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Went last night with a party of 6. Â Service was excellent - the waiter was very friendly, knowledgeable about the beer selection (which is very decent), and attentive - checking back on us regularly. Â The girl who brought us our food, however, we could have done without her. Â When our meals came out, she would put a plate in front of the closest guest, say what it was, and said 'you guys figure out who gets what'. Â Really?? Â Negative points for her, in my book! Â The food was OK - I've had better BBQ where the flavor is IN the meat and you didn't have to add sauce. Â I got the chicken and rib combo platter - really wanted to check out the Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. Â You could really taste the Dr. Pepper but the sauce was just "OK". Â Something just seemed lacking - no smoky flavor, no spices, no heat. Â And the sides - the baked beans were very tasty, but the mac and cheese and the steamed spinach needed salt (and I never add salt). Â Everybody else seemed pretty pleased with their meals. Â I would probably go back, but after trying some other places in the area first. Â Seems like a great place to enjoy a game - tons of TVs all over the restaurant/bar area. Â Good place to bring kids/families or groups - loud enough to have fun, but not so loud that you can't hear each other.
Review Source:They don't care when the restaurant is dead.
Sorry but this one is long. Â
I came here on a slow night with my wife and in-laws back in March. Â It was a Wednesday night and the parking lot was empty. Â We were really looking forward to coming here because we love going to Bailey's in Blauvelt and was excited that there was a similar type of place opening close to our home.
When we entered the establishment there was nobody there to greet us. Â No sign to tell us to wait to be seated or what to do. Â So we waited as there's a hostess counter there, albeit unattended. Â 5 minutes later... still nothing. Â We didn't know where to go as there are two doors, one goes to the bar the other to the dining room, although you wouldn't know unless you actually walked into one of them. Â
So we get tired of waiting and I walk into the dining room. Â I see only one table of 2 people. Â No servers or employees anywhere. Â So I walk into the bar where there are 3 bartenders and I ask them "Who do I ask to be seated?" Â To which they ask me, "isn't there anybody out in the dining room?" Â I say no and that we've been waiting for awhile already. Â So one of the bartenders walks us into the dining room , seemingly annoyed that I interrupted the conversation he was having with the other two bartenders (which was also empty might I add), and tells us to wait for a waiter to come out, and he leaves without apologizing to us. Â Mind u my wife is 7 months pregnant and my father-in-law is a cancer patient weakened from 3 months of chemo treatments. Â
Another minute or so passes, and finally a waiter and a waitress both come out of the kitchen laughing seemingly having had a conversation that needed them both to leave the dining room unattended for a long time without coming back out with any food. Â The waiter seats us but we try to let it slide. Â I mean the food must be good right? Â It's empty and we should get really quick service. Â
We get the Chips, Southern Style Sausage, and chili to start. Â Mother-in-law gets a salad. Â For dinner we get the Rib and Chicken combo and an extra order of brisket. Â We get an assortment of sides too. Â
Appetizers come out relatively quickly. Â The sausage is actually pretty good. Â Nice snap of the skin and good balance of salty, spiciness. Â Chili is good, not great. Â We are now becoming optimistic. Â
Dinner comes out and upon first glance, the food looks pretty good. Â How you'd expect meat that's been a smoker would look like. Â A nice crust with a reddish layer of color on the outside. Â The chicken looks moist as well. Â
But that's where it ends. Â The ribs while they looked to have a nice bark to them, was actually ALL BARK down to the bone. Â Usually you might get a crispy layer on the outside, but you are always supposed to have some moist meat on the inside closer to the bone. Â Sorry but it was all crispy and sharp. Â Hard on my stomach. Â Like beef jerky only dryer. Â Like having wood splinters in my belly. Â There was no amount of sauce that could save it. Â
The brisket also was dry like sandpaper. Â A little better than the ribs, but not like a real brisket should be. Â The chicken suffered the same fate, I'm afraid, like chicken that had been sitting in the open air for an hour. Â
The sauces though were pretty good though. Â and the sides were pretty good too. Â But we didn't come for the sides. Â And you can't use the sauce if you can't stomach the meat. Â
Normally I would've asked if they could fix it, but we had already waited long enough and didn't want to wait anymore. Â
It's too bad too because they seem to have great beer specials going on there and a seemingly decent happy hour promotion. Â The beer selection is also decent too. The chef came out and asked us how everything was, I should've told him the truth, but didn't because I didn't think I'd be coming back. Â The combo of service and food quality really turned me off.
I bet it isn't like this when they are busy. Â I've passed by alot after that night and have seen a pretty full parking lot there some nights. Â My wife and I say to each other "I wonder why it's full? Â The food was horrible when we went." Â
I wonder if the owner wasn't there that night and he had a manager looking over everything. Â If so, the manager is not doing a good job watching the staff when the restaurant is slow and taking a "day off". Â
Maybe I'll give it another shot when they are busier to see if there's a difference. Â But for now I'll just stick to Bailey's.
One of the most flavorless BBQ restaurants I have been to. Ordered the Pulled pork sliders that had 0 smoke/bbq flavor at all. Plus the description on the menu is misleading. When it says served with "coleslaw & frizzled onions" realize that the cole slaw and onions are pilled on the sliders and not they side, and they don't add anything to the slider at all. Â I also had the worst order of wings I can remember. They came out dry with no sauce or flavor! Â The spare ribs were some of the toughest and thinnest ribs I have been served. I just don't understand how you can be that far off on a BBQ restaurant staple.
Review Source:First off, I pass by this all the time and didn't really think anything of it till I saw that one of their chefs was featured on food networks chopped and I believe won so that caught my attention. My first experience was good, I always wanted to try the fried green tomatoes since its something I've never had before and I love trying new things out since I consider myself a foodie. It was great and the second time I came I had ribs which were pretty good. I love love the Mac and cheese and the collard greens were too salty for me( don't recommend it).. Other then that its never busy when I go so we always have our waiters full attention lol. Big portions btw but nothing to wow over.
Review Source:Blind boar has a great craft beer selection...I actually sampled a watermelon beer there, no joke!
Ambience is comfortable with intentional southern kitsch.
Our waitress was great and the friendly owner came to the table to introduce himself - very welcoming.
The food is quite good and you get a lot for your money. Very creative and comprehensive menu. Everything (pulled pork, brisket, beans, slaw, mac and cheese) cooked to perfection. The Dr. Pepper bbq ribs were most memorable.
My only suggestion for Wild Boar would be to kick up the heat and spice in the dry rubs and sauces...patrons can handle it and would likely be more satisfied. Also, I think corn bread should be offered free to all tables (ordering food), not an extra that costs extra money. Lastly, I'd like to see a bigger hot sauce selection w/ jalapenos as an option too. For me, bbq can never been too hot.
Otherwise, keep up the good work. We'll be back to try that Graceland Burger.
I have been to the Blind Boar several times for dinner.
This last visit was not for dinner but simply to stop in to have a "first legal" beer with my son for his birthday. Â
The two bartenders are friendly and helpful even providing a couple of small sampler glass of brew for my son and I to try. Â
The bar has an ample selection of draft beers and the patrons were friendly. Â
Nothing like being able to sit and have a couple of beers and share an appetizer with your son on his 21st birthday. Â
My son's only "complaint" was he didn't get "carded".  I told him to shave his beard, take off his Harley Davidson t-shirt  and put a Barney t-shirt next time and maybe he'll get carded.
Where was Gordon Ramsey when you need him. The pulled pork was decent but no BBQ sauce on it. Also had the collard greens a disaster. It was like mush and super salty it Must of sat for days  Others had the chicken fingers were dried out. Wife had shrimp and polenta said it was good. Nice atmosphere . Waitress was attentive at the beginning but dropped out of site when we found her asked for water refills but forgot us . Overall I would go back.
Review Source:My husband and I went and sat at the bar... good beer selection, so that is a plus.
We ordered wings and mac and cheese. The wings were not good. They were dry and dry. The meat was dry and the only way we could tell there was sauce on them was a red smear on the plate. I don't know if they sat under a heat lamp or something... but I'd expect a BBQ place to know how to do wings.
Ugh... the mac and cheese. I see that people have reviewed the mac and cheese as being wonderful, so I don't know if we went on an off night, but their mac and cheese was terrible. It was basically a bechamel, but only a bechamel. There was more nutmeg than cheese, and god do I hate nutmeg. My husband and I both commented "Did they forget to add the cheese?" because it was so strange to get elbow macaroni in a plain bechamel.
Maybe I would like this place more if I also liked country music. Unfortunately, I went for the food, and I won't be back.
I am a macaroni and cheese snob. Â I am obsessed. Â As soon as I see any menu with mac & cheese, I have to get. Â This mac & cheese was phenom! Â It was DELISH! Â I took half of it home and cannot wait to go eat the rest for lunch in an hour.
Last night was my first time here, and I cannot wait to go back. Â I already made plans with my sister and brother-in-law to go back again.
In addition, the country atmosphere was fun ( I love country music) and the server was helpful and funny.
PLEASE NOTE: This review is based on their catering and not their restaurant. Â
I have had their catering a few times that I have been in the area for an event. Â Their chicken and brisket are good, but I really enjoy their pulled pork. Â Their sauce is a nice accompaniment to the pulled pork and even makes the already awesome homemade chips with the seasoning even better.
We were pleasantly surprised at the amazing service after reading others experiences. Â The service was fantastic, from the bartender to the server. Â Both were pleasant and helpful. Â The server was extremely nice when I was redeeming the Yelp coupon for a free dessert. Â She suggested the PB mousse and said if I didn't like she would get me something else! Â Too kind. Â Food was good, fried pickles were great. Â I love the discs, like these were, vs spheres some places serve. Â Baby back ribs were good, as were fries. Â Drinks had a good pour. Â If this weren't so far away, we would definitely be back.
Review Source:Ok we were tempted with a coupon - 20% off
Got there around 7. Â
We were seated right away. Â Waitress came over, handed us menus and took our drink orders. Â
Apparently my menu had been fondled and touched by every person who was in desperate need of a napkin. Â I wanted to douse my hands in bleach when I was done deciding what to order. Â
Waitress came by (she was excellent btw) and took the remainder of our order. Â We ordered some bacon jam thingy and we both ordered ribs. Â
App comes out and we still don't have our drinks. Â Waitress sees that we still don't have our drinks and runs over with water.
Then some mystery woman come over with our drinks. Â
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they might have issues mixing the bar and restaurant. Â Since when are your waitresses not allowed to get drinks from the bar and bring them to the table. Â At first I thought it was just our waitress but it seemed to be all the tables. Â Mystery woman was bringing drinks out to everyone. Â This tells me either they have an issue with employees stealing alcohol to give to tables free of charge or they just don't trust their employees. Â Either way, it makes the waitstaff look incompetent since they have no control over it. Â
Anyway back to the food. Â Bacon jam thingy was ok. Â I've had better. Â It could have been reduced a bit more. Â
Ribs were excellent.
We had a free desert from yelp check in. Â Ordered a desert and had the same issue as the drinks. Â After waiting 30 minutes we told the waitress to cancel it. Â
They need one of these restaurant reality shows to come in and set them straight.
I am a college student on spring break. Woke up at 1pm and went on grubhub to check restaurants that I haven't tried yet and this place had no minimum so I thought I'd give it a try.
TERRIBLE DECISION
I don't want to be picky or anything, but when I ordered my burger medium rare, I was not expecting it to be burnt black (a step above well done......). Also, the burger was a burger and by this I mean
bun + patty + bun
If the burger at least tasted okay, I wouldn't have been so pissed off, but who the hell likes eating burnt shit? Don't even get me started on the fries, just know that I always finish my fries, but today, I did not.
Should've just ordered Golden Garden my local chinese delivery. Would've saved $5, had my food quicker, and would've not have to write a yelp review.
Nice try, morons. Mex/Irish didn't work. An overpriced steakhouse didn't work (got food poisoning there BTW). And this pathetic attempt at barbecue fails miserably as well.
Crappy menu choices, ribs that were drier than dry, and Kraft-quality mac n cheese. It literally tasted like it came straight from a box. That's really all I care to remember from this place. That and a douchy metrosexual bartender who just laid down a shitty brownie sundae and left our table without saying a word. Fuck you guys. You make Finks in Dumont seem like a 5 star establishment in comparison.
Best bar-b-que I've had in a long time. And my only complaint is with the service. Â We were seated and waited about 15 minutes and then I had to get someone's attention to get some service.
We ordered an appetizer of b-b-q nachos which were delicious. Â I had the pulled pork platter and the collard greens with hamhocks. Â Also the arrogant bastard beer. Â My brother had the ribs and shrimp platter with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Â He thought the potatoes were very good but I thought they were so-so. Â My sister-in-law ordered a salad because of the appetizer and asked for the dressing on the side but got her salad with the dressing already on it.
I would definitely recommend this place and I hope to go back but I think you need to be aware of service here.
Had a very enjoyable meal here. The pulled pork and pulled brisket hit the spot. The sides (collards and mac & cheese) were good too. Â Brisket chili was a perfect appetizer. Â Lots of beer on tap. Â A large open room - they even have a fireplace. Â Fun, casual, a big plate of food and good drinks. Â My kind of place.
Review Source:Decent BBQ, After seeing Mr. Lippin on chopped, I expected. I had the ribs, and pulled pork, To me it seems that many BBQ places up north are afraid of the smoke. slight smoke ring, but tender.
This was jose o'reilly's and it still looks like it. I have a feeling porterhouse is still involved someway but I am speculating.
I will go back to try some of thier other offerings but so far it's rather average for the cuisine. above average for the region.
They still pour a good pint of Guinness and have a well stocked bar.
My wife and I ate here on 11/28 because we had a LivingSocial coupon. Â I was concerned because most of the recent reviews were negative, but we found nothing to complain about. Â The food was very nice (I had the Dr. Pepper baby back ribs, and my wife had a bbq pulled chicken sandwich), and the service quick but not overbearing (1 hour from sitting down to leaving after dessert). Â We have had lots of bbq in the south, and this was a pretty decent New Jersey imitation of it.
Review Source:Oh dear. Â I must learn my lesson with buying Groupons and LivingSocial Deals for restaurants! Â I bought my meat-lover-living-in-a-house-full-of-vegetarians Dad a deal for his birthday buuut, before I got a chance to give it to him, I ate it.
We're broke, we wanted to go out, we watched some Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives episode that revolved around BBQ...I don't know how it happened, OK? Â The point is, we ended up here with a hijacked Deal.
Yawn. Â God, I'm bored just writing this review, if that's any indication to you as to how I felt about this place. Â First of all, we came on a Friday night, expecting it to be packed. Â There was ONE table besides us in the whole place and it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Â They had low country music playing ...it was a pretty sleepy vibe for a Friday evening.
The service was bad. Â For example, I ordered a beer, he forgot to get it, we asked for it, halfway through our meal he came back to tell us it would be a few minutes because the tap wasn't ready (bad sign), we told him to forget it, 15 minutes later he brought it over ANYWAY but we still got charged for it. Â Need another example? Â I asked for an appetizer of fried pickles as a side and instead received 4 pickle chips, like the ones that come on a burger. Â Ehhh! Â Wrong answer, my friend. Â He was friendly, but not sure of the menu, the timing, the availability of the beer selection...oof. Â Everything was like pullin' teeth.
And here's a quick snapshot of the food stitch (if you still care): the fried green tomatoes (which I was really looking forward to) were heavily fried and lackluster in flavor. Â My girlfriend said the actual BBQ was good, which I guess is important to mention, since this IS a BBQ place after all. Â My Cobb salad was good, but drenched in dressing, rendering it pretty inedible after I was done picking out the pieces that had narrowly escaped the flood. Â The sides (another thing I was looking forward to) were just OK. Â Skipped dessert.
Meh. Â Meh, meh, meh. Â Yawn.
Worst BBQ ever! Â Longest wait I ever had to endure for a really cold meal. Â I ordered the Dr Pepper Ribs with fries and chips. The fries were the best part of the meal, I'm not joking. The ribs were so cold that the sauce harden. Â The only reason I didn't send this poor excuse for a meal back was, I waited an hour and twenty for it and skipped lunch and breakfast that day. Â The ribs had no flavor, they were fatty, and riddled with bone fragments. Â The chips were over seasoned, and the soda was flat. Â I'm giving it two stars cause I felt bad for my server who was severely overwhelmed, and fries were delicious.
Review Source:5 stars for unexpectedly yummy nachos on the pub fare menu.
Walked in for a pint and ordered nachos (although they didn't sound appetizing, and I mean, come on it's a bar and its 11:30pm, but my friends were demanding.)
These babies were TASTY. Â A tad sweet because they use baked beans (I think), and then they add barbecued beef?pork?
Sounds a little strange? Â Maybe. Â But TASTY. Â Yes!
Tried to eat here but after being seated outside we waited 30 minutes without seeing our server. We left without ordering and as we were leaving we bumped into the hostess. We told her we were leaving and explained that no one had seen to us. Her sarcastic response was "that's not very nice is it" and she walked off as if we were inconveniencing her.
Shocking service.
I hate to slam this place. Â It's sooooo close to my house. Â I desperately want there to be really good BBQ close to my house. Â I liked this restaurants when it was previously the Porterhouse Grill, although it never really caught on.
But it sucks. Â I'm sorry, it just does. Â The seasoning is wrong, the meat is bland. Â And it's EXPENSIVE. Â It's just bad BBQ. Â I do better in my backyard.
I just can't recommend. Â Drive an extra 10 minutes to Blauvelt, NY and go to Bailey's Smokehouse instead.
Good barbecue, but whither Jay Lippin?
We've been to the Blind Boar twice, largely due to the huge outdoor patio seating and the fact that they have Arrogant Bastard Ale on tap.
Pulled pork sandwich is very good -- not at all fatty, nice but not overpowering smoky taste. Â A bit lighter on the sauce than I like, but very good. Â But why put it on an Arnold's sesame hamburger bun? Â With Rockland Bakery not that far away, why not spring for a decent roll?
KILLER baked beans. Â First trip to the Blind Boar, they were loaded up with meat and tender beans. Â Second time they were still wonderfully flavorful, but more shredded meat than chunks, and more of a consistency of refried beans. Â Maybe they'd been sitting around a while?
Perfect collard greens -- little bits of ham hock, just a touch of vinegar, and some real heat.
Jerk wings aren't real jerk wings, but they are tasty and spicy -- nice for those who like a spicy wing without the mess of buffalo wings.
Brisket grilled cheese is great too.
I just read today that Jay Lippin has jumped ship, so who knows what will happen to this place. Â Hopefully he's trained the apprentices well. Â Bailey's went way downhill when Dave Finkelstein decamped for other pastures; I hope this place doesn't do the same. Â These 'cue guys seem to be as fickle as a young hedge fund manager with a Porsche. Â As long as they keep the food tasty and the craft beers on tap, we'll keep going back.
Cool place to grab a drink - BBQ is OK.
Stopped by here last night - the place was pretty busy. The place has a cool vibe, and the bartenders were very friendly and attentive.
Grabbed dinner - Fried Pickle appetizer was tasty - I had the Grilled Pork Loin with Apple Chutney entree - it was ok, a bit salty. The mashed potatoes were good. My friend had the Pulled Pork Sandwich - it was a bit dry.
I would come here again for a drink, but I think I will pass on the food - it was OK, but nothing special.
Oh - BTW - I came across this place while searching for a bar with darts on Yelp....they have one dart board, but, it wasn't in a great place to play a game of darts, so, if you are looking for a dart bar, this probably isn't the place.
Checked out this place with a co-worker and was not overly impressed. It is just ok. I don't know why they opened up a BBQ place with Bailey's Smokehouse right down the road. Bailey's does such a great job, I don't know why anyone would bother with this place since it is just OK.
They have some really good fried pickles but if you are in the mood for some good meat there are better options out there as mentioned above.
Really good. I had the bacon jam appetizer. Very different and tasty. For the main course I had pulled pork, ribs and brisket. Everything was tender and juicy. Delicious. Definitely an itis meal. Oh decent Mac & cheese and okay brownie sundae. They layout and decor is very fun and cool. I'll come back in the summer to eat on the patio.
Review Source:Having eaten at BBQ places up and down the east coast and out in California, I would say that Blind Boar is squarely in the upper middle. The fried green tomatoes were good but a little over breaded. Â The brisket was very tasty and the sauce did it justice. Â We were pleased with the Dr Pepper baby back ribs, which fell off the bone. Â The collard greens with ham hocks were. The cole slaw was a bit too watery and under seasoned. It's not Baileys Smokehouse, which is nearby, but it's good.
Review Source:I really wanted to like this place.
We started with fried pickle chips, a wedge salad, and calamari.
The chips were very heavily battered and fried. I could hardly taste the pickle inside at all.
The wedge salad was quite good. It used a small wedge of iceburg cut into fours, with great candied pecans complimenting the blue cheese and bacon.
The calamari seemed quite odd: the fried batter kept falling off in large pieces, suggesting that it had possibly been premade (but I don't know if it was). Overall, the dish was passable.
We were presented with two barbecue sauces: BBQ and Sweet BBQ. The only thing I could say about them was that "The regular was better."
For entree, I got the Dr. Pepper ribs, they were alright, but certainly not fall-off-the bone tender. The sauce with it was alright.
Another I was with got the pulled pork sandwich. She didn't seem to like it too much and thought that the sauce was more akin to a tomato paste.
The last of our party got some sort of sandwich (i cant find an online menu to say which one it was). He loved it.
The decor was great, and made me want to like this place. I hope that it improves and I can come back and love it.
If 2 1/2 stars were an option that would be my real rating. This place has a lot of potential but needs work in execution. The wait staff is quite friendly but at times a bit clueless. When appetizers are delivered (especially nachos) you shouldn't have to ask for plates. Then when the plates appear there should be enough for everyone at the table. I did appreciate that the waitress came over twice to clarify what I ordered, if not I would have received something totally different.
Fried Green Tomatoes - Well cooked and very good remoulade. The only issue was that the slices were way to thick so the tomatoes were harder then they should have been
BBQ nachos - I didn't try, but those who did said they were excellent.
Mac & Cheese w/pulled pork - Needs some tweaks. Would have loved a different pasta then the expected elbow. The sauce was good but a bit bland. I enjoyed the pulled pork mixed in with it. Portion size was more than enough but for the price I actually expected to have enough for 2 more meals.
Others shared various bbq platters. Mixed reviews on the brisket. Some pieces were almost all fat while others were just right. My husband said the flavor was good but it could have used a bit more smoke. BBQ chicken was very tasty with right amount of smoke. The ribs looked great and everyone who tasted really enjoyed. The cornbread was perfectly cooked.
Desserts: Pecan bread pudding was yummy (and I'm not a fan of pecans) and the banana pudding was excellent. However the portion sizes are all over the place and the prices don't makes sense for what you get.
We were pumped to have BBQ at this new place although we were disappointed that the porter house had closed down! Â I was sad to learn that their ribs were not tender and that their BBQ sauces were nothing special ( the two most important parts of BBQ in my opinion). Â Also the decor is over the top and smells like hay due to the hay placed throughout!
Review Source:This is the third restaurant in Bergen County where Jay Lippin is manning the helm and executing his barbecue. Â
Blind Boar Bbq is located in the former Porter House which for many years was the home of Cormacks.
There is a very large outdoor eating area. Â Unfortunately, you can't bring your dog. Â :-(
No fresh brewed iced tea. Â :-(
We began with fried green tomato appetizer. Â Five perfectly fried slices with a drizzle of remoulade over shredded iceberg lettuce. Â Perfect.
Wife got the Graceland Burger. Â It was listed as having pimento cheese, a favorite of hers, but the mushiness of the burger, the excess mayo and the overly soft bun prevented her from actually tasting the pimento cheese. It was just a big mushy mess of a burger.
The menu states that I can get the Memphis style dry rubbed ribs as a half or whole rack but I was told that it was a misprint. Â You can only get the whole rack. Â So, I did. Â It comes with two sides. Â I went with cole slaw and onion strings. Â The ribs were just okay. Â The dry rub wasn't quite the same as how he was doing them in his previous locations. Â The onion strings were heavily over seasoned and the cole slaw a bit too wet.
Since I checked in via Yelp I was awarded free dessert. Â Wife selected the banana pudding pie. Â It was delicious. Â Luckily, I didn't pay because I thought it was very overpriced at $8 for that portion size.
Service was excellent.
I would return and hope to see this place develop into a 4 or 5 star establishment in a few months.