Catering Companies, Restaurants, Barbecue
Date Spot, Family-Friendly Dining, Group Dining, Lunch Spot, Outdoor Dining
In the pursuit of tasty barbeque, Russell Street Bar-B-Que found sauces and meats vary greatly from place to place. To honor and celebrate those differences, we offer several sauces representing different American regions. Meats are lean and clean, everything else is made from scratch. The pork and brisket come from Carlton Farms, a local grower and distributor since 1956. Carlton Farms' meat is fresh and natural. That means no artificial ingredients or coloring, no hormones and no preservatives. The beef ribs are from Strawberry Mountain. The chicken is from Draper Valley Farms. Neither antibiotics nor growth hormones are used in the feed or water. No animal by-products or animal fats are added to the chicken's diets. Our seafood is always wild.
I am not a huge fan of barbequed food but my husband is. So we went and it was actually pretty good!!! I was surprised at how well I liked it. Service was good also!! They were very attentive to us and filled our water glasses without having to be told. Very nice experience.
Posted 05/09/05 | Report Abuse
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I grew up in North Carolina. That pretty much makes me a barbecue snob. In North Carolina it's all about the pulled pork sandwich, served on a bun with fiery vinegar sauce and coleslaw. Sadly, this food of the gods doesn't exist in the Pacific Northwest, so satiating my craving in Portland has proved challenging...until I happened upon Russell Street Barbecue. They make a very respectable pulled pork sandwich. It's not the stuff of the gods, mind you, but it's pretty darn close. The pork is moist with a nice smokey flavor, and the sauce I tried (they have several) was spicy and tangy. They have decent sides too, including a delicious mac and cheese. Finally, the prices are reasonable (a lot of places charge a fortune for barbecue that usually isn't even very good). If you are one of those folks who knows barbecue, Russell Street won't dissappoint in the way almost every other barbecue joint does. These folks know what they're doing. I think they have beef barbecue as well, but who really cares when there's pork?
Posted 04/21/05 | Report Abuse
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I am a cookbook author, restaurant critic, and host of a cooking show and i found Russell St. to be magnificent, great service, great ribs, great fries, great desserts, great staff, and overall the best I've had west of the Mississippi.
Can't believe the person who said it didn't deserve a ten then showed their bbq ignorance by asking for "cheese" on a pulled pork sandwich. Who is this person, obviously never eaten southern bbq in their lives, that review is a disservice to the excellence we've found here.
It deserves an 11 for putting everything together in a superb bbq restaurant.
Pros: price-food--service-ambiance-soul
Cons: parking sometimes, but worth the effort
Posted 07/16/06
My wife and I have been looking for a good rib place for a long time and now we have found one! I had the Babyback ribs which were to die for! My wife had the Meatapalooza that was soooo delicious. And the sides were also really tasty (the greens and beans were wonderful). Top this off with good service and you can't go wrong. The only thing my wife and I would recommend Russell's fix is the cornbread. It was good tasting, but should be warmed before serving and arrive with some butter (honey-butter is often used elsewhere).
Pros: good food, good service, good price
Cons: cold cornbread
Posted 04/08/06
I have eaten at every almost BBQ joint in town. Busters, Cambpells, Big Daddy's, Reo's, the little stand by New Seasons on NE 33rd, Tennessee Red's, Clay's, and probably several others I am forgetting.
Russel Street is the best. Period.
The owners are great, the food is wonderful, they serve Laurelhurst beer and root beer, and they have - believe it or not - vegetarian BBQ too. Their pork kicks arse, their brisket is wonderful. The turkey so tasty and their hot links are superb. They have great sauces - and the best part is they use natural meats - so no antibiotics or hormones or mad cow... Just good meat.
Their desserts rotate and their specials change every so often. They have the some of the best greens outside of the south, and their other sides are tops as well.
If you like BBQ, you MUST try Russel St.
Pros: natural meats, great value, vegetarian friendly
Cons: bland atmosphere
Posted 03/06/06
We LOVE RSBBQ--period. The atmosphere is great for a couple or group of friends. The service is friendly, the decor is simple and fun. The FOOD is why you'll LOVE it, too. They excel at pork--ribs, sandwiches, etc--and the sides are great, too. Must haves: greens, cornbread, fries and mac-n-cheese. Also they make amazing BBQ salmon, and the our all-time-fav, the BBQ shrimp in mustard sauce is heavenly! Old fashioned peppermint ice cream to clean your palate after dinner is the best.
It can be a long wait on Fri/Sat nights...good time to go is Sunday for lunch right when they open the door. Oh, yeah--they also crank out commercial free smokin' blues--enjoy! :-)
Pros: FOOD, Staff, Music
Cons: Noise/Volume
Posted 02/11/06
We have eaten here countless times and everything is consistently excellent and sometimes supreme. This place cares about their customer and does everything possible to make you feel welcome and serve you the greatest meal you have ever had. I personally have never been anywhere where time after time everything is perfect
Pros: ribs, coleslaw, fries
Cons: distance
Posted 01/28/06
Back to Carolina for barbeque! I have found Barbeque Perfection in Portland at Russell Street. In fact, my last visit to old NC left me eager for Russell Street's "Q." And I put my $$ where my mouth is: I have officially eaten more than 100 barbeque dinners at RSBBQ. Most of them have been my all-time favorite: Pulled Pork Plate, greens (world's best with a few drops of NC vinegar), slaw (goes right onto the "Q" for a delectable mixture), classic sauce with a dash of ultra-hot Frank's, Texas toast, and a huge glass of sweet tea to wash it all down (if you're from back east, there is no other kind of tea). The only way to improve is by adding hush puppies and baked chocolate pie - but those are a meal in themselves. Great food; great staff; great place - it's Barbeque Perfection!!!
Pros: Great Food, Great Staff, Fun/Friendly Place
Cons: Not One!!!
Posted 01/20/06
I've been to RSBBQ at least five times now and I'm not seeing the "10" about it. All the meats have been dry and sauces lacking in flavor. Besides that, I always leave feeling like I spent too much for what I got. The two things I will recommend are the smoked turkey salad and pulled pork sandwiches (just be sure to ask for cheese and extra sauce), even though even the price of the salad made me squirm ($10). On the bright side, they are really nice people.
Pros: atmosphere, staff
Cons: price, dry meat, boring sauce
Posted 12/10/05
We have tried just about everywhere in the Portland Metro area and had come to the conclusion that our BBQ at home was the best...til we tried Russell Street BBQ. The pulled pork was moist and tender. The meat fell off the bone on the baby backs and the brisket fell apart when we ate it. I would suggest the Meatalapooza a super value at $15 with TONS of food. The mac and cheese wasn't as good as mine but the greens rocked and so did the potato salad and the fries w/chipolte mayo! It was a little hard to talk with friends because of the echoing off the hardwood floors but the staff were super and attentive. PS: The hot bbq sauce made my husband break a sweat and don't let the term 'mustard' turn you away...because the mustard bbq sauce was the best!!
Pros: bbq, staff, price
Cons: wait time for food
Posted 10/08/05
This is Carolina style Q, so you know pork is king. The baby backs were lean and pefectly cooked with the meat falling off the bone. The pulled pork is equally well executed, and this is one of the few places you'll find outside of North Carolina that serves authentic vinegar based pig sauce. They also have a Georgia style mustard sauce, a classic Western North Carolina tomato based sauce, and a hot version of the classic as well. The sides we tried were all excellent, especially the white cheddar mac & cheese, and the fried peach pies dusted with cinnamon were to die for.
Brisket lovers note that while the brisket here has a good smokey flavor and is moist, it's definitely not Texas style. Also, the sauces here really work better with pork. A solid effort but not quite on quite the same lofty level as their pork.
Pros: pork BBQ, off-street parking, friendly service
Posted 04/25/05
I love this place! The staff is warm and welcoming, the food is delicious and it the decor is fun and down home. The little pigs everywhere make for some fun while you wait for your food. The food choices are creative and unusual, I always order strawberry soda with my BBQ and enjoy a dessert- last time they had cherry cupcakes (my favorite).
Go here with your friends or your honey and share the love!
Pros: food, fun, inexpensive
Cons: crowded
Posted 04/15/05
Being from North Carolina, I am very picky about my barbecue, and have found it difficult to find the distinctive east coast carolina style I prefer. No such problems here, and my companion (who favors St. Louis style) was very pleased as well. Really busy at lunch (bunch of smart eaters) but service was friendly and attententive for volume level. Delicious beer selection, too, just right for quenching the thirst induced by perfectly messy, drippy, spicy pulled pork. YUM!!
Pros: beer, lots of styles, service
Cons: parking, little too well lit
Posted 02/15/05
From the very cool ambience that resonants of a small southern town cafe, to the traditional but inspired southern style menu, your taste buds will be in heaven. This place is like the Lay's potato chip commerical...bet you can't just eat there once!!!
Pros: Excellent Food, Moderately Priced, Dress Casual
Posted 11/19/04
Russell Street brings the best complete barbeque dining experience to Portland of any restaurant this side of the Atlantic (yes, it's THAT good). Every aspect of every dish, even sides, shows attention to detail, and culinary expertise that are second to none. The pulled pork is better than you can get South of the Mason Dixon, the beef ribs (if you can get them) are outstanding, but the best thing there is the pork ribs - you will literally have to force yourself to stop eating. Give yourself a treat, drop by and have a lunch or dinner - you'll be thanking yourself over and over and over and over and over.
Pros: Incredible Food, Very Friendly Staff, Great Atmosphere
Posted 11/06/04
Our family has returned a number of times since our first visit. The food and service have been consistently excellent with each visit. The range of sauces will match with any person's taste. the meats are top quality, especially the ribs - which simply fall off the bones in their eagerness to reach your taste buds. And make sure to save room for the desserts. What reallty makes a dinner here special, though, is the friendly and capable wait staff. We love this place!
Pros: Quality of Meats, Service, Sauces
Cons: , Outside seating, Preparation time
Posted 08/31/04
Most tender, juicy ribs, and yet the leanest in town. The spicy sauce is the best sauce I've ever had. The collard greens perfect, the beans incredible everytime. The place is immaculate, the service is great, and on top of all this they use organic wood to smoke their ribs, all natural non animal by product fed pork, beef, and they don't use trans fats to fry like most places now a days. I'm so in love with this place i've recommended it to everyone.
Pros: ribs, great sauces, sides are perfect, clean/good service
Cons: , needs cornbread
Posted 08/28/04
We'll I don't claim to be an expert on BBQ, But I know tender ribs when I see them. I could not even pick up the ribs with out the meat falling off. Very Tender. The sides were great! The shoe string french fries were very good. Even better that mcmenamins!. I even got a free fried chocolate pie for It being my birthday! My only complaint is the mac and cheese was a little bland. But I think I am just use to the boxed stuff.
I would highly recomend this place for BBQ
Pros: friendly staff, good parking, 5 choices for sause
Posted 07/27/04
This has turned out to be one of favorite places for BBQ. You don't have to pick-up the baby backs, the meat just falls off the bones. The greens are perfectly done and absolutely delicious. The only thing wrong with the candied yams is that your side portion is not enough. I could eat a whole plate of them. The taste like they simmered all day in brown sugar.
My only constructive criticism is that the toast is worth putting on the plate, switch to cornbread. The mac & cheese leaves something to be desired, not very creamy. And last, there is no pecan pie.
But I will continue to come back and I will continue to ask for Pecan Pie even though I know its not there.
Pros: Ribs, Prices Resonable, Wait Staff
Cons: , Garlic Toast
Posted 05/22/04
You've gotta try this place...the meat is incredible, especially the pork, and sides are great. Reasonable prices compared to other, less than stellar, Portland que restaurants.
Pros: Pork, Atmosphere, Kale
Posted 04/24/04
This is one of the few restaurants in town that remains consistently excellent. Whether my husband and I pop in for lunch with our toddler on Saturday for a beef brisket sandwich (with classic sauce, add pimento cheese) and mac & cheese, meet a large group of friends for a celebration (family style makes it EASY), or go out on a week night or two (the bursting with flavor chopped turkey salad is my favorite order) I always get the same quality service, food, and experience. The new big booths provide a sound barrier and lots of entertainment for my active little one, and I appreciate the addition of liquor for nights we get a babysitter! My 11 year old niece said when visiting from New Mexico, "I have never had better fries in my life...and I've eaten a LOT of fries!" She still talks about them every time we speak. So go, enjoy, and you too will experience the magic that is RSQ.
Pros: Consistent, friendly, food: chopped turkey salad, mac & cheese, beef brisket, pork ribs, fries
Cons: none
Posted 04/04/04
I enjoyed the great meat at this place. No gristle here. The beer was also great! Their selection of deserts was outstanding!
Pros: Friendly Service, Beer, Meat
Posted 03/31/04
Finally, a Portland BBQ place that "gets it". Smoke and Sauce are the key points of Q, and this place has it. Pork is the best item on the menu, brisket in my opinion shouldn't be shredded (cos then it's just chopped beef) -- it should be sliced. The tofu and shrimp Q is intriguing. Greens ROCK! Yes, yes, yes! Shoestring fries are hand-cut -- fresh and crispy.
Pros: Pork, Greens, Fries
Posted 03/06/04
