With all of the talk about BBQ at Hooters and Blackjack, I thought I would add to the list. The BBQ at Ellis Island is equally weak as far as I am concerned. And it does have some extreme advantages and disadvantages. I have eaten there once over a year ago, and tried it again last night just as a refresher.

The place is kinda small. There are barely 10 tables inside and there is a patio outside that faces west and is not reccomended until sundown. There may be an unorganized wait in line for a table, especially at peak times. As with the rest of Ellis Island, nothing is fancy, service is minimal, and cleanliness is usually tolerable at best. They do not have sauce on the tables. The huge serving plate is plastic. The beans and slaw come in styrofoam bowls. The knife and fork are plastic.

This place does not have a menu. There is a sign on the podium before you are seated. You can get a full slab of ribs, a half rack, a half of a chicken, or a half of a chicken with a half rack of ribs. Then they list the prices. I think a full rack is $8.99, The other stuff is in the 5-6 range. The price goes up $3 if you don't have a players card in the casino. So it would be to your advantage to get the card before eating if you don't already have one. Each dinner comes with slaw, beans, two slices of hard bread, two pats of butter, and two pieces of corn on the cob. They operate a pretty streamlined kitchen process, so there are no substititions or compromises.

The BBQ is very edible. The chicken was moist and tender. The ribs were more moist and tender than Hooters. The ribs were baby backs, whereas Blackjack uses St Louis style. The side orders were a little weak. I didn't care for the bread and I am not a fan of slaw, especially if it is prepacked. The beans were pretty good. The corn is usually a little overcooked, but not bad.

Dining at this place reminds me of going to Uncle Charlie's lake house for a BBQ cookout. It's a little sloppy and you take what you get when you get it.
They put forth a good effort especially if you go with the flow. I saw a couple having a bad dining experience, but they were asking for extra sauce, ketchup, spoons, drinks from the bar, and other stuff that just isn't part of the program. They do have a microbrewery, so a few cold beers makes everything more tolerable and less formal. The price is definately right. I had a half chicken and a half rack of ribs and a coke. It was much more than I should eat and the bill was about $8.50.