BBQ seems to be a pretty big deal in the South, and this is just as true in New Orleans despite the French influence. Supposedly the best place for it is The Joint, but for some stupid reason The Joint has chosen to not be open on Sundays. As a current business school student I can’t comprehend this, but we had a backup plan and made our way to VooDoo BBQ in the Garden District/Uptown.
Walking in, the place looked almost like a fast food restaurant, which was a bit off-putting. And upon further research, while VooDoo has spawned a bit of a chain, this spot was at least the original. I ordered the Signature Pulled Pork Platter, which came with the aforementioned pulled pork, as well as two sides and corn bread. For the sides I went with Mac and Cheese and Corn Pudding.
The food came served on something like butcher paper on top of tray and just kind of lying there. I liked this. I also liked combining the tangy sauce with the spicy sauce (there was also a normal sauce) to create a good mix for the pulled pork. Of course, the pulled pork was already packed with flavor, but a bit on the dry side. Whether this was on purpose or not is unknown to this unvegan, but clearly the sauce was there for a reason. As for the sides, the mac and cheese, as well as the corn bread were pretty normal without being either good or bad. The corn pudding, though, was both strange and awesome at the same time. I had never eaten anything like it before and likely never will again, which is somewhat sad.
Despite the fast food-like face of VooDoo BBQ, the food did not disappoint. It wasn’t groundbreaking and only a little bit special (dat corn pudding), but seemed almost like the Chipotle of BBQ: simple, reliable and tasty without any surprises. Perhaps not the best way to end my visit to New Orleans, but it could have been a whole lot worse.
