4 Rivers Smokehouse

Eating in and around Walt Disney World was beginning to get on my nerves and really going against my food blogging ideals.  Not only were we subjecting ourselves to expensive fare, the food was as creative as a stick figure drawing.  I can only talk about mediocre touristy food that much without losing my lunch literally and figuratively.  Hence, I decided to drive North up towards Orlando (not really, more like NW to Winter Garden) to experience some BBQ at 4 Rivers Smokehouse.

I decided to get a taste of as much as I could handle with the 1/2 rack of the St. Louis Style Ribs and adding Angus Brisket as well as Burnt Ends.  This meal also came with 3 sides and a biscuit.  I thought the ribs were pretty moist considering the cooking process.  They fell off the bone and there was still fatty portions left.  I liked the exterior bark as it was flavorful and aesthetically-pleasing.  There was a subtle smokiness which was a nice compliment to the balanced BBQ sauce which was tart, sweet and slightly spicy.  Sufficiently moist was the beef brisket as it was smoky and meaty.  Again, the bark was fantastic.  I wasn't a huge fan of the burnt ends as they were presented like pulled pork.  I prefer mine to be in chunks.  It was good though with lots of caramelized flavors packed in every bite.  For my sides, I had the Fried Pickles, Fried Okra and Baked Cheese Grits.  The fried pickles were on point being crispy and crunchy.  The fried okra was cardboard type crunchy which I wasn't particularly fond of.  Loved the cheese grits as they were cheesy and just really good.

Viv ended up with the Pulled Pork Sandwich with 2 sides.  I thought the pork was again, sufficiently moist and slightly smoky.  It wasn't oversauced so we could still taste the natural meat flavor.  Besides, one could add as much BBQ sauce as they wanted.  The bun was soft and held up to the last bite.  She went with bacon-wrapped Smoked Jalapenos and BBQ Beans where the former was indeed very spicy.  She thought the baked beans were too sweet though as if she were eating liquid candy.  For my daughter, she went for the well-priced kid's Smoked Turkey Slider with a side of Mac n' Cheese and a fountain drink.  Great deal for $4.49 in my books.  Presented on a similarly soft bun, the slices of white meat were lean and a touch dry.  Good smokiness and exterior rub though.  The mac n' cheese was creamy in a Velvetta way, but still decent.  

My son went the boring route and had the Hot Dog with Fries.  It was a standard BBQ'd hot dog with crispy fries on the side. I'm beginning to doubt he's related to me...  But one things for sure, 4 Rivers serves up good food for a reasonable price.  There was more than enough food for 6 people, let alone 2 adults and 2 kids.  Sadly, I'd have to travel all the way to Florida to pay them a visit again.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Lots of choice
- Solid eats

The Bad:
- Some dry items (but it wasn't meant to be juicy either)
- Limited seating inside, hence you sit outside where it can be hot