Cue the flying pigs
Many barbecue places feel thrown together — assembled on a shoestring by a guy who fancied himself a backyard expert.
When Pigs Fly, a new barbecue restaurant at 7011 W. Central, isn't that kind of place. Its presentation is professional, and its food is fantastic, featuring quality versions of the standards and offering creative specials as well.
The restaurant, which opened in October in the Crossroads Shopping Center near Central and Ridge, is owned by former Pig In Pig Out manager Brian Choy; his wife, Kendra; his father, Ronnie Choy (a former Wichita Eagle employee); and Ronnie's wife, Collette.
ON THE MENU: The menu includes all of the items 'cue fans would expect, including brisket, pulled pork, turkey, hot links, chicken and sides such as baked beans, corn on the cob and coleslaw.
When Pigs Fly also offers several stuffed "spuds" — baked potatoes topped with barbecue, bacon, etc.
The Choys also are offering rotating specials that are non-standard for barbecue restaurants. Throughout Lent, they're serving smoked salmon and barbecue tilapia tacos on Fridays. After Lent, they'll rotate in specials such as barbecue lasagna and smoked meatball sandwiches.
DON'T-MISS DISHES: We liked everything we tried at When Pigs Fly.
The ribs were meaty and fall-off-the-bone, with no distressing fat or gristle to work around. The brisket and pulled pork were smoky and tender.
The turkey was moist and smoky, and the hot links had a unique allspice-y flavor to them (though Brian Choy admitted the hot links are processed off-site.)
We also loved the "colossal spuds," an under-appreciated method of 'cue consumption. I learned to eat baked potatoes stuffed with meat and covered in butter, sour cream and lots of barbecue sauce when I lived in Tennessee after college. My dining companion thought it sounded like a disgusting crime against barbecue, but after trying a brisket-stuffed spud at When Pigs Fly, he's now a believer.
Spuds also are available topped with hot links and cheese, pulled pork or turkey. For traditionalists, there's also one stuffed with bacon and ranch dressing.
The baked beans were spicy and tasted homemade, a refreshing change of pace from the gloppy, ketchup-y canned version. And the potato salad and coleslaw both were so fresh, they could have come from a potluck Tupperware dish.
We didn't visit on a Friday, so we didn't get to try the Lenten barbecue tilapia tacos, but they sound intriguing, as does barbecue lasagna.
AMBIENCE: The restaurant is nicely put together with booths and free-standing tables, all covered with red checkered tablecloths. When Pigs Fly also features other nice finishing touches, such as cups with the restaurant name and logo professionally printed on the side.
PRICE RANGE: One meat-dinners, which include bread and two sides, are $7.99. Two-meat dinners are $8.99. A pound of meat is $10.49. Stuffed spuds are $6.25. A half-slab of six ribs is $8.49. A full slab of 12 is $15.99.
SERVICE: Brian and Kendra run the dining room and kitchen efficiently. In rare downtime, they circulate through the room, visiting with customers.
This story was originally published April 1, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Cue the flying pigs ."