We'd both been very good this week. Our schedules showed religious outings to the gym -- you know, the kind that seem to show up on everyone's calendars the weeks before Spring Break. We were in the zone -- running, crunching, kickboxing, sweating -- we'd been doing it all.
Needless to say, we felt we had earned a break from the carb-free, fat-slimming programs we had been "attempting." And in order to get our fix, we decided to pack it all in and go to Sweetbones Grill on Pantops.
Now for those of you without cars, Pantops is an area of Charlottesville about 10 minutes east of Grounds. It's more of a residential area, also known for its car dealerships. But do not be misled -- there are some good places to eat along the way.
Situated in the Eckerd shopping center on the south side of the Route 250 Bypass, Sweetbones appears to be nothing more than a quaint Southern BBQ joint when viewed from the street. Upon entering, guests are welcomed by an array of bright white lights and a nicely sized porch that is open for business in the warmer months.
Inside, it was pure down home country folk -- a scene that brought Allison back to her Prince George roots. The first thing we noticed was the plethora of flannel -- quite a change from the Polo horsies and Lacoste gators seen so often at the University, but a welcomed one.
And although some might have felt a bit out of place among the many families and double dates, we found ourselves perfectly at ease at our table (we really wanted one of the four wooden booths, but oh well).
Looking around, we were a bit confused by the metropolitan motif Sweetbones seemed to be going for. Hanging on all corners of the main eating room were framed posters from major U.S. cities, an odd accompaniment to the life-sized Dale Earnhardt Jr. poster situated in the restaurant's sports bar in the next room. We just let it slide.
One quick glance at the menu, and we could tell this was going to be a week's worth of Weightwatchers' points (not that either of us are on the diet plan, but still). They have 12 different starters, three soups, four salads, thirteen burgers/sandwiches, five wraps, fourteen entrees and eight sides. We were in that eater's heaven place yet again.
While making our decision, we both sipped on excellent sweet tea. Ordering this has become a tradition of ours, and the tea here definitely rated highly.
To start our meal, we decided to go with two starters -- an order of wings ($5.95) (medium hot, lemon pepper flavored) and fried green tomatoes ($3.50).
Despite taking forever to come out, the wings were decent, although not quite as good as Wild Wings. The lemon pepper was a good choice -- not too much seasoning, not too spicy and not too greasy. Upon further consideration, next time we suggest splurging and ordering the 25-piece chicken wing sampler ($12.95), giving you a chance to try more of the 22 flavors Sweetbones offers. (NOTE: Tuesday is wing day -- $.30 per wing).
We won't lie to you, seeing fried green tomatoes on the menu really made our day. We immediately agreed to order them and then began discussing scenes from the movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes" -- you know the one with Jessica Tandy.
Anyway, they were just as bad for you as in the movie, but oh so good. Fried in a crisp and slightly sweetened cornmeal batter, each bite was better than the last. In addition, the honey mustard type sauce that accompanied the tomatoes was a nice addition, but one we felt was unnecessary given our love of the normal taste. It needed no masking.
For our main course, we ordered the Santa Fe Chicken wrap ($6.95) with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and a half-rack of Sweetbones ribs ($13.95) with sweet potato fries. Each was extremely generous in portion and almost too large for our petite table.
The wrap was decent, and we likened it to a Philly Chicken Cheese Steak sandwich of sorts. The wrap was juicy, but the abundance of chopped chicken made it very gritty. The mashed potatoes, on the other hand, were first rate.
As for the ribs, they filled us up but didn't send us back for more. While tasty, with a tangy Southern BBQ sauce on top, the meat was a bit too tough for our liking. Plus, after all the starters, we were just too full for something that hefty.
The sweet potato shoestring fries were a nice addition, however. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these lightly browned fires were seasoned just right and made for some nice picking throughout our meal.
In addition to the items we tried, Sweetbones encourages patrons to test other popular items like their BBQ sandwich ($6.95) or their grilled marinated chicken breast sandwich ($6.95), both of which come with your choice of side dish. The BBQ sandwich comes with either pork or sliced beef and a choice of Comeback or Carolina BBQ sauce (Carolina is sweeter).
Overall, Sweetbones was a great place for settling our craving for less than healthy fare, but not a place we would run back to. Its poor location and its adequate BBQ food make it a one-stop spot in our opinion. Plus, with BW3s, Big Jim's and Wild Wings all closer to the University, the choice is simple.
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