REVIEW: Ribs on the Run

The wheel. Sliced bread. The Internet. These are all miracles of invention, things that have changed our lives inexorably. Well, I think it is reasonable to add barbecue to that list. The genius of smoked meats is something I will never take for granted. Nor will I ever tire of its flavor. With that in mind, what better way to kick off this food blog than to do a review of my favorite local barbecue joint, Ribs on the Run. Located in Yonkers, NY, this take-out restaurant is (unfortunately) one of the best-kept secrets in the area. I have spent many an occasion introducing newbies to this place. "Good BBQ in Westchester?" people say with skepticism. Ah, the joy of disproving people's doubts!

Tonight, I ventured to Ribs on the Run with Haley and Rickey Henderson, both of whom are contributors to this blog. I wisely dragged Haley to this place years ago, amounting to a "barbecue mitzvah" on my part. But this was, excitingly enough, Rickey's first time-- and while I'll let him speak for himself, I think he enjoyed the food quite a bit.

As I said above, Ribs on the Run is a take-out restaurant. This means that while there are tables inside, it is by no means a legit sit-down restaurant. This is a place where you get your food and either go home and eat it, or eat it at a table off of a plastic tray and out of Styrofoam boxes. What, you got a problem with that?

So, let's get down to the food. If you're going to a place called "Ribs on the Run," you are legally obligated to order their house specialty-- the barbecue ribs. Something magical happens in whatever rib-smoking/cooking contraption these guys have back in the kitchen, because since I've started eating there (going back to early 1990s), the ribs have been nothing less than excellent. We're talking tender pork ribs that fall off the bone-- juicy and meaty all the way through. And the sauce? Not too sweet, not too bitter, but balanced and a perfect companion to the ridiculously tasty ribs.

What else do they serve at Ribs on the Run? Well, if you must veer away from the ribs, they do offer a full menu of deep-fried goodness (fried mozzarella, fried zucchini, fried ravioli, fried clam strips, fried corn fritters, etc.). No, I don't believe they offer salads. But they do offer rib combo platters (pair these succulent ribs with some fried shrimp, BBQ chicken or whatever the heck else you feel like). And the dinner platters come with a generous supply of French fries, cornbread and cole slaw (the slaw is nothing short of awesome as well). But really, the main attraction is in the restaurant's name-- just go there and eat the ribs. You will not be disappointed.

SCORE: Out of a possible five ribs:
4.5

P.S. If you're ordering for a large group (four or more) do yourself a favor and go with the Party Pack-- you get two racks of ribs, several large pieces of BBQ chicken, cole slaw, fries, macaroni salad, potato salad and a nice-sized cut of cornbread. And if you have leftovers, consider yourself lucky. The fries are nice re-heated in the frying pan with some scrambled eggs the next morning.