18th and Vine in Kansas City, Missouri is internationally recognized as one of the cradles of jazz music and a historic hub of African-American businesses. So a BBQ restaurant in Nashville bearing the same name has a really high standard to live up to when it comes to Southern BBQ.

18th & Vine BBQ is an upscale Kansas City barbeque, full-service restaurant and bar. Chef Scott Gottlich has developed a unique menu in a comfortable yet casually chic environment. Scott has created a delightfully upscale experience where you can sip craft cocktails and eat ribs with your hands.

Not what you would expect from a bbq joint. It’s upscale, feels like a large home, and has a smoky aroma but no smoke inside. If you want to have Bbq in an elegant atmosphere, this is your spot.

Starters

Battered and then deep fried, the deeply satisfying fried okra is a southern comfort snack that is a perfect starter that goes down with the ice cold beers.

Another nice starter we had was the hot smoked salmon with toasts, chopped red onions, peppercorns, and sour cream. Spread some sour cream and then take a bit of all condiments and salmon on the toast. Yummy treat.

And the last starter we shared was burnt ends from the BBQ that tasted like Chinese charsiu. Not sure if they are carcinogenic but they were so good.

Kansas City Barbecue

Kansas City-style barbecue refers to the specific regional barbecue style of slowly smoked meat that originated from the pit of Henry Perry in the early 1900s in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas City barbecue is characterized by its use of a wide variety of meats: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, sausage, and sometimes even fish. Just about any type of barbecued meat served in the country’s other barbecue capitals, from pulled pork to brisket to beef ribs and pork ribs in a number of different cuts, is served in KC-area barbecue restaurants. Burnt ends – the crusty, fatty, flavorful meat cut from the point of a smoked beef brisket – are much in demand.

Kansas City barbecue is rubbed with spices, slow-smoked over a variety of woods and served with a thick tomato-based barbecue sauce, which is an integral part of KC-style barbecue. Most local restaurants and sauce companies offer several varieties with sweet, spicy and tangy flavor profiles, but the staple sauce tends to be both sweet (often from molasses) and spicy. Kansas City barbecue is also known for its many side dishes, including a unique style of baked beans, French fries, coleslaw, and other Southern-food staples.

The smoker is made for sharing, but there’s a sampler of one person called Two’que (2Q) plate that comes with two choices of BBQ and a side.

Competition style ribs were good. Not “fall of the bone” tender, but not rigid either.  A bit too dry, but the sauce was too sweet, and there was only one sauce.

Low and slow brisket needs more bark and less cooking. Too fatty for my preference, almost like working through a pork belly.

Take some Brussels sprouts and roast them over the smoker, that how these sweet and smokey sprouts came about. Great little side for the BBQ that provided a separate flavour profile.

Dessert

American desserts are usually, how to put it, BIG!!! And sweet.

Fried apple pies are like sweet curry puffs. Reminded me of the McDonald’s apple pies and the hot pies with cold vanilla ice cream are a deadly combination.

Brownie a la mode if more like a decadent chocolate cake than a brownie, but so perfect with the sauces, ice cream, and pecans.

I don’t like fruit desserts, but this cherry cobbler was really good. Granola, hot cherries, not too syrupy and just right

This is what I know : fried okra is beautiful, cobbler is divine, and burnt ends make the world a better place.

18TH & VINE BBQ
4100 Maple Ave, Dallas, TX 75219
Tel : (214) 4438335

Restaurant – Home Page

Date Visited : May 2018