Sweet Cheeks BBQ brings slow cooked smoke, tang, and spice to Fenway

I think it's safe to say that BBQ may be having a bit of a rebirth these last few months. Aside from the slew of southern-inspired brunches that have been taking over the city, Red Bones launched their Food Truck last fall, and you can't watch this season's Top Chef series for more than 2 minutes without feasting your eyes on something slow cooked and soul satisfying. Looks like Top Chef vet Tiffani Faison was definitely on trend when she recently opened up Sweet Cheeks Q in the Fenway area, which is where I ended up on one of my lunch break last week.

The interior is comfortable and casual and caters to large parties with huge communal high tops spread throughout the eatery. Each table is topped with a selection of spicy sauces, along with mason jars and tin cans ready to hold your water. It looks like something straight out of Texas, which makes sense since that's where most of the restaurant and menu items get their inspiration.

The beer list is is long and impressive, most of which come served in bottles. It only felt fitting that I kick things off with the official brew of Texas.

On to the food choices, which feature BBQ trays offering up your choice of mains and "scoops" from a selection of slow cooked meats and sides. Favorites like the Berkshire Pork Ribs and Great Northern Brisket are savory and smoked. Order them by the lb or turn your favorite meat into a sandwich. You can also order ribs individually, making it easy for you to try more than one cut of meat.

They don't use any sauce when slow cooking their meats, letting the smoky-ness shine with some help from spice rubs. They leave the addition of extra spice and tang up to you with a selection of homemade sauces to choose from.

Sides include options like broccoli cheese casserole, deep fried heirloom tomatoes and bbq beans. Amidst some of the heavier options, there are a couple lighter items that provide a nice change of pace. The carrot salad served with golden raisins, goat cheese, parsley and walnuts was delightfully refreshing, while the potato salad, made with sour cream and crumbled bacon bits, puts a unique twist on the typical side. And if you love pork, you'll totally go crazy for the pulled pork sandwich served on a soft griddled bun topped with homemade coleslaw.

They're open til 1am, serving up late night noms and additional menu items at dinner time. For some insight into a dinner experience check out the Frugal Foodista's recent review!

* I'd also like to thank my waiter Taylor, who totally pointed me in all the right directions when it came time to order and made the overall dining experience that much better. Don't you just love great service?