November 5, 2016
HOT SPOT BARBECUE. Hot Spot is a small family owned BBQ restaurant in the old section of Pensacola, near Seville Park where we attended the Arts Festival yesterday. I spotted it as I waited at a traffic light and instantly knew it was a joint I’d want to visit.
You can’t tell a book by its cover, but I can tell quite a bit about a restaurant even from outside.
Once I saw the sign saying the joint had been voted “best of the best” I knew my instincts had been right. Once inside, I learned the place has been voted “best BBQ on the coast” four years in a row.
I could also see that the outside tables were clean and that servers brought out the food. That’s always a plus. I’m never quite as happy at places where you take a number and get your food at the counter when you’re called.
COOKING IS MY HOBBY. As you guys know, cooking is my hobby and I’ve been a wanna be restaurateur for longer than I can remember. I’ve developed an uncanny ability to judge a restaurant by just looking at it from the outside, even driving by on my way elsewhere. This place met my criteria: It appeared clean from the street. The windows weren’t dirty and there was no trash in the parking area. It was painted with colorful BBQ Pigs and there were large, tended smokers in the lot, obviously slow-cooking ribs, brisket and chicken.
Looking good! And one couldn’t just pass it by…the aroma of bbq was so tempting it’d be next to impossible to just drive on by the place.
WE GAVE IT A TRY. So today we tried it and I was right. It was just as nice on the inside, the servers were cheerful and efficient, it had a good “vibe,” the other diners we met were friendly and the food was terrific! So, I decided to publish a short post and file it under “eateries.” In that section of my blog, you’ll find a potpourri of restaurants we’ve enjoyed during our travels across the country.
Colored lights, mirrors and several counter areas make the interior bright and cheery. The guy with the long gray hair sitting at the table in front of Florence lives just a few blocks away. He told us he dines here at least once a week. That’s a good sign that the food would be good. And it was!
A real barbecue joint never has napkins…just paper towels.
Open every day but Sunday.
THE REVIEWS. Southerners generally “know their barbecue” so the reviews I read from the locals were telling. One guy said, “The best life-altering BBQ you can get in Florida. Wow!” And another guy, this one from Texas, stated “The best barbecue in Pensacola. Nothing compares and it is really holding its own against any barbecue place in Texas.” Finally, one gal who reviewed the place said “Loved everything about it. The crazy decor starts with the pigs painted on the outside, followed by Christmas lights strung throughout the dining room and finishes with a balloon poster wall.” And, although I didn’t learn how long the Hot Spot has been in business, I did learn that to date they’ve sold more than 55 tons of ribs! The owners are doing something right to have sold that many ribs, that’s for sure. Florence and I each had a rib plate: Three huge ribs with a couple of sides and a slice of white bread. We had mac n cheese, beans and cole slaw. All were delicious.
COMING UP SOON. We’ve been in Pensacola a long time, but I’ll do my best to keep you entertained until things get more interesting when we hit the road again on January 1, 2017. So, look for posts about a Turkey Shoot, a boat tour in Alabama visiting some historic Civil War battlegrounds and the Blue Angels Homecoming Show. It promises to be a real crowd pleaser. So stay tuned. In the meantime, thanks for joining us.
I’ll continue my story next time.
