You may well have heard of Red Dog Saloon, they've been open on Bold Street for a while now but I'm ashamed to say my first visit was just last week. I'm not really sure why, but I suppose in the flurry of new restaurants opening this year this one just slipped through the net.
After all, I am just one tiny person and there's only so much eating my waistline (and my bank balance) will allow. With Liverpool now crammed full of new and exciting food-stuffs, American food sadly falls towards the lower end of my list.
Now, having visited, I'm sorry I didn't go sooner. It is of course USA through and through but definitely not in a Disneyland-themed sort of way. It's far from tacky, a huge space laden with dark stained wood, leather and mood lighting-admittedly much more sophisticated than I was expecting.
The menu is equally as well thought out and authentic as the interior. Each of the Red Dog restaurants use a USA-imported smoker and Hickory woodchips to recreate that incredible low 'n' slow BBQ taste the Southern states are famous for.
Take the ribs for example. They're served in mammoth chunks with no sign of a sickly red rib sauce in sight. It is all about the meat, lightly smoked, dry rubbed and satisfyingly tender. Likewise, the fried chicken is some of the best I've had in Liverpool- ridiculously juicy with a crispy skin far better than any of the Colonel's.
The portion sizes are equally as American, in an excellent 'Supersize Me' sort of way, demonstrated clearly by the onion rings that were just about bigger than my actual skull.
(I mean, I'm known for having a pea head but still-they're big.)
On the side of the meats we also tucked into coleslaw, salted fries, a mountain of dips and BBQ sauces and, of course, some soft and melty Brisket mac and cheese.
In my opinion the food at Red Dogs is everything good BBQ food should be: authentic, tasty, good quality and MESSY. Oh and the booze is cheaper than the milkshakes! If you fancy your own BBQ fix you can find them on their website here or follow the scent of BBQ down Bold Street.
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*I was kindly invited to review Red Dog Saloon but as always all opinions are honest and my own.