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1600 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.
(703) 276-7427
Hours of Operation and Prices
Open: Sun-Th 11 am-10 pm, F-Sat 11 am-11 pm
Entrees: $5-$11.50
Other Information
• Credit Cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
• Reservations: Accepted for 15 or more
• Dress: Casual
• Parking: Street
• Nearest Metro: Rosslyn
• Handicapped accessible
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While it's spinning off branches as fast as a pig produces piglets, Red Hot & Blue's original Arlington location always seems to attract a crowd. So expect to wait and not to linger at the table. What are worth waiting for are not just the ribs but also the side dishes. The ribs come wet or dry, and while I usually like the dry - heavily sprinkled with spices rather than sodden with sauce - I don't like the grittyness that comes from pouring on the spices at the end; they should be cooked on the ribs.
So I opt for wet ribs, basted with a thick, sweet-hot sauce that has enough tang to balance the sugar. If you hit it right, the ribs will be crusty and chewy, lightly perfumed with smoke, but sometimes they are overcooked so they are falling off the bone and soft rather than crusty. The accompanying coleslaw is fine, the meaty barbecued beans are nicely spiced, and the beer is icy. Go whole hog and add a loaf of onion rings, thin and crunchy and freshly made.
Red Hot & Blue also serves pulled chicken, barbecued beef brisket and pulled pig, which is a refined version of North Carolina chopped barbecue with big, soft, lean chunks of smoked pork butt brushed with barbecue sauce. Again, I miss the crustiness, but the pulled pig is a generous sandwich served with potato salad. Red Hot & Blue has hit the right chord in this city that's been whining for good barbecue, and now that it's going national, maybe Washington will become known as a barbecue capital.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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