City BBQ (first visit)

City BBQ

The sign for this place popped up a few months back and I know everyone in the Kalamazoo/Portage region was waiting in anticipation.
I have been driving by periodically waiting for the “In training” sign to come down, and today was the day!!
I walked up to order and was overwhelmed by all the choices. I went with my staple; pulled pork sandwich, fries, and a drink. Since it was “Rib Bone Tuesday” I ordered one rib bone to test out. When my food arrived I found a table and grabbed four out of five of their sauces; Brush Fire (spicy), Lowco (mustard), Sweet City (sweet), and Original.  Being a huge fry lover I had to try the fries first. These hand-cut fries were good, crispy, and unseasoned which surprised me, but at the same time, I was thankful they weren’t over-seasoned.
My pulled pork sandwich was loaded with pulled pork which was very moist. I cut my pulled pork in quarters so I could enjoy it with each of the sauces. The Brush Fire had a nice kick to it. I can handle medium heat, and this sauce did not bother me, but it did clear some sinuses. The sweet and original were my favorite sauces. I tried the mustard and it was ok, I most likely won’t try it again, except to try it on something different. 

There were a couple of things I did not like about the sandwich. 
1.     The bun was generic. There was nothing special about it. The bun lacked flavor, I would've rather had a Mcdonald's hamburger bun. With a better bun, CB would have a better sandwich! 
2.     As I was eating the pulled pork, sections of my sandwich were very salty. I thought maybe it was the sauce but it wasn’t. I did not taste the salt in every bite but when I did it was very noticeable.
My rib bone was very meaty, and tender, and had a nice smoky taste. The rib bone was so tasty,  I ended up buying six bones to go.
A good friend brought me some of CB's banana pudding. I think I have been spoiled by the real thing so it was just mediocre to me. Honestly, I would not buy that dessert.  I am sure someone that hasn't had homemade banana pudding will enjoy this.
Due to Covid, I know they will have to change some things. All of their real silverware was in cylinders and can be touched by everyone. If a person grabs a fork, they may touch the handles of multiple forks. Also, the squeeze bottles of BBQ. There were only 7 bottles to share for the whole restaurant. After I got my sauce and silverware I went to the restroom and washed my hands. You may say I’m overreacting, there are plenty of things multiple people touch, and I would agree with you. Most of those things do not involve me eating directly after.
Overall, City BBQ is worth multiple visits!! I can’t wait to go back…I think I’ll go tomorrow!

View the menu here: City BBQ