The Food is Sizzling

I’ve noticed there aren't a lot of barbecue spots that I know of near the Centenary University campus. That just changed. Many may have not heard of it, but, right down on Main Street in Hackettstown, there's a blessing of barbecue.  Its name is The Sizzle BBQ.

While searching around for some restaurants, I came across this place. I never really noticed it and I am surprised I haven’t. Barbecue is my specialty. This isn’t just any ordinary American barbecue spot though. It’s actually an Argentinian steak house. I’ve never been to one before, so you know I was dying to try it. It was only a 5 minute drive from campus or a 15 minute walk, so it couldn't hurt to make a short journey there. 

On their mammoth-sized menu, maybe even bigger than a mammoth, they had everything. From starters like fried calamari and Argentinian sausage to entrees of burgers, empanadas, steaks, pastas, and more. After all that, if your stomach is still growling, you can get some Argentinian cakes, churros, tres leches, and that's not even all.  

Now that I got that packed menu out of the way, you know I just had to go as soon as possible. I called in a to-go order as I was in a rush, but there is also seating for a lunch or dinner with your friends. I ended up calling for fried calamari, a half rack of pork ribs, which came with a side of rice or French fries, and, of course, I had to try the churros. 

The front door was super accessible with open street parking. When I opened the door, all the scents and flavors hit me. You know when you open a Little Tree air freshener for the first time and it’s strong? That barbecue smell was carrying me into the restaurant.

I was actually very shocked with how pleasant the interior was. I’ve never been to a restaurant and seen anything like it. It was nice and bright which was great with hardwood floors, booths of seats, wood tables, and white and green walls which were very vibrant. The part that I’ve never seen is it was full of life. There were a lot of green plants all around the restaurant that gave it a shining feel. 

I was greeted very neighborly as I got deeper into the building. The staff was friendly and knew how to hold a conversation. But we were there to try some food. My food was ready, and I was finally able to get going and say my goodbyes as my mouth was watering. Time to ride to my destination with the food staring at me making my stomach rumble.

As I finally got home, I was able to open it up and get a great whiff from the food. Heaven! Everything looked astonishing. I was able to take my first bite of the ribs. They were smokey, tangy, and very tender. Everything you believed should be a part of some ribs. The sauce was thick with flavor and the pork had all the seasoning you ever needed. The fries, well, they were everything you expected to be with fries. They were crispy with a great ratio of salt on it. Not too much to judge whenever I try fries. 

The next thing I had to dig into was the fried calamari. As a person who eats fried calamari every time our family gets a pizza pie, I was ecstatic to try it. I took my first bite. A flavor just bursted of fresh squid, some seasoning in the batter and also that great hint of lemon. The outer fried batter was crispy, while the actual squid was soft and melted in your mouth. It wasn’t a piece of gum that you’ve been chewing for an hour. 

Now for one of my favorite desserts: the churro. It was how I always liked it. Crispy on the outside and very soft and warm on the inside. It had the perfect amount of sugar on it, getting that sweet flavor on every bite.

Now onto the price. These three things came out to $41 before tax. Although that seems expensive, the half rack of ribs was $16 and the fried calamari was $14. It was the churros that were quite pricey, coming in at $11, which reminded me of Six Flags food prices and was a little crazy to me.

Overall, this place was special. I haven’t found a barbecue place in Hackettstown, and this one was tremendous. The food was fresh and had all the flavor. It was very reasonably priced as long as you pick and choose what you get as some things could be a little extra. For a night out or a lunch with your buddies, I would definitely recommend it.