For what it is -- a Texas style BBQ place on a boardwalk in New Jersey -- it's decent. For us, with all the places selling the same sitting-out-all-day-in-the-hot-sun cheap pizza, hoagies, and burgers, it was a welcome change of pace. Plus, after spending a few hours on the beach & in the water, we were starving. The A/C, ceiling fans, and iced tea felt SO good after roasting that long in 90 degree heat. Plus, they actually asked me if I wanted sweet or unsweet tea -- something I'm only used to in the South or SW!
As for the other (first) review, if Texas as a state is deserving of only one star, then praytell, why is it that more and more people from New York State are retiring there every day? To diss Texas and therefore a Texas style BBQ joint in the same sentence is enough to discredit an entire review as being ignorant without even getting past the first line:
- Boyd's Texas BBQ is owned and run by a *Cape May native* in *NJ*
- Buffalo chicken wings are not Texas BBQ
Boyd's does advertise that their BBQ is slow smoked over mesquite. I don't know where they do this, but the best Texas BBQ is 'cued on site and outdoors in big pit smokers. So the BBQ here isn't fall-off-the-bone like they lead you to believe, but it does have good flavor. The brisket was really lean and a little tough. I had the combo with mesquite-smoked Texas sausage...which did taste like true Central Texas sausage except for the bites with fennel seed (those bites tasted a bit like Italian sausage). The boy additionally ordered the ribs, which also were a little chewy.
The plates came with two sides -- I had the mac & cheese (it was the runny, cheesy kind) and green beans. The boy had the corn medley and homemade Texas style spicy baked beans. All dishes reminded me of a school cafeteria's versions...but the beans were not actually spicy -- they looked like Texas pinto/borracho beans, but were made more in the sweet baked beans style.
Texas BBQ always comes with pickles, onions, white bread, and BBQ sauce on the side. Boyd's BBQ comes with:
- a couple of thick slices of garlic dill pickles (yum)
- thin slices of some really sweet white onion (yum x2; I should have asked for more pickles & onions!)
- a little cornbread muffin (northern, sweet style -- not the Texas kind)
- BBQ sauce on the table (authentic Texas style sauce, tangy and peppery)
Eating the BBQ together with the sauce and the pickles and onions (and a good drizzlin' of hot sauce, also found on the table) really hit the spot actually. The flavors together reminded me of home. The white bread, if they'd offered it, would have probably just made me too full.
It's all about expectations; Texas BBQ outside of Texas is rarely stellar. The fennel in the sausage and the brown sugar in the borracho beans were definitely New Jersey tinges to an otherwise decently authentic Texas meal. But it was reasonably priced (my combo plate was only $11.99!), and it was a lot better than the fast food crap elsewhere on the boardwalk. Above all, it did its job as comfort food.
As for the wait service, our waitress wasn't slow at all; we also got plenty of napkins automatically given to us in addition to the one wrapped around our silverware. If you need more napkins, they do ask you if you need anything else -- this would be your perfect opportunity to ask for more. read more