Last Updated on Saturday, 09 July 2011 13:17

Restaurants - Barbecue Joints

VooDoo BBQ

Mandeville: 2999 Highway 190. 985-629-2021. Map.
Very Casual
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
The four New Orleans locations of VooDoo are among the most convenient and reliable vendors of real barbecue in the area. The menu is more extensive than those of most other barbecue joints. Although some of the barbecue is less than thrilling (there's never quite enough smoke flavor and crusty "bark" for my tastes), the food impresses me more with every visit.

WHY IT'S GOOD
A lot of the food at VooDoo comes from a central commissary. This is a good thing, because the consistency of flavor and seasoning is nearly perfect. It's all slowly smoked--no faking anything there. The three sauces offer interesting contrasts. You get major red pepper from the "mojo" sauce, the thickest of the three. The mango sauce has the expected sweet heat. And the vinegar sauce gives a flavor of the Carolinas for those who like that (and I do). Across the menu, the pepper levels are higher than average. The side dishes are the best offered by any barbecue outfit in the area.

BACKSTORY
VooDoo BBQ was a spinoff, in 2002, of the short-lived Hyde Park Grill, an upscale steakhouse on St. Charles Avenue (where Zea is now). The owners started VooDoo in the old McKenzie's on the corner of St. Charles and Martin Luther King, and set up a major smokehouse operation a block away. Other locations opened and closed over the years, including a substantial number in the Baton Rouge area. The original St. Charles Avenue VooDoo seems to be golden. Some locations are franchises.

DINING ROOM
Each location is different, but all have assisted self-service (you order and pay at the counter and fetch your own drinks, then they bring the food to you). The St. Charles Avenue VooDoo is the most cramped; the one in Mandeville the most spacious.

ESSENTIAL MENU
»Barbecue brisket.
»Barbecue pulled pork.
»Caribbean jerk chicken.
Bone-in barbecue chicken or tenders.
Cajun smoked sausage.
St. Louis ribs.
»BBQ shrimp.
Sandwiches of any of the above.
Hamburger.
Barbecue-stuffed baked potato.
Caesar salad.
Beans.
»Corn pudding.
»Gris-gris greens.
»Cole slaw.
Potato salad.
Macaroni and cheese.
Cheesecake.
White chocolate bread pudding.

FOR BEST RESULTS
Brisket is the best of the offerings. Chicken--available in three different styles--is better than in most barbecue shops. Get extra sides; the corn pudding and the greens are especially tasty.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
Ribs are just okay, and the low point of the menu. (Not tight enough.) The hamburger is strictly for kids who eat nothing else.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

• Dining Environment
• Consistency +1
• Service
• Value +2
• Attitude +1
• Wine and Bar
• Hipness
• Local Color +1

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

• Open Sunday lunch and dinner
• Open Monday lunch and dinner
• Open all afternoon
• Quick, good meal
• Good for children