The Pit: A Second Look

Perhaps I should begin with a disclaimer: I've never eaten at Jimmy Jack's, so this won't be a comparison. Instead, I'd like to reflect for a moment on my experience tonight at the Pit (located on the corner of Market and Dubuque Streets). I didn't plan on eating at the Pit tonight--with pudding cups, lunch meat, and bottled water galore in my apartment, why not save some money and eat at home, right? Well, that wouldn't make a fun food blog, would it?

My roommate decided to stop there for dinner, and though I initially didn't plan to order anything, the pulled pork sandwich piqued my interest. At $4.50, it was a minor investment, so I took the plunge. I was, as it turns out, impressed.

The Pit is a small restaurant; I didn't expect that. With just a handful of tables, it's informal and simple, and I appreciate that. It took less than 10 minutes for our order to be prepared to go. Sure, it takes a little longer than McDonald's, but the food tastes--and looks--like real food (unlike Mikey D's.)

The pulled pork sandwich doesn't come with any barbecue sauce on it: Visitors beware. In fact, apparently none of the sandwiches are garnished with that special sauce. They leave it to you to decide between their house and spicy barbecue sauces. Each are tasty, but the spicy adds a little kick that some of us will appreciate. Too often "barbecue" equals ketchup, but the Pit knows how to deliver the goods.

Also worth the investment are their French fries. They're huge and crinkle cut and leave loads of grease marks on the brown paper back they're served in: Just another sign of the simple presentation that makes you feel like you're at a superior barbecue stand at some outdoor festival.

I guess I'll have to visit Jimmy Jack's so I can make a proper comparison, but as it stands, the Pit offers the best barbecue in downtown Iowa City--and to think I lived directly across the street from the place for three months and never visited it. Shame on me.