Thursday, January 10, 2013

New Name, New Ownership - Pure Glaze

I've written a couple posts about how impressed I'd been by the Reggi's Bar-B-Q on Houston Levee. I liked the restaurant enough to make a pilgrimage to the mother store in Jackson, which is meticulously run by smoke artist Eugene "Reggi" Picket. But while I was at the Jackson store Reggi mentioned he was having "some problems" with the Houston Levee location, which he had sold his name to and didn't own.

The Cordova-area Reggi's was originally recommended to me by some customers who work nearby. A couple months ago they mentioned they had stopped going due to a drop-off in quality at the restaurant since Reggi no longer had control of it. I tried to drop by a couple times when I was in the area to see for myself how the food compared to prior visits but the door was always locked even though the lights would be open and I would occasionally see people working in the kitchen. So it was no big surprise on Wednesday when I drove by and noticed a banner covering the old Reggi's sign announcing the grand opening of Pure Glaze BBQ at the location. 


 
Regardless of any problems the Cordova-area Reggi's had right before it closed don't hesitate to try the main Jackson location where Reggi will probably come by your table to ask what you think of your food.

As soon as I walked in the door I was hit with a mouthwatering smokey pork aroma that indicated good things were still being done with the old Reggi's pit. The lady at the counter told me the restaurant specialized in "glazed" ribs. That sounded like something way sweeter than I wanted so I ordered mine dry with the glaze sauce on the side. At $10.99 for a complete rib dinner they were actually a little cheaper than a rib dinner from Tops.

The menu also includes wings, smoked sausages, turkey legs, catfish and burgers.

The ribs had a nice smokey flavor that lived up to my expectations from the smell inside the restaurant. The barbecue glaze sauce was sweeter than I care for as expected but the ribs were good enough to enjoy without it.  Interestingly, the same completely nonspicy sauce is used on the restaurant's wings, which are billed as "barbecue smoke wings" instead of hot wings. The beans tasted like canned beans that had been doctored with a little of the glaze but I still enjoyed them. If you enjoy a sweet barbecue sauce like the one used at Payne's Bar-B-Q on Lamar you'll probably prefer your ribs with the glaze on them. 

Personal opinion makes comparing barbecue joints a completely subjective endeavour. For example, if you follow this blog on a regular basis you know that I strongly prefer mustard or vinegar-based cole slaws. Pickle or spice is welcomed but I don't care for sugary slaw. The slaw at Pure Glaze wasn't sugary but it was way creamier than I like. I realize there must be people who love bukkake-style cole slaw or it wouldn't be served at so many places but I'm not a fan of it. Despite the slaw there were enough positives about my visit to Pure Glaze to make me happily stop there again in the future.

Pureglaze BBQ on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

  1. Me making a crude, juvenile joke. There is a wikipedia entry on bukkake. Don't read it if you are easily offended.

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  2. For some reason, my cell phone wouldn't let me make a comment last night. My jaw dropped when I saw that reference.

    Well played.....I think. One of those "am I really a sick bastard for laughing?" Yeah, probably so.

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  3. I know what it is and I'm glad you do too. The term "bukkake" is also used in Japanese cuisine when referring to hot broth poured over noodles. The next time I'm at Sekisui, I might try it if it's on the menu.

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