Piecurious: Ray Lewis' Full Moon BBQ

Professional athletes often have no idea what to do with their money. Some invest wisely like Robbie Fowler or Magic Johnson. Others blow their money on child support like Travis Hen....never mind. There are those who invest in clubs like Cliff Levingston and Dennis Rodman. I suppose there's also dogfighting, drug rings and NASCAR. A large percentage of past and present athletes such as Chris Chelios and Michael Vick decide to invest in bars and restaurants.

From time to time, the Deuce will take one for the team and review these athlete-owned or sponsored establishments. First up is Ray Lewis' Full Moon BBQ in Baltimore.

I'm available to take wedding and funeral pictures with my cell phone.

You can always tell that a restaurant is popular with the local gentry when you walk in on a Saturday night and see only two tables taken and no one at the bar. Unfortunately, we got to the Canton restaurant around 9:30-10:00 at night so we had to get carry-out. Well that's not exactly the reason why we didn't stay. Redonkulous 1.0 and I would have stayed except we noticed a sign stating that an 18% gratuity would be added to all bills after 9:00. Fuck that. I already heard stories and there was no way I was gonna put 18% down if said rumors were true. Maybe my tip would be to tell the waitress not to stand up in a canoe or look into the sun.

I ordered the chicken and rib combo along with mac and cheese and greens. Redonkulous 1.0 ordered the BBQ chicken with greens and mashed potatoes. After arriving back at the lair, we proceeded to dig into our meals. I was disappointed as soon as I opened the box. The chicken portion was fine in terms of size but the rib portion looked as though it came off a Darfurian pig. My disappointment was soon confirmed when I took a bite and the meat slid off the bone. Usually this is a good thing but it's not when the meat is dry and the sauce is flavorless. Hickory slow cooked my ass. There was definitely no reason to stab and twist the meat off the bone Buckhead style.

The same applied to the chicken. While the portion was ample, the sauce had little flavor and was somewhat reminiscent of the BBQ they used to serve in my college dining hall. Devoid of flavor. If I had to guess, I would bet they used Hunt's or Aldi-brand BBQ sauce. I wouldn't be surprised if it was mostly ketchup.

The sides were possibly the only thing that saved the meal besides the Ray Lewis bobble head. The greens were flavorful and had the requisite chunks of chicken (rice and stuffing macaroni and cheese and Santa put gifts under Christmas trees). The mashed ppotatoes were light and fluffy. The mac and cheese was a bit chalky but tasty. Adding leftover BBQ sauce was improved it slightly. I was looking for any positive I could find. The chow-chow portions should be larger as this was the best part of the meal.

While we didn't have time to sample the other entrees on the menu, I don't see myself going back to do any followup. While it isn't the worst BBQ I've ever had, its bland, corporate nature puts it on the level of Applebee's and Chili's.

Rating: 1 Getaway Limo




* The shirt says "What time is it? GAME TIME!! Any ribs in the house??". I may go back just to buy one of these.