Monthly Feature

Two opinions are better than one. Mike takes on the Houston Press and here’s how it works:

• Mike takes a random restaurant already reviewed by one of the Houston Press writers.
• He only reads the headline to get the name of the place…nothing more…scout’s honor.
• Mike writes his review of the restaurant.
• We’ll post Mike’s review, plus a link to the Houston Press review and see the similarities and/or differences.

First Impressions:

The place is small. I mean tiny. There are a couple of card tables to sit at if you want the luxury of air conditioning. Since I live in Texas, I wanted that luxury. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room for everyone in my party so outside we went. Parking is limited in front of the restaurant, but there is parking along either side of the road.

The Menu:

No frills, just straight ahead BBQ. Brisket, chopped beef, sausage, turkey, pulled pork and ribs highlight the meat selection while potato salad, cole slaw, dirty rice and baked beans make up the standard sides. They also have a small assortment of desserts, including homemade cookies, red velvet cake and a lemon cake. I was told they will be expanding these selections down the line.

Okay, how did it taste?

I ordered the two meat plate with pulled pork and ribs; I chose dirty rice and ranch style beans as my sides. All meals come with bread, pickles, onions and jalapenos.

Okay, I like BBQ and this place didn’t disappoint. The pulled pork was tender and extremely tasty. The ribs were some of the best I’ve had; they were unbelievably tender, but didn’t fall off the bone completely. To me, that’s how a rib should be.

And the sauce!  Let me tell you about the sauce. They serve it hot, which I don’t necessarily prefer, but it was AWESOME. It’s a traditional southern sauce, but it has hints of vinegar and some heat to it and it’s not overly sweet. I literally drank the rest of it once I soaked my pulled pork, it was that good.

The sides were above average. The dirty rice was excellent, served a little more moist than most others I’ve had. I enjoyed that (there’s nothing worse than dry rice), and the spice was perfect. The beans were good, nothing to write home about but solid.

I also tried a couple pieces of the sausage links. Wow!  They were moist, with a good snap to the casing, but not greasy. Excellent taste.

Value:

The two meat plate was $8.50 for a more than adequate portion. I was stuffed when I left. Drinks range from $1 to $1.50, so my total was about $11.00. Pretty competitive, especially when you factor in how tasty the food is.

Overall:

I may have found a new favorite for BBQ, in the heart of the neighborhood I grew up in. I give Gatlin’s 4.5 stars out of 5, with the only negatives being the lack of air conditioned seating and less than ideal parking. That said, I’ll definitely be back.

They Said: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2010/08/grub_at_gatlins.php

1221 ½ W. 19^th St.