Art of Barbecue? A Review of Blues, the Corporate BBQ Shop at OSU

The day before yesterday, Tracy and I ventured out of our new digs in the city of Columbus and, since our kitchen was still all boxed up, we hit the sidewalk looking for a place to eat. After a good while hoofing it on High Street, we popped into a place called Blues: the art of Barbecue. On every table was a pamphlet explaining that Blues was opened up as a chain of restaurants last year by an outfit called DKL Enterprises. The pamphlet boasts of:

• “trademark blue walls” (they were actually painted black)
• “foot stomping beats” of “premiere blues artists who put Chicago, New Orleans, and Memphis on the map…. Blues brings out the soul in everyone.” (the music coming out of the speakers was your standard Green Day variety of angsty white college boy music.)

OK, so the decor department, the music department, and the English majors on staff clearly haven’t gotten together for a sit-down meeting yet. But none of that matters if the food is done right.

I said “if.” I ordered a plate of rib tips, which are described as “cooked with our special sauce, which has a delicate flavor of molasses.” What I got was pork that had clearly been cooked without the sauce; instead, the sauce had been splorched on top of the already-cooked meat at the last minute. I can do that at home with a loin chop and ketchup. I also ordered potato wedges as a side dish. What I got was a set of curly fries that were limp from sitting under a heat lamp all afternoon.

Tracy ordered the pulled barbecue sandwich, which was described as an “authentic” pulled “down home” treat of the South in the table pamphlet. But the first words out of Tracy’s mouth were “I’ve had better in Carolina; this isn’t right.”

We should have guessed we were in for a less-than-stellar experience when we walked into the eatery, placed strategically across the street from the OSU campus, and found it to be completely devoid of customers. But we felt inclined to give it a try; suffice it to say we won’t try again.

Before you feel a twinge of pity for Blues, remind yourself that this is a corporate operation, one that dedicates a fair space in its tabletop pamphlet to reminding visitors of the possibility for corporate catering. The next time you’re in Columbus, Ohio, and you’re in the mood for corporate food, do like we did and step into Blues. If you’re in the mood for something a little less plastic, walk on by that door.