Last year, The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area launched its HikeCRNRA Challenge inviting hikers to trek all 66 miles of designated trails. This noble mission has been the Herculean quest for intrepid Trailheads, and on Sunday, Guy, Patrick, and Roy completed the final two legs of their incredible journey. Although the trails were short, our bellies demanded rewards for the glory our feet had achieved. We headed to Spiced Right Ribhouse in Roswell.
This barbecue joint is down the road from the global headquarters of the agency Patrick founded– ASO Advertising. The former adman saluted those offices proud the management team wisely relocated close to a barbecue joint. He suspected if he had stayed in the game, he would now weigh 440 lbs. It was good for floors everywhere he left when he did.
Spiced Right knows how to advertise itself. Next to the busy road, a large drum smoker is burning and sending smoke signals of deliciousness to passing nostrils. There was no meat in the smoker. We checked, thinking maybe we could sneak a sample. Inside Spiced Right Ribhouse are helpful people serving smiles. The menu is extensive, running the gamut from breakfast barbecue biscuits to barbecue nachos along with all the old-school offerings. We are traditionalists and ordered our grub, then securing a table out front. Fio joined us, and a friendly young woman brought her a full water bowl. Four Paws up from Fio.
We shared an order of Smoked Chicken Wings but had forgotten the two critical words we always use when ordering wings: extra crispy. We like our wings with some crunch. It makes them more delectable. These wings were good but would have flown higher with more time spent in the fryer. Remember our Trailheads tip: go crispy on wings.
For our main courses, we ran the bases––ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. The ribs and pork were deemed the winners. The signature ribs were lean, meaty, and were so tender they needed duct tape to stick to the bone.
All the meats could have used more smoky goodness wafting across our table from the wood fire by the street. But dressed with the barbecue sauces, the meats delivered the goods. The hot barbecue sauce was excellent, with red pepper flakes providing just the right amount of heat, flavor, and moisture to compliment meats and our appetites.
The sides were exceptional. The slaw was sweet and creamy, the collards delivered authentic Southern flavor, fried okra seasoned to perfection, and the Brunswick Stew was so thick and flavorful, Patrick ate it with a fork. We scarfed our food as Fio raved about the Roswell water. She thinks it's on par with her domestic Sandy Springs vintage 2021 tap water.
We enjoyed our lunches, solved many world problems (leaving a few for next time), and greatly missed the other half of our group. We'll have to bring them here and maybe try the tacos and nachos. As we ate, there was a constant flow of people coming to dine in and carry out. The joint has many fans and can now count Trailheads in its flock.
Rating: Four Ribs*
Spiced Right Ribhouse
635 S Atlanta St, Roswell, GA 30075
spicedright.com
*About Our Barbecue Rating System
Trailheads do not claim to be food experts, epicureans, or sophisticated palettes. We are hungry hikers who attack a selected barbecue venue and ravage our way through whatever smoked fare and fixings they’re dishing.
Our reviews feature what we believe are the highlights of the menu we sampled. So our intent is not to trash talk the saintly folks who tend to smoldering smokers on hot, humid summer days. They are sacrificing themselves in the noble art of smoking meats and feeding the drooling masses. Many are independent entrepreneurs who are the backbone of this humming American economy.
Now that you know our standards, you may wonder why every barbecue place gets a four ribs rating. The answer is easy: we have acclaimed designers in our group, and they think the ribs graphic looks cool.
Who are we to argue? Enjoy.