• Still in its infancy, newly opened Blue Belly BBQ in Bella Vista received a visit from Holly Moore, who was blown away by the “outrageous” char on chef Gene Giuffi’s smoked (and later broiled) beef short ribs. The fried oyster sandwich, which features “good sized [oysters]… flour dusted before frying and topped with lettuce, tomato and Old Bay seasoned mayonnaise,” and the pulled pork sandwich both earn high marks. The side dishes, he adds, “are great” too. [Holly Eats]
• Brian Freedman checked out Chinatown’s Vietnam House, where the kitchen turns out “very good, exceptionally affordable food.” First up was the broken rice with BBQ chicken, which he vouches for, saying that it’s “a well-cooked bird, pure and simple, and all the better for it.” The Bun rieu “was fantastic.” The only letdown, he writes, were the “too diminutive” shrimp in the housemade spring rolls. [PW]
• At Pennsport’s The Industry, Adam Erace slips into a Firestone Walker Double Jack, an imperial IPA that he writes “begged for a fireplace and smoking jacket.” Chef Pat Szoke’s “soulful” lamb gravy was his “favorite Industry recipe,” the Ommegang Witte-steamed clams were “tender,” and the “fluffy” arepas “would have pleased a Venezuelan grandma.” [Citypaper]
