Do you honestly think Ned and I can go into a town and NOT try the local good barbeque??? Good, your guess was right. Ned has been the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for many years now. Although I did travel to Rochester once for work, this was my first time! And I was pretty satisfied…. so overall it was a lovely afternoon to see all thats good and tasty in Rochester.
It was a dark and stormy day and we wandered into this delicious smelling old building….
A building that had a clear sign of what we live for. “BAR-B-QUE.”
There were dead animals decorated with lights… very festive….
And spicy things for our mouths…
And then we ordered a feast! Ned ordered the ‘TRES HOMBRES – Spirited servings of Bar-B-Que pork, sliced Texas Beef Brisket and 1/4 rack of ribs.’
Because that sounded like a good idea to me, I got the same thing, except in smaller portion! Aptly named the ‘Tres Niños- a less spirited serving of the Tres Hombres.’ Yes I am less spirited than Ned. HA. He chose the baked beans and mac and cheese for the sides and and I chose the mac and cheese and coleslaw.
Both of our meals came with cornbread, and not surprisingly, this was the best cornbread each of us had ever had! way to go dinosaur! And also on the right of that shot was the coleslaw, I realllly like the coleslaw. With the big pieces of cabbage and carrot, it had nice crunchy texture and the dressing was nice and light but also very creamy and flavorful.
In this shot you can see some heavenly ribs and pulled pork. The pork just wasn’t doing it for me, not juicy enough maybe and not enough smoky flavor?, but the ribs were so full of flavor and were really tender.
And then we got to the mac and cheese. What the H?? I asked the waitress what it was made of and apparently they use cheddar cheese and velveeta. Fake cheese?? Also from the wikipedia page – Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product. NO WAY NUH UH! I like my cheese real and made from real ingredients. (well unless I’m talking about grilled cheeses… I can definitely handle some American cheese on that…) The cheesy texture was so weird on the macaroni and it was kinda spicy.
And lastly was the beef brisket. Another thing on my plate that I just wasn’t feeling. It was probably because of the fatty parts, I don’t like chewing pure fat when I eat beef (which is probably why I only get tenderloin). And I felt that the beef was toooo tender, I know I’m weird, but some things are just not right sometimes!
So all in all, I felt that Dinosaur did a number of things right, but also a number of things just not suitable for my palate. We will definitely be going back the next time we visit Rochester, just that time we will know what to order!
Filed in: Out to Eat.
Elizabeth Griffiths writes the blog, Strawberries in Paris. She grew up in Jarrettsville, MD and has recently relocated to Frederick, MD. She was raised on her grandmother's Mexican food and spent many summer nights cheering for the Baltimore Orioles. Her mother was in charge of the church strawberry festival every year for the first 10 years of her life and Elizabeth happily helped her cut up quarts upon quarts of them, which later turned into an shopping and eating obssession! Moreover, two visits to Paris in 2006 and 2007 solidified her love for French style, food and pastries. She went to college to become a perfume chemist, but switched it up and now uses her chemistry knowledge during the day to do environmental chemistry and at night to bake and make dinner with local and fresh ingredients. 
Gotta use real sharp white cheddar for good Mac & cheese and bake it brown with a bread crumb crust. When I go to the D’BBQ I always have the brisket w/ a double side of greens! Mmmmmmmm
I’ve been to the Dino BBQ in Harlem.
Very good stuff. Might I suggest the Wango Tango Wings. Not too spicy but hot enough.
I also got the sampler and liked the brisket and pulled pork the best. I wasn’t too impressed with the ribs which I thought were a bit chewy though.
Sides were solid. Mac and Chee and Beans being my tops. I went with a large group so we made sure to order different items and share.
You can also find Dino BBQ sauces up here in Harford County at the Shop Rite.