Beam's Bbq

From what the staff told me, Beam's has recently reopened after some remodeling.

I like southern bbq, and North Carolina bbq in particular. And I'm really excited that somebody is making the effort to establish a bbq restaurant in Burnsville - the variety is a welcome addition. But it's the food and dining experience that I should address, right?

We arrived for an early dinner (caused by a lazy breakfast/lunch) and we were the only table. Service was very good - staff was friendly and outgoing. The dining room was clean and I caught a couple of glimpses of the kitchen area - no concerns there.

The special was AYCE pulled pork and ribs, bread, two sides, and dessert for $16.99. Decent pricing for a full on meal.

It was a bit of a wait before the food arrived, but the view out the front windows is amazing. Every table has that view, so don't think you've got to cop a window seat.

The food, Fat Guy. Get to the food!

The bbq was a letdown. Pulled pork was dry (too lean or too much heat in the smoker, perhaps). I an usually save dry pork with a generous slathering of sauces, so that's where I went. Unfortunately, the sauces weren't better than average.  A vinegary prep lacked any seasoning, and would benefit from some red pepper flakes and a dash of tomato something (like ketchup) but not to the point of thickening. The sweet one was nearly indistinguishable from the spicy one. Both would benefit from a serious revamp.

The ribs were heavily coated with a rub and a wet sauce. Neither my partner or I cared much for the rib flavor (NOTE: I took two remaining ribs home and washed the seasonings off with hot water. The naked ribs were quite flavorful.

We selected beans and slaw for our sides. The beans were garden variety pork and beans. My guess is from the can with no added seasonings. The slaw was well liked by my partner, but for me it was so-so. Cornbread was very good as was the biscuit.

All in all, the meals were not a good value at $17 because we couldn't eat very much.

I tink Beam's has the opportunity to be a good bbq restaurant that will fill a need in Burnsville's dining options, but the recipes will need some tweaking. There's some good competition in the area, and the owners of Beam's have to go some to be a serious challenger. I hope, hope, HOPE they get it sorted out.

BBQ is SUPERB, but not THE  best. Sauces are excellent. Fried okra is a MUST! You gotta remember, my palate is well versed in Carolina BBQ. Some of you may give it 5 stars. I think I'l go ahead and do that anyway. (had 4 up there). The service gives it the extra star. Server was attentive, but not a hoveround. Perfect. Hoping to get alcohol soon. I hope so. Its really conveniently located near my Mother's house. Lol.