallace Barbecue Restaurant Review:

Wallace Barbecue was founded in 1966, and from the menu to the iconography in this classic restaurant, very little has changed over time. An authentic Wurlitzer juke box commands one corner, a two-top table parked in front of it (but don't mess with the buttons, warns a sign). Yes, it still plays, we're told. Beaming out over the tables is the front end of a 1957 Chevrolet, and gas pumps from long-forgotten fuel brands stand as silent sentinels. Archival photographs covering a range of personalities and topics dot the walls. Meanwhile, a plume of smoke wafting skyward at the back of the building assures you that the real deal is available. Here's what you want to get: chopped beef in the thin, vinegar-influenced barbecue sauce, served warm, is made from a smoked "gooseneck" beef, or eye of round. Chopped pork is tender and tastes just enough of smoke, needing no sauce if you don't care for any. Ribs are deeply smoked, moist and come easily off the bone. A hot house-made sauce adds extra tang, and perks up the good Brunswick stew which with the mayonnaise-dressed coleslaw make first-rate sides. Consider a fried pie for dessert. Sweet iced tea is the proper quaff as no alcohol is served.