Since I moved back to the Triangle, I’ve accumulated a long list of new restaurants to try that weren’t around during my Chapel Hill college days. This area is up and coming in the eatery department, with several restaurants jumping on the locally grown bandwagon. I’ve been happy to see all three cities (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill) featured in recent Bon Appetit write-ups and learn about all the great new places that are popping up to accompany Chapel Hill institutions like Crook’s Corner, Elaine’s and Lantern. So when I read about Raleigh’s barbeque restaurant The Pit in the July edition of Bon Appetit, I knew I had to try it!

from Bon Appetit, July 2008

When my parents came up for a short visit this past Monday night, I decided it would be a perfect time to try out the smoky goodness coming from Pitmaster Ed Mitchell’s kitchen. My mom and I checked out the menu before our outing and were most excited about the B.B.L.T appetizer- biscuits, bacon, lettuce, tomato and pimento cheese!

Once we arrived at the restaurant, I was a little surprised to see such metropolitan decor- it was trendy and comfortable- the kind of place you’d want to go on a date, relax after work or take your family for a nice meal. I was a little worried that the atmosphere might be a reflection of the food- in my experience, the bigger a hole in the wall a place is, the better the barbeque, and this was no shack!

Upon inspection of the in-restaurant menu, I noticed that it had been updated to include information on the local foods used- even the hogs are locally raised on organic farms. For my meal, I went with the Carolina Style Ribs and, per my server’s suggestion, tried the baked beans and deviled eggs on the side. Mom and Dad both got barbeque. We ordered the B.B.L.T., but sadly our server forgot to put in the order and it never arrived. Not to worry, the pre-meal bread basket was FULL of freshly baked biscuits and large golden hushpuppies.

Once our meals were served, I knew I was not going to be disappointed. The ribs were wonderfully smoky and flavorful and my sides were great- the baked beans were slowcooked with meat and the deviled eggs had a kick of dill in them. I tasted some of my parents barbeque and it was without a doubt the best thing on the table- it even overshadowed the ribs! We chose to forego dessert because we were so full, but I was intrigued by the Wild Turkey ice cream accompaniment to the Banana Upside Down Cake.

Needless to say, our meal at The Pit was a great experience and I will definitely be back to try that B.B.L.T. and some Wild Turkey ice cream!