A thick square of ice-cream cake speckled with toffee bits may not be the best way to start a review of a barbecue restaurant.
But I can't stop thinking about it.
The cool layers. The airy whipped cream. The here-and-therecrunch of sweet toffee. It was a surprisingly great ending to an unsurprisingly good meal at the newest Nawty Hogg Backyard BBQ in Naples.
Nawty Hogg opened April 15 in the Publix-anchored plaza nearthe intersectionof Collier Boulevard and Pine Ridge Road. This is the first brick-and-mortar location for the local food truck, which has impressed customers (myself included)at its Celebration Park outpost in East Naples and at Hammond Stadium in south Fort Myers where it served during the Minnesota Twins' spring training.
OwnersAric and Candice Tousignant hail from Minnesota, and while The Gopher State isn't exactly famous for its barbecue, Nawty Hogg is getting there.
Its newest location is nothing fancy. Customers order at the counter, then take a seat at one of a dozen or so tables lining this sunny end unit. Food arrives quickly, often delivered by the same kind woman who works the register and cleans the neighboring tables as the weekday lunch crowd trickles out.
The menu at this brick-and-mortar store isn't all thatdifferent from Nawty Hogg's truck. The usual barbecue suspects are all there: pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket,baby-back ribs. Hot dogs and brats are there, too, alongside burgers and interesting amalgams of all those smoke-tinged meats.
My favorite: Nawty Hogg's barbecue tacos finishedwith creamy curls of its macaroni and cheese. Thetacos first wowed me at Celebration Park last fall. Now that it's May, I'll be getting them from the brick-and-mortar store, where I can pig out on these cheesy, tortilla-wrapped, pork-filled wonders in air-conditioned comfort.
MORE:6 Latin restaurant gems that go well beyond tacos in SWFL — JLB Picks
MORE:5 seriously good Naples tacos to kick off Cinco de Mayo right — JLB Picks
MORE:11 SWFLrestaurants that do brunch like no others — JLB Picks
Forits BBQ sundaes, Nawty Hogg starts with more of that macaroni and cheese, layering it with brisket-laced beans, pulled porkand a heaping scoop of mashed potatoes drizzled in barbecue sauce.
While these creative concoctions are fun, they beliethe excellence of Nawty Hogg's pit master. The Tousignants serve their barbecue naked (as in without sauce) to showcase said handiwork.
Their pulled pork, juicy yet flecked with smoky bark,makes me believe in pulled pork again. As do those baby back ribs. Bite into a thick slab and you'll see aperfect crescentof meat missing. They don't fall from the bone (a sure sign of steaming, which is not barbecuing). They tug gently from it, and have a telltale pink smoke ring thanks to a slow, well-timed cook.
My only complaint was with Nawty Hogg's brisket. I've had good brisket from the truck in the past, but what I had from the storefront tasted dry and slightly tough, like it had been stored too long and cut too thin. Well, that and a side of green beans whichhad wilted into gray, wrinkly mush.
These meats don't need sauces, but Nawty Hogg's are a fun addition. Its maple-bourbon sauce smacks you with sweetness, then finishes clean with an oaky hint of bourbon. Its Carolina sauce is just mustardy enough to hold your attention, while its Alabama white sauce balances the richness of ranch dressing with a spicy, bright kick of horseradish.
To drink there are a fewbeers in the cooler, alongside cans of soda and bottles of tea. If you get there too early, the sweet tea may still be brewing. If you get there too late, that toffee ice-cream cake— or whatever other scratch-made dessert is on special—may be gone.
Like Nawty Hogg'struck, when this place runs out of something, that's it.
You'll have to come back next time, which is fine. WithNawty Hogg I'm always up for a next time
Sign up for JLB's weekly newsletter, never miss a bite
Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press or Naples Daily News. Follow the critic atfacebook.com/jeanleboeufswflor @JeanLeBoeuf onTwitterandInstagram.
More from JLB
- There is no place like Danger Danger
- Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizzahas me in love, yet again
- Newk's isn't new, but it's reliably good
- TooJay's Deli has chutzpah that's too good to pass over
- La Pescheria is good, just not $8-a-bite good
Nawty Hogg Backyard BBQ
12975 Collier Blvd. No.100, Naples
•Food:★★☆☆
•Atmosphere:★☆☆☆
•Service:★☆☆☆
JLB's stars AREN'T like Yelp stars, here's why...
•Price:$
•Call:239-241-2841
•Hours:11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
•Noise level:Low to moderate
•Etc.:Beer,wine, takeout and catering available
Sample Menu
Sides
• Smoked beans with brisket, $3
• Potato salad, $3
• House salad, $7
Mains
• Pulled chicken sandwich, $7.50
• Brisket mac & cheese tacos (2), $9.50
• BBQ sundae, $9.50
What the symbols mean
★ - Fair
★★ - Good
★★★ - Excellent
★★★★ - Exceptional
$ - Average entree is under $10
$$ - $10-$15
$$$ - $15-$20
$$$$ - $20-$25
$$$$$ - $25 and up
