I enjoy discovering new unique restaurants.   What’s more, I really get tickled when I find a restaurant that I have seen before….on TV.  Well, both happened Saturday in the same visit. I walked into the BBQ joint where the outer walls were covered in red, rust, and blue tin.

I walked inside to the smell of smoked meats.  This place wasn’t fancy, and didn’t pretend to be.   However, one thing they took seriously was the BBQ.

“This place looks really familiar,” I thought. I asked Shawn,  an employee if this restaurant had ever been filmed on TV? I thought aloud, “Was it Scandal?”  “No, that’s not it.” “House of Cards” Shawn and I both said and laughed.

I still remember the first episode where Federalist Pig was featured.  Federalist aping lived up to its reputation. I ordered the Two Step, which is 2 meats & 2 small sides for $15.   For my meats, AJ chose St. Louis Ribs and Brisket. For my sides, so choose the Crispy Brussel Sprouts and the Smoked Cheddar Mac & Cheese.

The Ribs were well seasoned and could be eaten without any sauce at all.   The Brisket was fat and tender. The Brussel Sprouts has a slightly sweet, yet Smokey crispness with only a hint of the bitter aftertaste (as to be expected with Brussel Sprouts).

Now to the sauce.  There are 6 sauce options, including: Mild BBQ, Hot BBQ, Mustard BBQ Carolina Vinegar, Sticky Garlic, and Ranch.  All of the sauces are self explanatory, except for the Sticky Garlic. It is a thick molasses based sauce with garlic infused throughout.  The garlic is in every drop. It creates an interesting taste, and I imagine this sauce takes the place of Honey BBQ. Rob, the man in charge told me that the sticky garlic sauce is their own creation.  I mixed the Mild BBQ and Sticky Garlic for use on my meat.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit.  I will return.