Hog Tails BBQ

A Canadian BBQ joint?!!! Could it possibly be?

I was on facebook one night and happened to see a posting by an old friend that he was at this restaurant with his family.When I emailed him to see what he thought - he was raving about it.

A couple days later while I was in Waterloo, I picked up my nephew - who also loves BBQ (okay he loves food just like his Uncle) and we went to explore. Now my nephew had just had his wisdom teeth out just before we went so I think he may need a 'redo'.

As you walk in you get that awesome smell of wood smoke. The decor is pretty cool as the owners have posted either T-shirts or pictures of BBQ joints from the States. I have only been to one place that he has posted (Dinosaur BBQ - Rochester). I may need to take notes next time I go (hint - I am going back means something).

I went with an obvious choice - a sampler - mine came with Ribs, beef brisket and wings. The ribs were awesome with right amount of bark, they were not dried out either. The beef brisket was great, they pulled away nicely (things you learn on tv) and there was a nice amount of bark again. The wings was the only thing that was a bit of miss, I found these to be a little greasy for my liking (yes i love wings and have my wing joints). My sides I decided for onion rings and jalapeno hush puppies. The rings were great - beer battered - yum! The hush puppies - OMG they were great - now if you never had hush puppies before - you need to go to this place to check them out.

Now the big warning about this place - it is small! there are not that many seats. So don't be surprised if you show up one evening and you have a long wait. My brother recently tried to go with his wife and my nephew on a Friday night (his mistake) and they told him it was a 45 minute wait. To me that is not bad - I have waited over an hour for a table before - maybe twice (same place)

Now for my rating I give this a 3.5 out of 5 over all - I see big things for these guys and they will need to move to larger premises if they continue to serve this good food.

http://www.hogtailsbbq.com

The Cedar Barn

First off, I have gone back there 4 times since I first decided to try this place. With my new job I am on the road often and now I look for little gems like this place. Also, there is a new show on here in Canada on the Food Network which an old school mate of mine produces called 'You Gotta Eat Here!'. I think they should check this place out.

The Cedar Barn is located on the North end of Waterloo, just around the corner from the St Jacob's Market.  So on 'Market' days be prepared to wait at this little establishment. Everything served here is local. They do not appear to have a website so I will give the address at the end, you can find them on Google maps.

My personal favorite item on their menu is the Hot Roast Beef sandwich. The meat to my knowledge is slow cooked and just melts in your mouth. Don't be surprised when you walk in there are a number of people in that. I have also noticed a lot of people eating their soup & sandwiches, I have personally not tried this item yet but it appears to be popular. I have also had breakfast there once - fantastic.

I have noticed on trip advisor some bad comments on there. From my personal view, these people must have gone there on Market day - which I do believe are Thursdays & Fridays. So do not be surprised to wait on those days for a table and maybe food. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that there are not that many restaurants near by - so the good ones will be busy.

I give this place a 3.5 out of 5 overall

Cedar Barn Restaurant
1217 Lobsinger Line, Waterloo, ON ‎

Wow am I behind

I have not posted anything here for a while and man am I behind in some postings, well now I shall start...