Bone Lick BBQ
Reflecting the quirky neighborhood enclave of Apex West Midtown, new outpost Bone Lick BBQ doles out authentic wood-smoked meats in a vintage setting – part retro 50s diner, part country-road smokehouse.
Upon entering, rustic rural signs announce an antique skee-ball machine to the left, while old-fashioned iceboxes and a footed bath tub of chilled suds stand guard behind the smooth lines of the reclaimed wood bar; a jukebox plays a fitting soundtrack elected by friends and family.
Georgia beers are the only ones on tap here, and a Georgia wine list backs that up. Though, those with a travel itch will find a significant list of American craft brews, a variety of small batch whiskeys and moonshine to boot.
As for the food, a smorgasbord: original, jalapeno or spicy deep-fried boiled peanuts; fried homemade pickles with a selection of dipping sauces; smoked-pepper pork rinds; the Redneck Charcuterie – an assortment of house-made jerky, house-cured bacon, house-deviled ham, Coca-Cola jelly, pimento cheese and crackers; Smoke ‘em if Ya Got ‘em – 48-hour marinated wings, slow-smoked naked or double-dipped; homemade beef jerky; cured hams; specialty bacon; and a hearty, tangy Brunswick stew. Sandwiches include a pulled pork option, The Austin-tacious chopped brisket sandwich (one of our favorites), the Naw Dawg sausage and The Failed Hunter vegetarian.
Entrees can be combined into two, three, four or five meat sampler platters, which come with two sides. Choose from their pulled pork, house-made sausages, spicy pecan-smoked chicken, sliced brisket or spare ribs for the meat; pair with pork-braised collards, a spicy jalapeno mac-n-cheese, pork-n-pork-beans, average-cider slaw, fried okra, house-cut fries or perfectly crisped tater tots. Desserts? Homemade funnel cake, maple bacon cotton candy, the fruit crumble of day or “boozy peaches.”
The men behind Bone Lick include Alex Friedman, Keiran Neely and Mike LaSage, owners of P’cheen International Bistro and the Edgewood Speakeasy. After building a following for his que by running Monday night specials at P’cheen, Mike came in fourth in an Atlanta magazine “best of Atlanta metro” barbeque contest in 2010, lending further credence to his entrance into the exclusive club of professional pitmasters.
As for why barbeque, Mike told us, “Smoky BBQ is one of the earliest culinary/flavor memories I have. I remember my dad giving me some BBQ he had picked up on his way home from some fishing trip, and it blew my mind. It was euphoria…. I spent the rest of my life chasing that flavor. It was amazing. Cut to 15 years later: I’ve had a hard time finding that BBQ flavor from my youth, and so, I decided to work on recreating it. And that’s a big part of why I started doing my own BBQ.”
You can find Bone Lick BBQ at 1133 Huff Road. Lunch and dinner served Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
