2 for $25: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

The Pork Bar-B-Que platter ($8.50), with Cajun corn and mashed potatoes. (Credit: Jay Capers)

I’ve never written one of these columns while eating at home before. And I have to admit that it bites, because I’m writing about Dinosaur Bar-B-Que — “a genuine honky-tonk rib joint” that serves darn good grub and eating a microwaved Morningstar Chik Patty, which I usually find satisfying. Focus …

The mood
Busy, busy, busy. The people are busy (get there early for lunch because there’s quite the crowd by noon), the walls are busy (smothered in old signs, posters and paintings), even the menu is busy (so much to choose from; maybe that’s why my editor, Enid, who accompanied me on a recent Friday afternoon, orders the same thing every time she comes here).

In the heart of downtown overlooking the Genesee River, this place rocks (check out the live music six nights a week; for a taste, call the restaurant and jam while you’re on hold).

The food
On this trip, I didn’t look at the menu, opting instead for the Friday special: a catfish sandwich ($7.95). I decided to make my meal a platter by adding two sides (for an extra $2.55): a mixture of rice, beans and ground sausage and Dinosaur’s always-tasty cornbread.

Topped with cabbage and what was described as a spicy tartar sauce, the sandwich was pretty good. But I barely tasted the tartar sauce. Turns out, it wasn’t all that spicy. The tender rice/beans/sausage mixture was another story — a perfect combination of each ingredient with just the right kick.  been available as a main dish. Darn my need for variety.

Enid, true to form, ordered the Pork Bar-B-Que platter ($8.50), choosing Cajun corn and mashed potatoes as her two sides. She grew up in Florida on corn and mashed potatoes, so “it’s a little Southern comfort here,” she says. The menu’s not kidding when it says the pork, smoked “low and slow, the ol’ timey way,” is piled high. Enid was full long before finishing her sandwich.

The restaurant serves lots of other pork dishes, beef and chicken dishes and, for all you vegetarians, portobello sandwiches. Fries are cooked in canola oil, so there’s “zero trans fat crapola,” assures the menu.

The drinks
Twenty-four draft beers and 52 bottled beers range from $3 to $4.50. Mixed drinks start at $4.25. One of the more popular specialty drinks is the $7 Bourbon Smash, made with 2 oz. of Jim Beam bourbon, fresh, muddled pineapple, homemade spiced syrup and fresh mint leaves. Fountain drinks are $1.75.

The damage: $24.74

Next time … I’ll get the Pork Porto platter ($10.50) — a barbecued portobello mushroom topped with pulled pork, melted Swiss and red onion — with mashed potatoes and red beans and rice.