Kennedy Barbecue

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Best Barbeque Hands Down: I grew up in Ohio, lived in Arizona, Maryland, and now Virginia and I have to say that this place is one the best memories I have of weekend outings with my parents and sister. My parents loved GOOD food, whether it was a four star restaurant or a hole in the wall place, it had to TASTE extraordinary. They instilled in me a love of worldly cuisine -- but most importantly they taught me to not be fooled by pretentious critics' reviews, but rather, rely on my own judgement for what was best. I've found this to be true and I've collected a number of places nationwide that I consider to be phenomenal restaurants -- by my own standards. This is one of them. As the saying in a song goes, "there may be dust on the bottle, but don't let it fool you about what's inside". Many of the best places I've dined are "hole in the wall" places owned by common people with a passion for fine ingredients and cooking, often passed down from family traditions. Every once in a while, my parents would take us to a place off the beaten path -- the pearl covered in mud so to speak. Kennedy's has been in business since the 30s - at least. My family would head to this place for lunch on weekends and it felt like I had stepped into the past of the 1940s WWII era. The wooden screen door that would clap shut behind us was the only barrier separating the diners from the modern world outside. To sum it up: this place is serious about barbeque. Once inside, your mouth starts watering, for you can't help but smell the wonderful aromas of real old fashioned barbeque. Nothing has changed about the place since it opened, which I'm guessing was the 20s or 30s. A lot of people think that barbeque means to DROWN meat in sauce - which only masks the flavor (or lack thereof) of the meat. But HONEST barbeque is in the SMOKING of the meat, which, if done properly doesn't even NEED sauce -- I know, that sounds like blasphemy, but one bite of this stuff and you'll know exactly what I mean. The smoking of their meats is done ON THE PREMISES in a smokehouse behind the restaurant. My father is a World War II Marine Corps veteran and came here as a child. He shared that memory with me and my sister, and we grew up looking forward to our trips to Kennedy's. I'm 37 now (yes, he was in his 50s when I was born) and I can't wait to share it with my own family. A legacy that hopefully will never disappear. Kennedy's, you gave me one of the best memories of my childhood -- and for that I can't thank you enough. I look forward to taking my husband to Canton, Ohio on a road trip from his native Virginia. This will be one of the first stops we make. He doesn't yet understand my passion for this place -- but he will and he will also become hooked. I can't wait to share this last remaining best kept secret of America with him. Keep the smoke fires burning! And thank you again for a wonderful childhood memory.

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