TJ Ribs

2324 South Acadian Thruway
225.383.7427

6330 Siegen Lane
225.291.8100

http://www.tjribs.com

Cuisine Rouge Rating:

4 plates

by:  Chad
Since the late 1980’s it has been nearly impossible to be in Baton Rouge and think of ribs without thinking of those two letters – TJ.  Thomas “T.J.” Moran, isn’t a Baton Rouge native, but adopted the city as his own, and quickly became one of its most hardcore LSU fans.  When he first decided to venture into a restaurant specializing in ribs, spare ribs were the typical offering.  However, TJ decided upon babyback ribs which were considered something of a novelty at that time.  Today of course, this is their most well known and best selling dish.

Walking into the original location on Acadian Thruway is like stepping into an LSU museum.  Tons of LSU memorabilia are displayed, the highlight of which is Billy Cannon’s 1959 Heisman trophy, a must see for any true LSU fan.  I visited the new location on Siegen Lane with my family, which based on the constant flow of non-stop business at the original site, seemed to be a long time coming.

We arrived right at prime time on a Saturday night, but were seated immediately, thanks to the spaciousness of this venue.  I was surprised to learn from our server that they offer a selection of thirty beers on tap.  Call me crazy, but you can’t have barbecue without beer.  It’s like Christmas without Santa.

Speaking of barbecue, you will get some hardcore purists that will tell you this is not true barbecue.  Sure, it isn’t completely cooked over a wood fired pit for hours and hours, but you have to consider how much volume these guys do.  Their cooking method is multi-dimensional using dry rubs, marinades, roasting, and then finishing by grilling.

They offer your typical fare of appetizers, spinach dip, chicken wings, stuffed mushrooms, nachos, etc.  We opted for their take on chimichangas, where they fill flour tortillas with chopped barbecued beef and deep fry them.  Served with their own barbecue sauce, these are tasty and a nice intro to the items to follow.

The menu offers a fairly diverse selection from which to choose.  If you aren’t into pork or barbecue, there are burgers, pastas, salads, and several seafood choices including king crab legs, my choice if I ever develop an allergy to red meat or pork.

I ordered the babyback ribs with a baked potato, my wife ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the little guy got his standard, mac and cheese.  The ribs were good as always, cooked perfectly and very tender, with meat coming easily off the bone.  They lack a strong smoky flavor which some enjoy, but I found them to be tasty.  As simple as the baked potato is, I have found some places will either not bake it long enough, or they only give you enough toppings for a few bites.  This wasn’t the case here, as the potato was spot on, cooked thoroughly and loaded up with all the standard toppings.  My wife enjoyed the sandwich, but said it could have used more sauce, given the dryness of the meat.  Since you are provided with sauce on the table, this is a non-issue.  It’s much easier to add sauce than to remove it, so the sandwich as served seemed logical to me.

The mac and cheese my son had was obviously straight out of the box, served with some smiley faced fries.  Not necessarily a bad thing, since he seemed to like it just fine.  The only way I would consider this offensive would have been if they offered the same food as a side on the standard menu.

There was no room for dessert, although the selections were tempting.   All are fairly straightforward items, nothing exotic or unusual, but solid choices, including crème brulee, bread pudding, a brownie ice cream sandwich, cheesecake, and more.

Service was good, as I would expect, given the fact that the staff likely all got trained at the original location, where things are non-stop busy at all times.  In conclusion, this is a good place to get ribs, and a great place to take an out of town friend who loves LSU sports.  I wouldn’t go as far as to call it the best barbecue in town, and I dare say you can find ribs just as good at a few other spots.  But if you’re craving ribs and don’t want to take chances, rely upon this Baton Rouge institution.