Mr. B’s Bar-B-Que

I finally hit up Mr. B’s again to follow up on the great potential I had detected on my first visit. I was, instead, disappointed.
Mr. B did not seem to be around that day, and neither was any quality food.
I went with the rib tips that tantalized me last time, and what a disaster they were. The sauce was still sassy, but the rib tips were tough. Just tough. My pork sandwich last time was tough, too.
So apparently, if you want tough BBQ, Mr. B’s is your place. I guess I’m going to keep looking.

A rib place that delivers is worth three stars all by itself. From just off Franklin to the North Loop in 30 min., that rocks in my book. Too bad the ribs were so mushy. Could be the delivery, but more likely they way they are served. I like ribs served dry and with nice texture, a smoky flavor and sauce that is charred on to the outside. These came soaked in sauce. A full rack split in two, one on top of the other. The top half was only slightly mushy, but the bottom was almost like soup. The sauce did have a nice snap and the fries and Texas toast were good, but the slaw was way too sweet for my taste as well. My guess is the pulled pork sandwich is pretty good given the fact their sauce has a nice kick. I might even try the chicken another time. Any place that delivers to the North Loop is worth another try in my book.
That being said, the header on Unilocal for both Famous Dave’s and Rudolph’s BBQ says that they both deliver. It’s a little miss leading. They both cater, but do not deliver. So I give props to Mr. B’s for delivering.

Have patience. Perhaps Mr. B is trying to prove that good barbecue takes time. I showed up late in the evening and the eponymous Mister was the only one in the kitchen, so I had to wait at the counter for eight or ten minutes while he cooked up an order for the man in front of me. Then after he had taken my order and I’d paid, I waited another ten or twelve minutes for him to cook up mine. None of this would have bothered me if it hadn’t been a weeknight, and I hadn’t needed to be in bed at a decent hour.
As far as flavor goes, though, this is some tasty business. The sauce (also available in sixteen ounce bottles) is unapologetically spicy in a far northern climate where some people consider «Horsey Sauce» exotic. And the meat, both on the spare ribs and the pulled pork sandwich (Mr. B is famous at the MN Wild’s Xcel Energy Center for his sandwiches) is so tender it could have sung me some Everly Brothers before I savored it.
All told this is the best barbecue I’ve waited twenty minutes for this far north. I won’t try to tell you I haven’t had better on the other side of the Mason-​Dixon, and I won’t try to tell you the central location on Eat Street has nothing to do with the four star rating. All I will tell you is if you aren’t in a hurry, and would like some convenient and tasty BBQ, talk to Mr. B. He’ll hook you up.