I ate at the Pit about 3 weeks ago and I thought the Ribs were very good. I got a couple of sides and they were good but a little different than you might get at some down home place in small town eastern NC. I think that is what confuses people. They pay more but sometimes want the basic grub you get at a roadside place on the way to the beach. The Pit is a little more upscale but so is everything else in DT Raleigh. I talked to Mr. Mitchell and he was very informative.

I have business contacts come to Raleigh and they often say "take us to some place local". Of course, they don't mean some run down Q joint with checkerboard table clothes and some waitress that calls them “Honey”, but a place where you can have a business meal with local ties and local tastes that one can order wine, beer or spirits. I once took them to 42st OB but never again. The Pit may be that place.

I do think they were working out some kinks but that will come around. I did order the Brunswick stew as a app. It was different than Smithfield’s or Parkers and was more of a soup but it was good. Maybe a little more spice would have been better but there were sauces to help that along.

If you want green bean casserole like your mom makes at the July 4th picnic and nothing else matters, maybe you should go someplace else, but if you want something a little more refined that keeps the NC BBQ tradition alive, give it a try.

Just don’t expect cheap décor, a plastic glass full of sweet tea and a 3 section plastic plate.