This posting is a few days overdue – I’ve now been to TJ’s River BBQ in Howell twice, and it’s past time that I gave it my review:
TJ’s River BBQ is located right on Grand River Avenue, across the street from Meijer just west of Latson road. It’s a small place, and used to be a different style of restaurant, although I’m having a tough time remembering what it was named (I think it was “The Prairie House”) and had never been there before. And by small, I mean it looks like an 800 square foot home. TJ’s is a quaint little place – perfect for a barbecue joint – but don’t miss it, it’s nestled between White Castle and Bob Evans – along with a bunch of other chains around – the closest thing that’s *not* a chain is Los Tres Amigos (A great Mexican place, by the way…). Yes, the country home and the dirt driveway – that’s it. It sure looks like a barbecue place – Not so great for fanfare, but I needed to check it out anyway because I have a huge craving for Barbecue – at all times – I can always eat it. That, and the ribs you get at local chain food places are expensive, generally either fatty or small in size, not actually smoked, expensive and never really that good.
Okay, so I’m a barbecue snob is what I’m trying to say 
I am way better at making ribs and smoked chicken than any restaurant I’ve been to in Howell, let alone any part of Michigan. And, I can’t even find smoked chicken anywhere around here. And, I’m not even particularly talented at making barbecue!
If you’re living in Michigan with me, we can commiserate on the topics of Michigan’s poor economy and lack of barbecue… but I digress…. back to the review:
Walking into TJ’s, it’s almost like a hole in the wall, except that the interior is relatively decent (for a barbecue joint.) Of course, it’s got the obligatory wavy galvanized steel look on the interior, and that’s all part of the atmosphere they’re trying to create. Additionally in the atmosphere department, The first time my wife and I went there, it was completely empty and we were presented with menus printed on pink paper – my thought was that I didn’t know how long the place would last. Fortunately, this weekend we walked in to a restaurant filled to more than half-capacity, and new much more professional looking menus about four solid pages in length. The menu itself is a bit cheesy, but class isn’t exactly what you expect with a barbecue joint. Even still, the lowbrow cheesiness in the menu either berates the intelligence level of barbecue-goers, or is tries to play along with the rest of the atmosphere. Okay, I’m looking into it too much, but with intentional misspellings all over it and items like “Not So Famous Dave’s Green Beans” written in a font that looks like a 3 year old went to town with a box of Crayolas, it’s really quite cheesy. That’s about all there is to say about it. And the pig on the front of the menu? It looks suspiciously like another restaurant down the road in Novi… Compare for yourself:
I knew I had seen that pig somewhere. Anyway, I’m getting off-topic again!
The first time, I was going to go for a Meat trifecta of Pulled pork, Brisket and Smoked chicken, but they were out of smoked chicken so I missed out on that. Instead, I went with the potent pulled pork and brisket duo, along with a side of cole slaw and beans. The wife had ribs and pulled pork with the same sides. Delivery of the food was quick, but the food itself was not *hot* – just barely warm. It quickly went cold through the meal, which was the most disappointing part of it. Even still, the green beans were properly al-dente and the cole slaw had a great flavor to it. I don’t know how you eat cornbread muffins, but I eat mine hot. Unfortunately, my cornbread was served cold as a corpse – not even enough heat in it to melt the butter that came with it. The brisket was good – it had a nice flavor to it, and the texture was decent. The pulled pork was the best part of the meal, and even tasted very good after cooling to room temperature during my meal. I even stole a little bit of one of my Wife’s ribs, which had a decent flavor, but was definitely not the best rib I had ever had.
None of the meal was drown out with sauces – TJ’s places sauces right where they should be – in a squeeze bottle as a condiment on the table. TJ’s serves their sauce up three ways – their regular has a great set of spices in it and a little bit of sweetness which adds a great flavor to whatever you slather it on (I put it on my cornbread of all things – my wife thought that was weird, but it was the only way to eat it.) Their mustard sauce has a crazy color for barbecue sauce, but a good mustard flavor to it – also a very good sauce. Their hot sauce was also nice – it was spicy, but not too spicy, but certainly had the least taste to it. I found the best sauce was a 50-50 mix of the regular and hot – that offered a nice kick, while still providing the refined taste that their regular sauce had. All in all, a great mix of options for pretty much anyone’s palette.
The verdict on my first visit: Okay, but I probably wouldn’t be a regular there.
Fast forward two months. Last weekend, after a long day of yard work, my wife and I found ourselves late in the evening with no groceries in the cupboard. Not wanting to visit any of our normal places, or any of the chains, we decided that TJ’s would be a quick and adequate place to eat. Besides, I think we were both hoping that we’d have a better dining experience. We did.
Our second visit was more pleasant – the food was served at a reasonable temperature for barbecue, and the meats we had were exceptionally delicious. Being pleased with the sides I ate the first time around, I again ordered green beans and cole slaw. This time, the beans were cooked with minced garlic – a nice, yet potent surprise 
I love garlic, and had no problem with them, but I imagine some people wouldn’t like them (who doesn’t like garlic?!) The only downside to the meal was an overcooked yet cold corn muffin. Next time perhaps I will remember and ask for it to be microwaved or something?
Okay, this is a long review, and I’m being really hard on TJ’s – I realize that, and you should too. My wife and I both enjoyed the food that we ordered – the wait staff was friendly, offered helpful suggestions to those around us who didn’t know what brisket or fried pickles were, and served us promptly. The food is good – not the greatest barbecue I’ve ever had (but I enjoy barbecuing and smoking my own meat, and that’s hard to beat) but certainly a nice refreshing change of pace and a good place to eat.
I was actually blown away – both times we were at TJ’s, the owner and/or head chef walked around the restaurant asking people how their meals were. When he came to our table, I had a mouthful of pulled pork and didn’t get a chance to compliment him on his food. You know when the guy making the food is asking people how it is that he actually cares about his craft. Barbecue is a craft – one that is hard to master. Anyone concerned about what other people think of his work are great in my book.
I will eat at TJ’s, anytime I’m in the mood for pulled pork or smoked chicken and don’t feel like getting my smoker out.
Judges seem to like it – they enjoy the crust on the Veal
