Dixie Bones, Woodbridge

[jparrott]

Dixie Bones is poor and overpriced.

[Chris Cunningham]

I have to admit, I used to be a fan of Dixie Bones, but the quality has dropped dramatically. They do have great, homeade pies that are worthy of a sugar fix.

[The Doctor]

Dixie Bones ain't the greatest BBQ in the area, but it's not without its charms. I mean, where else are you going to get the self advertised "sunday after church BBQ buffet?" Things like that, combined with the table service, give you a bit of the old south nostalgia feel. It's a family-owned operation.

They're also the only place around here that I've seen feature the white Alabama BBQ sauce. But most of the sides, with the exception of their muddy spuds, were disappointing, almost memorably so. The potato salad, cole slaw, and beans were pretty sub-standard when I went two weeks ago. The pies and meats were good, though.

I'll definitely go back next time I go down to the mall. Hopefully I'll fare better with the collard greens or mac and cheese. And I didn't get a chance to try the ribs.

[jparrott]

The pulled pork is over-sauced (oops, make that un-sauced). The ribs are vapid. The brisket is dry, and thus, is too thinly sliced. And a sampler plate, IIRC, was like 12 or 13 bucks. That's a lot for BBQ, especially technically poor BBQ, and their site is not an excuse--because the site detracts from their ability to do good Q.

Edit: To remove misstatement. Further discussion downthread.

[The Doctor]

The pulled pork is over-sauced.

Could you define "over-sauced?" One of the items I had was the pulled pork and it wasn't sauced at all. It seemed just that -- pulled pork right off the shoulder. Are you saying it is too moist or what?

[jparrott]

Sorry. I must have been thinking of another joint. But unsauced pulled pork is also an error.

[The Doctor]

Sorry.  I must have been thinking of another joint.  But unsauced pulled pork is also an error.

Yeah, I'm not sure what it was supposed to be. I really don't know anything about Alabama BBQ other than what I've read on the internet. But the chicken was good. I'm not recommending anyone make a trip down there for this. When I finally make it to Famous Dave's I'll post a follow up for comparison.

[wacky2]

Chubby's, above Thurmont, MD on rte. 15 better, but even more expensive, for sandwiches at least...Anyone tried the buffet at Dixie Bones on Sun.?

[wineitup]

I'm not a fan of their ribs.

[johnb]

Chubby's, above Thurmont, MD on rte. 15 better, but even more expensive, for sandwiches at least...Anyone tried the buffet at Dixie Bones on Sun.?

I'm not impressed with Chubby's, so if it's better than Dixie Bones then DB has a problem. I'm sorry to hear that because I was looking forward to tryin g the place.

There is a little trailer BBQ sometimes parked just Northwest of Emmitsburg at the intersection of Rt. 116 and 140 that's not too bad. But you never know if they will be there on any given day.

Anybody ever tried Andy Nelson's up north of B'more??? It gets some good commentary.

[wacky2]

I only tried a pork sandwich at Chubby's, thought it was huge and pretty good - but pricey...I tried e-mailing Andy Nelson's but no response re whether they have an all-you can-eat buffet a certain day of the week..price?..anyone know?

[KOK]

I only tried a pork sandwich at Chubby's, thought it was huge and pretty good - but pricey...I tried e-mailing Andy Nelson's but no response re whether they have an all-you can-eat buffet a certain day of the week..price?..anyone know?

Andy Nelson's (which I think has great pulled pork, and pretty good wet ribs) has suspended the Friday night buffet ($14 or so). They said last week it may return this summer.

Thanks,

Kevin

[xdcx]

The pulled pork is over-sauced (oops, make that un-sauced).  The ribs are vapid.  The brisket is dry, and thus, is too thinly sliced.  And a sampler plate, IIRC, was like 12 or 13 bucks.  That's a lot for BBQ, especially technically poor BBQ, and their site is not an excuse--because the site detracts from their ability to do good Q.

Edit:  To remove misstatement.  Further discussion downthread.

was there yesterday, had the brisket and didn't find the brisket at all dry or thinly sliced.

[Sthitch]

I have not been to Dixie Bones, but reading the menudoes not lead me to battle I-95 to try it. I have yet to find a place that can successfully pull-off smoking more than one type of meat (i.e. pork, beef, chicken, …). I have found a few places that can smoke a mean shoulder and equally as good rips, but never a decent shoulder and decent brisket in the same place. Also, if you are going to smoke chicken, why would you only smoke the breasts? It is the least flavorful piece of meat on the bird, and dries out way too quickly to be properly smoked.

[Chris Cunningham]

Allmans Barbeque in Fredericksburg is a true gem. It's been around since 1957 and is still family owned. Yes it's a trek out there, but when in rome...One of the best

[wineitup]

Allmans Barbeque in Fredericksburg is a true gem. It's been around since 1957 and is still family owned. Yes it's a trek out there, but when in rome...One of the best

I agree. Allmans is great. Then you go down the road a bit to Carl's to get Frozen Custard.

[SeanMike]

Buffet at Dixie Bones, plus some ribs we took home.

It might not be Memphis but it sure beat the heck outta Red Hot & Blue!

Plus, I love the white sauce.

[darkstar965]

Also not fond of Red, Hot and Blue but, on the topic of great Q within 30 minutes of downtown DC, Rocklands, right? have believed for a long time that's as good as it gets here unless time for a longer drive down into the VA heartland and states beyond. Unless I've missed something along the way?

[Escoffier]

I agree. Allmans is great. Then you go down the road a bit to Carl's to get Frozen Custard.

This is something we do with 15 or 20 friends every April...we try to get there the first weekend they open.

[monavano]

Mr. MV and I stopped by Dixie Bones last night on a whim (being somewhat in the area). Glad we did. I had the 3/4 rack of ribs, with collards and mac-n-cheese, and a bun. The ribs were falling off the bone tender and still a bit juicy. The greens had nice tang from vinegar and definitely some heat. The mac and cheese is perhaps one of my favorites anywhere-I compare it to Delilah's in Philly, but a bit creamier (and I love that they sprinkle shredded cheddar on top just before serving). The roll-eh-warm, fresh, and good with bbq sauce.

Mr. MV had a combo ribs and chicken (why, I don't know ) with the mac-n-cheese and beans. The beans were homemade-some a bit al dente, some more tender.

We ordered bread pudding (moist with cinnamon and raisins) with caramel sauce to go.

$48 for 2 dinners, which yielded enough leftovers for 2 lunches today, and about 3 desserts for the week.

Points for sending us off with plenty of extra bbq sauce for the leftover ribs, and caramel sauce for the bread pudding.

Next time, I hope to get there on a Thursday when they serve lemon chess pie (although I hear by and large, all their pies are very good)

[Soup]

I go to Dixie Bones fairly regular. Once every other week with a rotation of dishes I like (loaded BBQ potato rocks!) for the past year. The quality is fairly consistant. This place would be barely average in the southern BBQ hot spots, but for DC it is one of the best. Ribs are good but the best is the pull pork with the vinegar/tomato based BBQ sauce.

I've not the the sunday BBQ buffet brunch.

[monavano]

I go to Dixie Bones fairly regular. Once every other week with a rotation of dishes I like (loaded BBQ potato rocks!) for the past year. The quality is fairly consistant. This place would be barely average in the southern BBQ hot spots, but for DC it is one of the best. Ribs are good but the best is the pull pork with the vinegar/tomato based BBQ sauce.

I've not the the sunday BBQ buffet brunch.

Just fyi..no ribs at the Sunday Buffet, but I'm pretty sure you can order them ala carte.

[DonRocks]

If I just flew in from Mars, and read the comments on this website about Dixie Bones (in this thread, and this one too), I wouldn't have a good grasp of whether or not I'd like the restaurant, because people seem to be split into two camps. Such a clear divide is unusual among the members here (*), although it doesn't surprise me that it would happen in a rib thread, since ribs are such a personal thing, and are notorious for being an inconsistent product, even within the same restaurant, sometimes even within the same day.

Cheers,

Rocks.

(*) And please don't bring up the "group think" misconception - the reason members here often agree is because they know what they're doing, and experienced diners, cooks, etc., are very reliable judges of what's good and what's not.

[monavano]

Bangbangbangbangbang!

That's the sound of ribs being chopped in the kitchen as we waited for a table on Sat. night. It's mouth-watering, and fortunately, the line moves quickly and the food comes within 5 minutes of putting in your order.

I think the ribs are consistently good here-juicy, tender and plenty of meat. I like having my choice of bbq sauces as well. The pulled pork was a bit dry this visit, and I remarked that next time, I'd get just the ribs and not the 2 meat combo. More ribs...mmmmm.

The sides here are no shrinking violets either. The collards are consistently cooked until they're limp, yet still al dente with just the right pucker from vinegar. The slaw is sliced thin and have a creamy dressing that is not gloppy, and doesn't cause the cabbage to wilt.

I recommend carb and calorie-splurging and get an order of the mac and cheese. Then, eat it right away as the extra cheese they put on top just before serving is melty-good.

We got an order of bread pudding to go- $5.50 for a generous 2 servings with caramel on the side.

This is a real joint with real people and real food.