Tail O'the Pup

We love BBQ so we saw this on our way into the area and made a point to stop by on out week vacation. Tuesday night, great weather, live music that was being played at a pleasant level.

We were seated right away and allowed to move our seats to get a good spot for our 1 year old.  Since it was the end of the season the crowd was not that significant.  However they seemed to not learn how to pace their customers when it's not too busy.  I felt a bit rushed and we had no reason to be.  The ribs were really good.  They had good smoke flavor and the BBQ sauce on top was nice and caremelized.  They left the silver skin on the bottle of their baby backs.  I don't mind it but some people swear by removing it.  You make the choice here whether it's a good or bad thing.

The sides were pretty generic.  They served little side dishes of (choice of 2) Baked Beans, salad, coleslaw, potato salad, mac salad, mac and cheese, etc... I had baked beans and cornbread.  They were both good.  My son enjoyed eating them with me.

While the meal was good I would say it's a small step up from a place like Chili's or TGI Fridays.  The environment is their strength.   It was really nice to sit on picnic benches outside with live music.  My advice would be to let the customer enjoy that experience by putting the food out in intervals, allowing one to notice the difference betweek getting your drink, followed by course one, and then course two after the first course is complete and cleared from the table.  Perhaps even take a second drink order before the main course comes out.

I stop here once a year during one of the town's busiest weekends of the season. We always go on a Sunday evening with a large crowd of around 30 people. This is an ideal place for a large group because of the abundant outdoor seating. There are rows of huge red picnic tables under large tents and plenty of gas patio heaters allow for comfortable dining.

The food is nothing too special. As a matter of fact, I've noticed a decline in the quality and portion sizes over the course of the many years that I've been visiting. Regardless, we go every year and always have a great time at the Tail O'the Pup. The menu has everything you'd expect at a BBQ joint. They also serve pitchers of margaritas and beer. Fortunately we are never in too much of a hurry while we are there, so long wait times aren't an issue (as long as the pitchers keep coming!). The place was packed to capacity at the time we arrived and the servers were working their butts off. All things considered, our food came out in a reasonable timeframe.

Overall decent food, though a little overpriced considering the portion sizes. Perfect place for a large crowd on a summer night. Fun atmosphere with a band playing on the stage. We'll be back next year.

Pulled pork sandwich was excellent!  I got it take out so can't speak for the service other than they were friendly and fast when I came in at closing time...