It’s no secret that the Marys are barbecue nuts, though Tom has never shown much interest. Our feeling is, what is better than roasting meat over fire? If it was good enough for our earliest ancestors, it is certainly good enough for us.
Tom never expected the practice to catch on here, feeling that any place with as strong a local cuisine as ours had no room for any other region’s strong local cuisine. The barbecue proliferation did start slowly but has now caught fire, with new places entering a scene the Fitzmorrises consider dominated by Central City. A few months ago a much-anticipated newcomer arrived in the Warehouse District.
Devil Moon is located in that hot corridor across from Willa Jean in what has become an exploding real estate area of multiplying apartments and condos. Plenty of customers there.
We finally made it to Devil Moon to sample their wares. The menu is pretty large with interesting sides. Unfortunately, we ordered too late in the day and they were out of most of what we wanted. If dirty rice is on the menu, and it increasingly is, I need to get it. But they were out of it, along with the side we most wanted, the smoked corn salad.
The sides are numerous and some change every day. These would be like specials on a menu, supporting the barbecue regulars like baked beans and slaw, mac’n’cheese, and potato salad.
What I didn’t know about Devil Moon is that they close at 6, so when I tried to get some of these sides they had sold out. That was unfortunately true when I went back on a Saturday in the afternoon, much earlier than my original visit. Obviously, these sides are as popular as they are unusual.
On the first visit, we were unable to get the smoked corn salad, so we got mac’n’cheese instead. It was no longer hot when it arrived at the house, so it had congealed. The cheese sauce was quite thick and very ordinary, but it wasn’t bad. Made with shell macaroni, it fits the bill for that barbecue side. Nothing more, nothing less. The same is true for the coleslaw. I did think the baked beans were memorable, with a nice kick to them, and I very much liked the consistency of the sauce.
It seems odd to talk about the sides from a barbecue place before mentioning the reason for being there - the meat. I have often said on The Food Show (airs weekdays 2-4pm on 990 AM) that, aside from an occasional obscene visit to Fogo de Chão, where I channel my inner cavegirl, I’m not much of a carnivore. Barbecue is usually an exception to that as well, but I really give as much weight to sides in a barbecue place as the meats.
The meats should be great. That’s the reason for being there. In the case of Devil Moon, the same feelings apply. On the first visit, I got brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. The second time we got the brisket and housemade jalapēno sausage. I wanted burnt ends, but again, sold out. Both of these were skillfully done, but Devin Moon is not a threat to the dominance of Central City, at least in my mind.
I ordered fatty sliced brisket, and it was good. Crusty on the outside with glistening fat inside running through, it was well-seasoned and tender. The pulled pork has all these same qualities. We also very much liked the ribs, which were spareribs.
This may sound ridiculous, but one of my favorite things about what I picked up was the housemade pickles and onions that topped the slice of white bread.
I have long railed against housemade pickles, but chefs have definitely gotten better at making these. In the beginning of the craze, it was rare for me to like a chef’s take on pickling cucumbers, but they generally seem to have perfected this technique. Now I find it odd to dismiss them, but Devil Moon’s are exceptionally good.
The next time we returned to Devil Moon, we again came late to the party, though it wasn’t that late. I picked up early Saturday afternoon, early enough to get some dirty rice, but there was again no corn salad. I was offered pimiento cheese grits as the side special of the day. In my apparently solo opinion, pimiento cheese does not belong on everything. It’s a delicious spread best going solo, but it decorates burgers now quite often, and I see it in other places, like here in grits. I didn’t finish these grits, a carb I usually love. But when grits get “gourmet’d” it negates their simplicity, which to me is the essence of their charm. (Exceptions made for the Zea cheesy corn grits, which started the craze.)
What was actually really noteworthy, to me, was the potato salad. I got it as an afterthought when the smoked corn salad was ruled out. There were dill pickles chopped in this potato salad, and that small detail gave it a nice little “extra” that I wasn’t expecting. It was smooth rather than chunky, which I don’t usually like, but the dill factor smoothed away all other sins. This was very good.
We were disappointed in the dirty rice, and I can’t even explain why. It was dark and smoky but lacked that distinct organ meat flavor one would rather not think about when eating it. This was more of a smoky rice dish. Not bad, but not true dirty rice.
The pulled pork we got with these sides was standard pulled pork, but nothing outstanding about it. The flavor was good, and the texture was what one would expect, so…fine. The jalapēno sausage had a firm casing and a nice grind, with a good pepper flavor.
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Devil Moon is a great addition to the neighborhood where it sits. As part of a brewery, it should be a hotspot. The decor is minimal, which is appropriate for a barbecue joint. The vibe is very casual but upscale hip. The fast-casual service is friendly and helpful.
I will return to get more of this and to finally try that elusive corn salad.
