This is barbecue:
This is barbecue in Lowell:
Lowell Sun
LOWELL — The License Commission Thursday suspended the alcoholic-beverage license of The Village Smokehouse for 21 days for serving alcohol to a minor and for the presence of drug residue found in the basement of the Middle Street establishment by police during an April 25 compliance check.
Hey Village Smokehouse, Do you hear that? That’s the sound of Smokey Bones asking if you if know where your jock is? Serving under-agers Whiskey Sours to balance the books doesn’t mean there’s holes in your protocol, it means your Barbecue sucks. It has since day one. Feel free to blame the economy. By all means, tell your friends that “downtown Lowell sucks,” if that makes you feel better. But we’ll know the truth…your Barbecue is shit and Evo’s was better.
Sons of Franky Cabot 
I have to go all the way the Blue Ribbon BBQ on Mass Ave, Arlington for a decent dry rub.
And, I go there because I can’t relocate Uncle Pete’s in East Boston.(It was in a converted DQ) I can’t make heads or tails between Meridian and Maverick. Since the crooked FBI ran the Goodfellas out a EB, the place is a ball of confusion.
I’d say the underlying among all those places is effort. Venue matters little in the good barbecue game. VSH offered little, and for a place that boasted a “Nice Bar” their tap selection sucked.
Beg to differ on this one Tobes. I went to Village when it first opened, the Duke margarita was outstanding, the bbq ribs were decent but I went back a year later and the Duke was still the Duke but the food sucked. Jack you ever try KC’s Rib shack in Manchester? It’s the best I know about in the area that doesn’t send me into Boston. I hate going into Boston. Too much traffic, too many people.
Wait, so you’re saying the smokehouse wasn’t that bad of a “BBQ joint” when it opened because they had a good margarita?
No the first time I went there the food was good as I remember it, I should alos mention we ate there after one of our races and I was HUNGRY so Mickey D’s might have been considered haute cuisine at that point. After that first trip though, steady decline that culiminated in DJ Jazzy Jeff and friends and that was the last time I’ve been in there.
Not to be a dick but there’s no apostrophe in ‘Evos.’ It was named after the owner’s two sons: Evram and Oscar I think.
Fair enough Bas, to each his own. I just get really chapped when a place blames the city and economy for having to turn there business over to losers, when the reality was that their product wasn’t really worth everyone’s miscellaneous income.
BTW, are you the same Ratbas fromPatriotsPlanet?
I’ve used this name in a lot of places (Youtube, FB, Twitter and a few others) but I don’t think I’ve been on that board.