There's something about summertime that always makes me want to grill my food. Unfortunately, we live in an apartment without a balcony or yard, and so our chances for grilling are few and far between. That's one reason why I was so excited to hear about an American BBQ restaurant in Stuttgart called TC BBQ.
A quick note on American food: My reaction upon seeing the "American" food section in our German grocery store usually varies between laughter and tears. Forget the culinary complexity of dishes like Louisiana gumbo, New England clam chowder, and Chicago deep dish pizza; the grocery store aisle seems to reduce the U.S.'s contribution to world cuisine to pop tarts, cheese wiz, and marshmallows. But I think the U.S. has a whole lot more to offer to the world's cuisine, including the South and Midwest's barbecue.
TC BBQ has only been around since 2011. Since 2013 they've had their location in Stuttgart-North, and since we're trying to increase our activity to stay healthy, we decided to walk there. The walk was very easy with mostly flat terrain. Although the businesses we passed weren't exactly scenic, we were near the vineyards in Stuttgart-North, which was nice.
After about an hour of walking from downtown, we made it to the restaurant sometime around 7 pm. Since it was a bit humid outside and the rain had mostly held off, we decided to sit on the patio at one of the picnic tables. We were quickly given some menus by our waiter and left to make our decision.
Their menu largely consists of burgers and barbecue, although there are a few salads and vegetarian options to make it more inclusive. Of course, I was pretty hungry after our long walk, so I decided to try the Tasty Teller barbecue plate with chicken wings, baby back ribs, pulled pork, and coleslaw. I was also pretty excited to see baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and curly fries as sides, and decided to order a side of curly fries to try them. Matt loves chicken wings, and so he chose to start with an order of chicken wings, followed by a pulled pork sandwich for his main.
When our food came out, I could immediately tell that my eyes had been bigger than my stomach. Still, though the mixed plate was a bit too big for me, it had everything that I wanted! My favorite part of the dish was probably the pulled pork, and Matt agreed. The pork was tender, juicy, and had a delicious, homemade sauce. It paired well with the coleslaw, which was very fresh with just the right amount of dressing. The ribs were also excellent: tender, fall-off the bone meat with a bit of crispiness on the outside from the grill. The only point for improvement were the chicken wings, which tasted a bit too salty for me. Matt thinks he prefers the crispiness of the wings at Calwer-Eck Brauhaus, but I definitely prefer the BBQ sauce on them at TC.
We also both liked our curly fries, which were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and lightly seasoned. I will fully admit that they tasted no better than the ones we used to get from the freezer section of the grocery store in the States, but they were cooked right and were probably the first curly fries that I've had in three years, and so I enjoyed them.
I was pretty stuffed by the end of our meal, but their special board advertised a root beer float, and I just couldn't resist. I can't even remember the last time I had a root beer float. My float was promptly served in a tall glass with a straw and a spoon, practically overflowing with creamy, bubbly soda foam. The root beer was A&W brand, which I can't say I've seen here recently, and the ice cream was very rich and creamy, though I don't know what brand they used. It was the perfect end to our American meal, and gave me a lot to walk off afterwards!
I would definitely go back again for their barbecue as it's the best I've had in Stuttgart. I should hope so, too, since the restaurant is owned and run by an American. I will note that it was not the messy, Southern backyard BBQ that I loved while living in Charlottesville, but the pulled pork and ribs were tasty and the service was prompt and friendly. I probably just won't order quite so much food next time...maybe.
TC BBQ is located at Emil-Kiemlen-Weg 51. You can walk there like we did which will take you about an hour from the Hauptbahnhof, or you can take the U12 line in the direction of Hallschlag and get off at Riethmüllerhaus. The restaurant is about 150 meters up the road from there. They're open Monday-Friday from 5 pm to 11 pm and on weekends starting at 2 pm on Saturday and 11:30 am on Sundays.
Have you had any good barbecue in Stuttgart? Leave your recommendations in the comments below!