nelumbo Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 I was a little surprised not to find a thread for this one - maybe I missed it? Got takeout on the recommendation of a friend and also the sudden appearance in the #1 spot on Tim Carman's list of best BBQ. The restaurant is tucked away on a corner near the railroad tracks in "downtown" Riverdale, on the other side of the tracks from the little shopping center where I think the farmer's market is held. A little difficult to navigate with the purple line construction and changing traffic directions in this neighborhood. We pre-ordered online the day before, as I have been told they tend to sell out quickly for same-day orders. Our order was Wagyu brisket gold label, pulled pork, chicken leg quarter, with sides of caramelized pineapple and cornbread. Apparently the menu changes daily. All of the meats were moist and tender, there were a few small containers of sauce which had a nice spiciness and wasn't overly sweet. I had the pulled pork, which had an excellent smokey flavor. The Wagyu beef came as two larger slices with a thick fat layer on top, and also a small end piece for tasting. The sides were more mixed than the meats. The caramelized pineapple was basically cold chunks of pineapple in a sugary syrup with cinnamon - we ended up doctoring this into a pineapple salsa because no one wanted to eat sweet pineapple cubes. The cornbread was very moist and cakey in texture. The restaurant has limited seating inside and one or two picnic tables outdoors, which were full of people on a chilly spring day. If you are able to plan ahead, this location is well worth the effort. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go for Gin Posted May 2, 2021 Share Posted May 2, 2021 I have really been enjoying the BBQ from 2Fifty. Tonight, we had the St. Louis pork ribs, Wagyu brisket, a side of corn bread, and the key lime pie. Both the brisket and rib meat are very moist, and I enjoyed the smokiness of the ribs. The sauce (which comes in small containers) is not overly sweet and enhance the flavor of the meat. It has been some of the best BBQ I have had in a long time. There is a parking lot across the street that was quite full. It also looked like the outdoor dining was doing brisk business, with a lot more foot traffic than I remember from my college days in College Park. This is now our go to place for BBQ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torshi Posted May 2, 2021 Share Posted May 2, 2021 It is well priced. We enjoyed a good sized order with two friends and three kids. They did very well with organizing a take out order- pre-ordered the day before. I did buy some Martin's buns for the pulled type food. They are definitely worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted May 2, 2021 Share Posted May 2, 2021 Do they have table service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Horoscope Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 Picnic tables outside for now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 On 5/2/2021 at 9:07 AM, Ericandblueboy said: Do they have table service? On 5/3/2021 at 7:48 PM, MC Horoscope said: Picnic tables outside for now. Looks like they're seating people inside now, but I don't think they have table service. Their website said they're closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, but I picked up from here this past Wednesday, so the website isn't accurate. I thought I was ahead of the game when I checked out their website the Monday before Father's Day, but almost everything was already sold out for Father's Day pick-up. Luckily my husband's birthday is shortly after Father's Day, so I shifted to birthday barbecue for him. We ordered prime brisket, pulled pork, and sausage links (a jalapeno and cheddar and a Texas hot link). We both agreed that the brisket had great flavor but was maybe TOO tender. Maybe this is personal preference, but we both like our brisket with a bit more structure. I'm not a huge pulled pork fan, but I really liked theirs. It had some nicely crispy bits and wasn't too fatty and I really liked their barbecue sauce on it. I didn't love the Texas hot link (this is definitely just personal preference -- my husband liked it), but I thought the jalapeno and cheddar link was great. I'm always up for a sausage with cheese inside!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimCo Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 Stopped by with the extended family on Sunday afternoon and it was surprisingly uncrowded given how this place is becoming a BBQ establishment that could hold its own in Texas. The specials today included Pork Brisket, and pupusas which could be ordered with brisket or pulled pork. We went with the brisket pupusas, a half-pound of pork brisket, a pound of beef brisket, a 'quarter chicken' (which was insanely huge), 2 beef poblano sausages, 1 pork cheddar sausage, a couple of pork ribs, potato salad and mac-and-cheese. It was all excellent. Highlights were the specials, along with the pork cheddar sausage. Incidentally, I saw a photo of Fernando Gonzalez (the owner/pitmaster of 2Fifty) at Goldee's BBQ class this summer. Goldee's is currently #1 in the Texas Monthly BBQ list. I really admire his drive to keep getting better, even when what he's producing is spectacular. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 Someone tell me why I should go to the Riverdale location instead of Union Market? I ate at the Union Market location once and wasn't impresssed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimCo Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said: Someone tell me why I should go to the Riverdale location instead of Union Market? I ate at the Union Market location once and wasn't impresssed. I don't think they cook on-site at Union Market, so you'll probably have better success at the original location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted August 29, 2022 Share Posted August 29, 2022 The Union Market product is smoked at the Riverdale location. You need to go to the mothership for the good stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 22 hours ago, JimCo said: I don't think they cook on-site at Union Market, so you'll probably have better success at the original location. So the stuff at Union Market is being reheated, how different is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimCo Posted August 30, 2022 Share Posted August 30, 2022 9 hours ago, Ericandblueboy said: So the stuff at Union Market is being reheated, how different us it? I'm not sure as I've never tried the Union Market location. I can say that I had a similar experience with Sloppy Mama's when they were serving out of a bar but cooking elsewhere. I thought it was awful. I just think the further you get away from the pit (and the pitmaster) the more can go wrong. I've been to the Riverdale location twice and it's been fantastic both times. And on both occasions, the owner and pitmaster Fernando Gonzalez was there and checking on everything. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lion Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Been wanting to try it since seeing it on Signature Dish. Got to get over there some weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinarider Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 On 8/30/2022 at 8:05 PM, lion said: Been wanting to try it since seeing it on Signature Dish. Got to get over there some weekend. I really recommend it. The wagyu beef brisket and the beef ribs were the standouts for me. The latter are expensive but really really good. My kids have been talking about going back ever since we had it. Sides are less exciting, I liked the brisket beans but missed something a little more bitter, like collared greens, to offset the sweet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 The socials blew up today with the announcement that 2Fifty is opening a second location in the Mount Vernon Square area. Sometime next year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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