Eating in... Raleigh: The Pit

I love traveling with friends and it's always great when their eating goals align with yours.  When Michelle and I went to Raleigh, we both agreed that barbecue was a must for us.  Michelle had done some research and found The Pit.

It was within walking district of the hotel and after our visit to the expo, we made our way over there.  It was a short 10 minute walk and gave us a chance to check out more of Raleigh.  The fact that it was gorgeous out, didn't hurt either!

We could actually smell the restaurant before we could see it.  We were probably about 2-3 blocks away when the smell of barbecue hit us.  And let me just say, it smelled delicious!

We had made a reservation, which I wasn't sure we needed to, but I figured better safe then sorry.  Turns out it was a good idea as the restaurant was packed and there was a lot of stand by guest waiting for a table.  Since we had the reservation, we were seated within about 2 minutes of checking in with the host.

We started with a small beer from a local brewery.  I had the Shotgun Betty, which is a Hefeweizen style beer from Lonerider Brewing Company based in Raleigh.  It was really good!  Nice and light - perfect for an warm spring afternoon.

Michelle and I decided to split an appetizer and went with the Barbecue Fries.  Here is the description from the menu: hand-cut fries with melted pimento cheese, chopped cue, chives and barbecue ranch dressing.

I can't speak for Michelle, but I thought they were delicious!  The cheese was so rich and tasted great with the meat.  The barbecue ranch was also so good.  I probably could have liked the small bowl it was in.

For my entree, I went with the Double Combo (basically you can pick two of their meats and two sides).  I got the pulled pork and fried chicken with the brussels sprouts and mac'n'cheese.  The fried chicken was fried perfectly: crunchy on the outside and moist in the middle.  The pulled pork was also very good.  It was Carolina style which means it comes dry and you add the sauce yourself.

The sides were also very good - I am pretty sure the mac'n'cheese was made with the same pimento cheese that was on the fries.  It was so good!  I liked the brussels sprouts (they are cooked in bacon!) but were not my favorite item on the plate.  That honor goes to the fried chicken.  I would have eaten of bucket of it!

We were so full from our meals, we decided not to get any dessert, although they looked really good!

If you are in Raleigh, I recommend you check out The Pit!