5318 New Hope Commons
Durham, NC
www.dickeys.com
Prices: $6.50–$9 for sandwiches and meat platters, I think
Dickey's is an order-at-the-counter spot, with a large selection of barbecued and smoked meats and your typical sides thrown in. You can get a meat platter with up to three different types or opt for a sandwich instead. I was definitely taken back by the $11 for a one meat plate with two sides and a drink but little did I know, there is a copious amount of meat involved. If you like that, then the price may be right for you.
After ordering, I passed the free soft serve vanilla ice cream and barbecue sauce stations. They offered at least six different sauces and I tried four. I love trying sauces. You don't want to see me at a salsa bar. As for these, well, even the one that was labeled spicy had no bite to it. They all tasted about the same, a bit sweet and a bit vinegary with no stand out winner. Huge, free pickles were also available but the lone one in the jar I saw looked like it might have been there for a decade.
I grabbed a seat at one of the well-kempt wooden booths and tables, complete with a roll of paper towels, a staple of many barbecue establishments. Of course, that takes up a fair bit of room, so there was only so much table left for the large platter I was brought. I ordered the spicy polish sausage, mac and cheese, and creamy potato salad. As with the sauce, the label "spicy" was a misnomer and the sausage impressed only with the sheer amount of grease left on the platter. The mac and cheese featured large shells and a very bland cheese sauce that may or may not have been velveeta. As for the potato salad, it was appealing enough but after too many bites of sausage and soupy pasta, I didn't eat much. The hush puppies, definitely one of my favorite discoveries of life in South, were quite good. I did finish the meal with an ice cream cone and learned that you should not add drippy chocolate sauce to such things unless you like your hands to be sticky.
I guess I'd recommend Dickey's, if you wanted to spend a lot of money for a lot of meat and mostly flavorless accompaniments. As those aren't my cup of tea, I won't be back.
0 stars
