Dan's Papers - October 3, 2008 - BBQ Bill's Famous Texan Barbecue

Many barbecue restaurants really should be called joints because they are so very basic and maybe that does add to the atmosphere but there still is a lot to be said for good, imaginative décor, decent tables and lots of plates and proper knives and forks. Barbecue Bill's meets all of these needs, while never compromising on the authenticity of the cooking. Doug Cress and his partner Bill Winkleman have created a fun, family friendly restaurant in the center of Greenport that also offers some great water views from the upstairs tables.

Doug is proud of the fact that virtually everything here is made from scratch using fresh, high-quality ingredients, and many of the recipes are of his own devising. It was hard to resist his invitation to sit back and enjoy his selections, and the smoked wings with a blue cheese sauce had lots of meat, lots of taste and made for lots of finger licking. This continued with the heaping portion of onion straws and the delicious BBQ shrimp that were cooked in their shells for deeper flavors. You could easily go wild on the appetizers but portions are large and the real reason for coming is to try some great barbecue dishes.

The menu is exhaustive, but if there are four or more of you I would strongly recommend tackling the correctly named 'Pig Out Platter; For $100 you will get a gigantic amount of smoked brisket that was tender and juicy, hand pulled pork that had exactly the right balance of flavors, a full rack of ribs - take your choice from St. Louis or the more delicate baby back style. Then you find a whole barbecue chicken, glistening and moist and flavorful. Moving around the plate the spicy sausage links were meaty and had just the right amount of tanginess. When you add to these delights creamy coleslaw, crispy fries, some delectable melt in the mouth corn bread and Billy's special BBQ beans that again showed how much care had gone even into this humble dish to make it the best could be and the result was first class.

Going back a little, Doug, one of the most engaging and enthusiastic of restaurateurs you will ever come across, insisted that we try his special chicken and rice soup. We were glad that he did because the soup was a fragrant medley of rich fresh stock, perfectly cooked rice and pieces of white chicken meat. Altogether this added up to a chicken soup that was without doubt among the best ever. If it is on the menu when you visit, make sure that you try this because it was a very special soup.

Returning to the main menu, there is something for all tastes from burgers, to wraps to all of the barbecue main courses - for something very different try the 'Chile Frito Pie' a real fun dish. If you are not a carnivore there is always grilled salmon or shrimp or an old time classic mac and cheese that has earned a great reputation.

No one had any room even to enquire about the desserts but for the record these include apple pie, cheesecake, peanut butter pie and so on.

There is a short wine list, but frankly, for me, barbecue is designed for beer or vice versa and they have some great beers of differing styles to enjoy

I have to come back to my theme of 'honest' food, which for me is so important. Here at BBQ Bill's you can enjoy real honest food. I am not going to be drawn into a discussion on the merits of the various types of Southern barbecue but all I can say is that overall this meal ranked with the best barbecues we have enjoyed. A lot of care goes into the preparation from the rubbing and spicing and the long slow cooking - six hours for the ribs and fourteen for the pulled pork and the selection of the blends of fruitwood and oak for the smoking is taken a seriously as a wine make does his grape selection for blends.

This restaurant is another reason why, even out of season, a trip to Greenport is so worthwhile. They intend to keep open until the end of the year but as with all restaurants at this time of year it is always best to call ahead to confirm opening days and hours.

Finally, where else can you enjoy watching classic Lionel trains running on track around the downstairs dining room? I will bet that you have never eaten BBQ while the stuffed head of a deer talks to you and sings. The kids love it but if you are drinking at the bar upstairs and it starts up it could give you one hell of a shock and make you sign the pledge of abstinence!