Q39: The Quintessential BBQ

Mr. Ref here, this month was my month to pick and I picked Q39.  I don't even know where to start.  B-B-Q is one of my favorite things to eat and even though I enjoy several different types of BBQ, it is always the meat that makes it good, and the sauce makes it excellent.

Q39 was not even a place I had ever heard of, my wife read a review in the local newspaper and she thought it sounded good.  I also read the review and thought the same thing.  While reading the review, it indicated that Q39 had not been opened very long, about 2 or 3 months, however this place had won several top awards at local and national BBQ contests.

All I can say is Q39 did not disappoint, it was excellent.  First we started with BBQ wings as an appetizer, and they were a good size and covered in BBQ sauce.  Then I had the Q burger and baked beans, because baked beans always tell me how much time an establishment puts into doing things right, especially when it comes to BBQ.  The Q burger was very good, the meat was tender, with lots of flavor and the baked beans were also very good.  The thing I loved the most was the BBQ sauce, when you first tasted it, you could taste a little bit of honey, or something sweet, and then within a second or two the spices kicked in and lit your mouth up.  It was the perfect sweet & spicy BBQ taste.  Our waiter did an excellent job serving us, he was there when we needed him and let us be when we were having a great time with the family.  I gave Q39 a 4.75 out of 5, I don't think I will ever give a perfect 5, but 4.75 is the best score I have given so far.

So good I forgot to take a photo

Last week our group met at Q39, a barbeque place on 39th street in midtown. Unlike most BBQ joints, Q39 had style: you felt like you were in an Architectural Digest setting, only slightly barn-like. Cool, but not stuffy.

Service was impeccable. Our waiter took great care of us and was funny and upbeat. The menu presented loads of options. I ordered chicken wings to share as a mea culpa for skipping my July blogging duties. The menu boasted that these wings were the "world's best," and that wasn't a lie. I'm famous for saying, "Oh order the wings. I won't have any," then eating a few on the sly. I could have eaten all of these wings--they were delicious.

For an entree I had veggie burger--I have to try 'em when I see 'em. Their version was unique; I'm guessing a white bean or chickpea base with lots of lemon and some intriguing spices to jazz it up. The bun was terrific too. I was thoroughly happy with it, and cold leftovers made for a tasty lunch the following day.

I tried all three kinds of meat on Justin's huge platter o' BBQ, and it was all delicious. Especially that smoked chicken. I stole a few bites of baked beans too, which were also very good.

I like BBQ fine, but it's not something I seek out. I would seek out Q39 again... and hopefully soon. My ranking: 4.5/5 stars.

Q 39 is Barbeque Royalty!

Is that Q short for barbeque or "Queen of Barbeque"?  Either way, Q 39 really is barbeque royalty!    I wouldn't mind calling this Pit Master "Your Highness" because the staff made me feel like a member of their family.  Just the right amount of attention was paid to our group of nine and our food was served hot and fresh. 
The atmosphere is warm, contemporary and bustling with energy.  The dark wood tables are flanked by the bar on the west and the visible kitchen on the East and nothing but happy diners everywhere you can see.  If you would have asked me last week, I would have said there was no way to improve on KC barbeque, but the genius of Q 39 is that it is true KC Barbeque, but so many elements of the food and experience puts this "Q" joint in a class of it's own. 
Food is served on bamboo cutting boards, side dishes in adorable ceramic bowls.  Nothing fake here-- real napkins, real silverware, real cocktails and let's not forget Real Good Company at this GAS CLUB meeting!
All the main dishes (chicken, veggie burger, Q burger, burnt end burger) I tasted were outstanding and cooked to perfection.  But what I dream about at night are those chicken wings!  Chipotle sauce carmelized over crispy skin covering juicy, delicious insides are probably the best dish I have eaten this year!  Except for the fries (just average) and white bean cassoulet (bland) this was a(n almost) perfect experience.
Mrs. Ref rates this classy bbq joint 4.5. 

Not Wasting My Time

0/5.

This place does not deserve a blog post!

By doing this I have a little regret that I am letting people know it exists and I am afraid people might go there just to see if it is as bad as we have said and to be honest I would not wish our experience  on my worst of enemies. The service was terrible, the manager was condescending, it took over 30 min to get drinks out than another 30 min to finally get the right meals to the right people, the food was cold, than after telling them how horrible the experience was they stick us with an 18% gratuity anyways. But hey at least we let the people next to us eat for free. I will say that after I wrote to the owners I finally got an apology for how horribly we were treated and offered a $50 gift card to try it again, but I will never be going back, so if you want to see for yourself how AWFUL this place is please let me know and I will gladly give you my $50.