The Ribulator, Entry #30: Grady’s BBQ, Farmville, VA
After a nice afternoon in Charlottesville, our taste for barbecue only whetted by Jinx’s, Mr. Blue, Mr. Red and I high tailed it down to Farmville, VA. We had a gig there that night, and after showing up at the venue, we dropped off our gear and asked if there was a decent barbecue place in town. We were directed to Grady’s BBQ, the ONLY barbecue place in town, but hey, that’s a start.
We found the place with no trouble and followed the signs from the parking lot, past the smokers out front, to the entrance of the building, which I believe was once an ol’ bank.
We walked into a large, empty lobby and spotted the entrance to Grady’s across the way. We walked in and although it was Saturday evening, I was surprised to see that the place was pretty dead. We had a seat and checked out the menu. We ended up ordering a mess of food for all of us to split: A pound of pulled pork, a rack of ribs, plus sides of beans and mac and cheese, which was also served with buns and cole slaw.
Grady’s was a great place, mellow and low key. The young woman working there was very friendly, and the food respectable, although not sublime. The pulled pork was good, but a stark contrast from that we had at Jinx’s in Charlottesville that afternoon. It was shredded much finer and drier. It was good, but benefited from sauce in a way that Jinx’s did not. As for the ribs, again maybe not the best I have ever had, but totally tasty, well done, savory, juicy, nicely smoked ribs. They were advertised as Memphis style with a dry rub.
We ate our fill, and still had to take a box of left overs with us. I was glad that Mr. Blue and Mr. Red seemed pleased as well:
I would like to mention that I had a great time in Farmville, and we were shown a great time by Wes, the proprietor of a new venue called the Mad Hatter where we played that night, for their opening night. We had a great time at the show, and maybe even a better time out on his farm, staying up too late playing music and hanging out with the horses under the stars.
Late at night, after drinking too much corn whiskey, I made a sandwich with the Grady’s leftovers, and it tasted all the sweeter, closer to sublime.
As for the ribulation, I had 5 Grady’s ribs, bringing the count to 138 ribs in the Year of the Pig.
Fun weekend, indeed, and I second the shout out to Wes for his awesomeness. I think I would rate the food at Grady’s even lower than you (I didn’t have any ribs, though…). But I agree that they were all very nice and the place felt good. (BTW, I think it was a hotel, not a bank.)
Hey, glad to see you enjoyed your stay in Farmville. Love the pix of your Grady’s meal! Farmville’s really changing quickly, and both Grady’s and The Mad Hatter have been welcome additions to the entertainment possibilities here.
If you’re ever in town again, you can check out more eating and entertainment options at our new online directory, The Farmville Directory: http://www.farmvilledirectory.com. We’re trying to give everyone access to the new things happening in “FarmVegas.”