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Dreamland BBQ


Consistency is the bane of all once-great restaurants and those who linger somewhere in the middle.

Like an athlete running a marathon, there’s an internal timer ticking away, and eventually, however many months or years it may be, the chefs of once-great restaurants give way to the stress of nightly services or old age or both. And for those places that occasionally jump up into excellence before hitting the ground again, it’s a matter of realizing the concept of a marathon, that occasional plates of greatness get you nowhere in the long-term, that a steady stream of tasty successes is the name of the game.
simple banana pudding. good.
A recent trip to Birmingham’s BBQ pride, Dreamland BBQ, showed me that old age may be getting to this 50-year-old institution. The first trip had me at first bite. The ribs were juicy, well-smoked and overall excellent. But a second detour on my way to Atlanta proved less than worth it. This time, the ribs were tough, chewy and occasionally undercooked.
Of course, one trip every three months is hardly enough time to take a complete picture of where this restaurant really stands, but since I don’t live in Birmingham, snapshots will have to do. And as of now, those snapshots are looking rather blurry.
Dreamland Bar-B-Que on Urbanspoon
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Road trips are the one time when fast-food is an acceptable option. Actually, they’re really the only option, and so for one meal I’ll feel like Charlie Brown on Halloween. Not today though! Just ten minutes off interstate I-75 on the way to Atlanta I ate at Dreamland BBQ in Birmingham, Alabama. While Memphis’ reputation for its BBQ has turned the city into some kind of Mecca, the best BBQ I’ve come across has not been in the city. I probably just need a wizard to give me a Badge of Courage so that I can venture into the seedier parts of town where the real stuff is.
a breadbasket of Sunbeam bread with the restaurant’s BBQ sauce.
Dreamland BBQ does justice to the all of the Wilbur’s it slaughters and then smokes starting at 3 a.m. Not only is the meat tender, but there’s lots of it on these 3-down ribs. The vinegar-influenced sauce is addicting as it dirties your fingers and the sides of your mouth. The best part of this bbq-affair is the smoked flavor these ribs have. As for the sides of coleslaw, mac & cheese, and baked beans, they’re as good as they need to be.
the ribs come already cut and ready to be devoured
I should mention that this restaurant is very clean inside and service is lightning fast. Fast service is good when you’re on the road. The prices are very reasonable too ($18.50 for a slab which can feed three people).
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