Reviews
Bubba’s BBQ At Casino is Not A Gamble
— By Philippe Montblanc, THE RESIDENT
Some casino restaurants are worth dining at if you happen to be visiting the casino in question. Others rise to the level of being destinations in themselves. An outpost of a Manhattan restaurant of the same name, Big Bubba’s BBQ at Mohegan Sun is worth piling the wife and kids into the family station wagon, even if you have no plans to partake if the as action at the slot machines or gaming tables.
You’ll immediately relax in Big Bubba’s kitschy Southern roadhouse atmosphere augmented by Patsy Cline’s haunting, yet accessible voice. At your table, you’ll find your silverware wrapped in a fluffy white towel clearly intended to encourage you to get “down and dirty” with your food. And when you finish your naming courses, your helpful and personable server will present you with hot wt washcloths.
Big Bubba’s offers a better wine selection than you might expect our of a BBQ joint. It even has old-fashioned ice tea, freshly squeezed lemonade, Stewart’s cream soda and Boylans birch beer or black cherry soda. But my companion and I felt beer was the best accompaniment to BBQ, quaffing Anchor Steam and Brooklyn Oktoberfest.
Big Bubba’s hushpuppies are irresistible. Also a charmer, a bowl of red chili was loaded with great chunks of stringy flavorful brisket. We even liked the barely sweetened little oaf of cornbread that came with the chili (and several other dishes).
Our spinach salad exhibited the kind of subtlety and balance that, frankly can’t be found at most BBQ joints. The spinach was accompanied by slender rings of red onion, chunks of blue cheese, candied pecans and a bacon buttermilk dressing.
Big Bubba’s also offers burgers and hotdogs, po’ boys and BBQ sandwiches. But my companion and I couldn’t wait to get our hands on some BBQ, choosing a Kentucky lamb sandwich featuring flavorful slices of lamb, onion and bread and butter pickles on seeded rye. With it came a fresh tangy coleslaw and a nice potato salad.
Big Bubba’s jambalaya rewarded us with a large portion of cooked rice with tomato, onion, green pepper, andouille sausage, juicy pieces of chicken, and plentiful and burstingly fresh shrimp. This Creole classic was savory enough to hold one’s interest without being incendiary. Big Bubba’s really won our hearts with the big Bubbaque, however. Big enough to feed a small family, the platter included teeth-tingling brisket, pork ribs, Louisiana link sausage, BBQ chicken, pulled pork and two sides of our choice. Words can scarcely express how moist, smoky and flavorful the meats were.
Like great BBQ with nothing to hide, each meal was served with only a touch of sauce or none at all. We had to force ourselves to try Big Bubba’s four BBQ sauces, which include a North Carolina spiced vinegar, a South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce, a sassy, tomato-based Memphis-style sauce, and Bubbas Real Hot, which I’m going to want to buy when the sauces become available.
Desserts also took us south of the Mason-Dixon line. We enjoyed rich peanut butter pie and a wonderful pineapple upside-down cake.
Big Bubba’s offers some of the best BBQ to be found in the Nutmeg State. It may be located in a casino, but its food is no gamble.
