Hamlet Hub Norwalk Editor and resident foodie Andrew Dominick takes a second bite at B*AN*C House. Is the barbeque worth the trip?
By Andrew Dominick
In the summer of 2011, I paid a visit to B.J. Ryan’s B*AN*C House, a BBQ and seafood based restaurant in Norwalk that had just opened its doors. The subsequent review received a good number of views and was also posted on Food Dudes and B*AN*C House’s website. But I had to go back. One reason is obvious: I liked my food that day and the overall experience. However, a problem presented itself. Friends of mine, some whose opinions I trust, claimed to have had terrible experiences. I heard everything from “Disappointing” to “The service sucked” to “The food took too long to come out” and even “My boyfriend’s steak was tough.”
I was shocked and angry that I had written a good review, and this is what I was hearing. I refused to believe that a place could fall so much, so when a Groupon deal for $25 for $50 worth of food came up, I jumped on it. After I bought the deal, I asked my grandmother, who easily likes dry rub BBQ more than I do, to come along.
I had so many questions before going back. Were all the bad 'reviews' true? Did I review this place on the right day? Did everyone else just catch this place on a bad night? Has the food suffered as a result of B*AN*C House’s staff slacking? Or was everyone else just wrong?
I went in expecting bad. Instead, I got what I received the first time, good food and good BBQ. This time I ordered a few appetizers—the bacon-wrapped goat cheese and honey stuffed dates and the B*AN*C Bread. Those bacon wrapped dates were amazing. Everything with bacon is better, but I loved the saltiness of the bacon mixed with the sweetness of the dates and the creaminess of the goat cheese. This app is a must order, but it's a shame that you only get four. I could eat 50. The bread was delicious too. On my first visit, a couple at a table next to me was shoveling the grilled garlic bread with gorgonzola fondue down like a couple of duck pond ducks and suggested I try it sometime. So I did. Even though it was filling, I would rather pay to eat this bread than eat free bread at most places.
What has taken me so long to get at here is this…I still like B*AN*C House. I like it better than Jeff’s and better than Bobby Q’s. I’m not sure what my friend’s tastes are—maybe they're used to BBQ that is heavily sauced. I’m a dry rub guy and always have been. I like to taste the smoked meat, not a bottle of BBQ sauce, and I get that at B*AN*C House even if others do not.
The service was acceptable as well. I like to spend a good chunk of time at dinner and dislike when places throw plate after plate at me. Time between apps and dinner is a good thing. But never did I feel that the wait was excessive. If you had a problem with the service, maybe you went on the wrong night, or you like to eat everything at once.
I have to throw in a shout-out to our waiter who knew about BBQ and talked food with me for most of the night. I dig it when the staff knows what’s up. I even mentioned some of the stuff I was hearing about their food and service and told him what I just told all of you. That conversation also involved Buckley Ryan’s brother, who remembered me from my CBS summer review. Ryan thanked me for coming, and I thanked him then and will thank him again now for the comp of the awesome and homemade key lime pie and fresh coffee.
Give this place a chance. If you dig dry rub, this is still your place.
B. J. Ryan's B*AN*C House
16 River St.
Norwalk, CT 06850
(203) 853-RYAN
http://www.bjryansbanchouse.com/
For more food reviews in Connecticut and beyond (when they have time), check out Andrew Dominick and his two buddies at Food Dudes, where a version of this article originally appeared.