It was homecoming at RIT this past weekend so that’s exactly what I did, came home. I had work Saturday morning but I’m loving that Rochester is only 2 hours away because I can be back in a snap. Caleb agreed to come with me and we spent Saturday afternoon running small errands for my dad and checking out the local hobby shop/game store before eating a semi-early dinner and heading to the Brick City Hockey game downtown. I love RIT Hockey. Sunday was a pretty relaxed day laying in bed a little later and catching up with my mom. Caleb and I decided to head to RIT because we really wanted to hit up the Salsarita’s on campus but when we got there we found out it was closed for the day. I had hopes that it would be open this Sunday because of all the parents visiting but I was wrong. I guess parents take their kids off campus to eat, who knew? So we stopped by ShopOne to check in with my crochet pieces and drove off campus for lunch
LOCATION: 830 JEFFERSON RD. ROCHESTER, NY 14623
Jefferson Rd happens to be right by my parents house and RIT and has been filling up with commercial stores and restaurants through the years. If you want to go to a chain, it’s probably on Jefferson or right off of it. It’s pretty convenient. This leaves us with a whole slew of choices when it comes to lunch spots and we considered going somewhere with pasta; Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, and Carrabbas are all nearby. But Caleb loves BBQ and I kept bringing up Dinosaur BBQ the day before because it’s right by the hockey arena so I think BBQ was on his mind a little. We decided to head to Sticky Lips BBQ because they have a location right on Jefferson and have that for lunch. It was almost 2pm on a Sunday but we had about a 20min wait which wasn’t bad. We hung out at the bar and I watched some football and checked out the menu.
Caleb and I both decided to build our own combos which is what we typically do when we get BBQ. I went with a 2 meat combo with Texas Beef Brisket and St. Louis Cut BBQ Pork Ribs (with a dry rub) and Cajun Corn as my side and an added side of Home-Cut Fries. Caleb couldn’t decide so he went with the 2 meat combo and also got the St. Louis Cut BBQ Pork Ribs because we both wanted our own servings, Boneless Chicken Breast, and Smoked Turkey with Mac & Cheese (of course) and an extra side of Sweet Potato Fries. The combo also comes with a side of corn bread which is perfect because I don’t like corn bread and Caleb does so he gets his piece for now and my piece for later. We always go into these things knowing we’ll get two meals out of it and it’s always worth it.
So, usually I only get brisket because I love it, or so I thought. I was watching some Bon Appetit and there was an episode where Brad Leone went to a BBQ joint and they did a little view of some pork ribs that looked so good so this time around I got both and I was not disappointed. In my mind, I have the vision of saucy messy ribs and it’s deterred me from eating them but this was a tender dry rubbed fall apart rack of ribs with amazing flavor and I officially have a new favorite. I can’t go to a BBQ place and not get ribs now. They beat out the brisket easily. The beef brisket wasn’t bad here; a little dry and not as tender as I want it to be. The first bite of these ribs was fatty but meaty and just so good. I’m actually getting myself excited for leftovers today. I almost got mashed potatoes with gravy, I’ll keep looking, but I yelped some photos before we had to order and they didn’t look like they were the smashed, chunky texture I’ve been craving so I opted for the french fries and Caleb and I split between those and his sweet potato fries and weren’t disappointed. I love starchy hand cut fries like this. His sweet potato fries were so good! it was like a dessert explosion in your mouth. They have a cinnamon/brown sugar coating on them that tastes so sweet but balances perfectly with the potato starch and tastes like you’re eating a pie. Caleb doesn’t get my like of corn because I always order it on things or as a side when it’s an option and he never wants it. To him, it’s just corn. But this Cajun Corn was a step up for sure and I’m so happy I got it. They come dusted with this seasoning that’s a little salty and a little spicy to give the sweet corn a kick of an aftertaste. It was fantastic. I’ve never had corn with seasoning like this before and I’m all for it. I’ve got to make my own blend at home or something, not that I’m really making that much corn at home, but this is going in the books because it’s so good.
Overall, it was a fantastic meal. The staff was so nice and it was a little slow once we finished eating to get our check and some boxes but I think another table was having some issues with their cards or orders so our waitress was occupied but as soon as she had a chance she came back to us so it was all good.
Sticky Lips also has one of those food challenges for anyone out there who’s looking. It’s called the Atomic Bomb Challenge and it’s about 5lbs of meat and sauce and fries and food that you have to eat in 30mins. While I would never be able to do one, I’m so fascinated by them. I guess I should be watching Man vs. Food or something. It’s so gross but crazy to see someone do one of those plates or challenges. It’s so much food. This one was only $20 which seemed pretty fair and if you finish I think you get a t-shirt and possibly some other stuff. Our waitress told us to check it out on youtube. Sound’s like a great time.