Mami-Eggroll: SlowBones Modern BBQ in Burlington

When I first started working in Burlington, there was barely any decent places to grab lunch or dinner. I used to envy my friends that worked in Boston who tried out new restaurants on the regular.

Fast forward eight years later, there are too many new places to try and even more to look forward to. (Be on the look out for my review of Tuscan Kitchen, Del Frisco Grille, Noodles & Company and Wegmans Summer/Fall 2014) One of the perks of being in lighting is being able to see the plans for new business, shops and restaurants before they are even built.

Wayside Commons has come a long way with the opening of Capital Grille, Bonefish Grill, Seasons 52 and PotBelly sandwich shop within the last year. I have to admit, I kind of miss the Ginger Pad which now houses Bonefish.

Third Ave. in Burlington is coming along quickly with the fancy supermarket, King's bowling alley (that caught on fire) and other shops and restaurants. One of my distributors in the Middlesex Turnpike area was blown away how fast the construction was happening.

Of course there is Tavern in the Square that just opened less than two years ago in New England Executive park. Before then, my coworkers and I would eat in the "cafeteria-style" eatery at the office park, Rebecca's but now we occasionally host work events at "TITS" or even just go there to grab a few cold ones after work.

Across the way, there is Chipotle, Starbucks, B.Good, Clover, Yeh! (Froyo and Coffee) and of course, SlowBones Modern BBQ. Parking is always tough and the design of the lot is horrible. There is only one way in and one way out which creates the bottleneck effect.

My coworker and I headed over to the "modern" BBQ joint right after the lunch rush around 1:00 PM. We walked into the restaurant and there were a few tables of people eating, some were in scrubs; I assume they work at Lahey hospital down the road. The restaurant was indeed modern and wood beams and boards covered the walls, ceilings and table tops.

The restaurant is set up similar to most other lunch spots in the area; you place your order, grab drinks and condiments, find a seat and they call your name once your food is ready. We studied the menu board hung above the counter and was going to get pulled pork sandwiches. The sandwiches were available on a roll, naan bread or even wrapped with lettuce. I thought that was so cool!

Once we saw the savory sides when we arrived at the glass display, we quickly changed our minds and each got a combo platter that included 2 sides. There was mashed potatoes, whipped sweet potatoes, corn bread, panko crusted mac and cheese, beans, slaw...the list goes on!

SlowBones side dishes

We found a table for two near the window and waited less than 5 minutes before our names were called.

I settled for the BBQ Sampler plate that came with brisket, 2 ribs, 1/4 chicken and 2 sides. I went with the mac and cheese and corn bread. For the brisket, I had the option of sliced brisket or Chopped BBQ braised brisket and chose the later.

SlowBones BBQ Sampler Plate $ 15.95

I liked the idea of the naan wrap so I asked for an additional naan bread for a little over a buck. The bread was soft and warm. I pulled it into halves and stuffed it with the chopped BBQ brisket and rolled it up. The naan was probably better than most of the naan breads that I've had at other Indian restaurants. The brisket was sweet and tender. The "wrap" was absolutely delicious and I'd definitely go there again and just eat that.

The pork ribs was not as tender as the brisket. Matter of fact, it took a bit of work to pull the meat from the bones. It was not my favorite.

My coworker got a similar meal and went with the chicken and rib combo. We both liked the corn bread as there were whole corn kernels cooked inside of it. The mac and cheese had a little bit of a spicy kick to it. It was creamy, rich and lovely.