SugarHouse Barbecue Company

Note: We have just learned that SugarHouse Barbecue Company will permanently close in mid-August 2024. We're sorry to see it go.

--Brian/Kathy, 18 July 2024

She said:

SugarHouse BBQ is the antithesis of upscale and refined. It’s as casual and unassuming as they come. Diners quickly find out that the place has counter service only, and isn’t a full-service restaurant. As we approached the register to place our orders, we were greeted by a very friendly, helpful employee (who was actually the manager) who didn’t seem to mind explaining the menu, pointing out that they serve Memphis-style dry-rubbed meats.

Because he pointed out that the two-meat platter was his favorite, I opted for the plate of beef brisket, roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and corn muffin. He handed me a cup so that I could get my own drink from the soda fountain.

After dispensing some diet Pepsi, I found a place to sit, and waited for Brian to catch up. Sitting there, I looked around at our surroundings. The booths were made of dark wood, no padding on the seats. They were enclosed by tall partitions constructed of rough wooden planks stained a dark walnut brown. The floors were smooth charcoal slate tiles. There were accents of red in the brick on one wall and in the chairs at the tables on the other side of the dining room. I told Brian—when he finally sat down—that I couldn’t quite figure out the vibe of the place because it had different elements cobbled together. At any rate, the place was simple and very down to earth. No frills.

After a few minutes, our smiling, cheerful waitress set our meals—arranged on metal trays—on the table and explained what the different bottled sauces were. I chose the house BBQ sauce because it was the least spicy one. I squirted it on my meats, but after taking my first bite I realized that I didn’t like it. It was smoky, but not tangy or sweet enough. Plus, the beef and turkey were cold. Why weren’t they hot? BBQ'd meals taste best when served hot. So this was disappointing.

Anyway, I moved on to the mashed potatoes and the coleslaw. They tasted fine but weren’t exceptional. My meal, to sum it all up, was average BBQ fare. Eating here is fine, and it offers familiar favorites for those who are fans of simple food served with a big helping of Southern-style hospitality.

He said:

It seems I’m continually looking to see whether “Sugar House” is supposed to be one word or two. Well, the SugarHouse Barbecue Company has found a clever solution: capitalize it like two words, but mush them together like one.

Anyway, Kathy’s right about their hospitality. Each of the three employees with whom I interacted was enthusiastic, cheerful, and welcoming. They seemed eager to help us enjoy our meal, and they made us feel genuinely welcome. Although we had to order at the counter, SugarHouse BBQ had runners to bring our meals to us, ensure that we always had everything we needed, and to bus the tables afterwards.

The manager, who took our order, explained that Memphis-style barbecue uses a dry rub on the meat. After they apply the dry rub, they let the meat “marinate” for two days. Then they smoke it (we saw the smokers and large stacks of firewood outside, near the parking area). They don’t apply any sauce to the meat, but there were several varieties of sauce at each table. It was nice of one employee to explain the different sauces to us, but I wish the bottles had also been labeled.

One of the first things I noticed was the quality of the diet Pepsi. It’s incredible to me that it can taste so good at one restaurant and not so great at another. In fact, Kathy wrote a blog article about that, and she has some explanations for the lack of consistency. You can see her article here. At any rate, my diet Pepsi tasted great!

While Kathy ordered the Smoked Platter, I opted for Bill’s Big Combo, which is the same thing but with the addition of ribs. If I had realized how much food it would be, I might have chosen a smaller plate. I guess that’s okay, though, as I had enough left over to enjoy it for dinner later. The ribs were St. Louis style. That’s a sparerib, with plenty of meat on it. Most of my ribs were tender and juicy, but the thinner, end ribs were well-cooked all the way through, making them tough and dry.

For my other choice of meats, I chose the beef brisket and the smoked sausage. The sausage was on the specials board. The manager warned us that it had a bit of spicy heat to it, but I didn’t find it so. Instead, I thought it had an interesting, earthy flavor. The brisket was well marbled without huge chunks of fat on it. I enjoyed its tenderness and rich, robust flavor.

For my side dishes, I chose the Greek Oven Roasted Potatoes and the BBQ Beans. I’m not sure what was Greek about the potatoes, but I enjoyed them. The BBQ Beans included several varieties of beans, as well as some brisket and sausage.

Kathy had requested some Mixed Berry Bread Pudding. Of course, that was before we saw how generous our meal portions would be. The berries were baked with the bread pudding, rather than served on top. They provided a pleasant pizzazz, though they were only a minor addition to the dessert. Caramel ribbons adorned the dish. We ate it with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.

Conclusion:

Enjoy hearty servings of solid BBQ fare at SugarHouse Barbecue Company. The friendly service and outstanding hospitality will make you feel at home.