It’s a big week in restaurant news here at G3. Just the other day, Maria declared us Ready for The Redding. Now I’m saying, All Aboard the Blue Tractor.
The Blue Tractor is a new BBQ & brewery restaurant that just opened Monday on Washington St., next door to Cafe Habana. Had I not known it was the restaurant’s first night, I never would have guessed; everything seemed to be running quite smoothly. Don’t let the rusty truck parts fool you: the Blue Tractor is ready to roll.
Ok, enough with the motor metaphors. Let’s get down to business: the BT is serving up some tasty BBQ fare, bar food favorites, and house-brewed beers at prices that are blessedly reasonable (main dishes between $11-$20 or so; sandwiches in the $8-$12 range), in a lovely space and with experienced staff. Folks, I’m excited about this one. While purists and those who have been lucky enough to live in Texas or North Carolina might not deem the Blue Tractor’s take on barbecue “the real deal,” I’d venture that it will more than suffice for those of us in Ann Arbor with an appetite for brisket, ribs, and beer-can chicken.
We ordered an array a plates to share, starting out with the Basket of Fried Goodness — fried green tomatoes, fried okra, and cornmeal batter-fried pickles. Yum, yum, and yummmm. These were served with a tangy buttermilk dressing for dipping — such a lovely improvement over plain ranch. I washed this down with a house-made cream ale, and liked how mild, smooth, and lightly carbonated it was.
In addition to the beers brewed in-house, beer by the can is also on offer for about $2.50 a pop. I thought this was a nice feature in a few ways. First, choice is good. Not everyone loves a microbrew. Some of us really love our Blatz or our Pabst, and if you find yourself in that camp, you’d be in luck at the BT. Second, the aesthetics of a beer can + barbecue are not to be underestimated. It’s an iconic pairing, like Gatorade and a winning football coach. And there’s a practical side of this pairing: barbecue is food you eat with your hands, and it’s a lot easier, I’d venture, to grasp a can with saucy fingers than a pint glass. But I digress.
We shared the following dishes for dinner: the Carolina Pulled Pork with grits and greens; a cornmeal waffle with creamed mushrooms (a nice vegetarian spin on chicken and waffles); some sliders with cheese and “special sauce” served in a basket with fries; and a side of uncommonly good mac & cheese. Despite the food not being quite as hot as we’d like, everything tasted fresh and homemade–delicious, even. This is not elegant fare, to be sure, and I like that the restaurant is not trying to be too fancy, retro, or cute. It’s laid back without being lazy.
I was able to snap a few decent shots of the sliders and the pulled pork. Take a look:
If we could make a few recommendations to the BT: while we generally are ok with a dark bar, the tables in the front room where we sat were oddly lit. (I offer the pictures above as evidence.) Two people were sitting in very dark seats, and the other two had a spotlight shining down on them; it was a little distracting. And we also thought it bizarre that there is nowhere to hang coats. Winter is coming to the SeMi (southeast Michigan, natch); we need hooks for our Patagonia and our Northface. We might be enjoying the Carolina fare, but we are regrettably not in a Carolina climate.
These minor things aside, we were in agreement that the Blue Tractor scored high marks on its opening night. Our server struck the right note between friendly and efficient; our wallets weren’t too much lighter when we left; and our bellies were very full. But don’t take my word for it: the buzz seems to be growing. Videos of the place have been posted on Flickr. (Check them out for a quick tour of the space and better shots of the food than my pics above.) The hoisting of the Blue Tractor sign was covered recently by The Ann Arbor Chronicle. And just this morning I noticed that someone already posted a missed connection on Craigslist. The Blue Tractor has arrived.
I have to say I really enjoyed the pulled pork and the grits, but the fried okra was my hands down favorite.
Not wanting to be left out, John, Nick and I went by tonight. Crowded! Service was very good and when I complained about the draft at our first table, gave us a new one without blinking an eye. Good attitude toward the kid, nice food. It all felt a little corporate to me, but not too much so. And you’re right, the price is right.
Thanks for the review. We were unable to try the Traverse City location when we were their last summer.
My girlfriend and I dined there on the strength of this review last night and I was very impressed. We ordered the pumpkin porter, pulled pork quesadilla, bacon and sage mac & cheese, and beef brisket.
All were excellent. The mac & cheese, in particular, was perhaps the best I’ve ever had. The entree portion was simply enormous too. The brisket was delicious as well, although I would have liked it to be served just a little warmer (but just a little…barbecue shouldn’t be hot in my book). I really liked the tangy Carolina-style sauce it was lightly brushed with. The mix of veggies on the side was surprisingly good too.
I also thought that the service was excellent by any standard, CERTAINLY for a restaurant that’s only been open for a matter of days. I can say with certainty that the Blue Tractor is now in our rotation of restaurants where we expect a $35-40 bill for two – quite an honor as we’re very picky.
Thanks for the review. I can’t wait to try it!
Just left BT. Great start for the place. I did not have food but everyone around me was enjoying the burgers and pulled pork.
My main compliment is to the bar staff. Tay (which is his short name) was the pure professional. He represented the place as any owner would crave that every employee would. He made sure that every customer had what they needed and then some. In my case, it was 2+ hours short of my birthday. Tay made sure that I was exposed to all of the amenities of BT Birthday treats! I was impressed and so should everyone that goes here. He went out of his way to get a manager to give me their signature $10 gift certificate.
Beer. IPA is great. Pumpkin Porter surprising good (didn’t think I could tolerate the clove but surprised myself). Cream Ale is…well..is.
Looking forward to trying out BT on our next visit to AA.
Love you, Shana. Mom
I’m sorry to say that our experience tonight was not a good one. The entree’s were very small portions for the price, were largely tasteless, and were served dry/cold. I actually sent my plate back and can only think of one other time I have ever done this. It was just THAT bad. Service was half-hearted at best and at times were were actually ignored by the servers. I’m assuming that a Tuesday night is not the best time to go.
I’m surprised that our experience was this miserable considering the rave reviews. I would expect more from a new restaurant in a town that has such a large number of dining choices.
The beer was very good, but the food was not. The batter on the fried tomatoes, pickles and okra was tasteless. The pulled pork had way too much “liquid smoke” in it. The guy next to me sent his ribs back, tough and not cooked. Also, why would you put blue cheese dressing on a spinach salad? Should have been a bacon dressing. Cole slaw looked like it was out of a bag. Sorry, really disappointed.
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Just came back from a dinner at the Blue Tractor with my husband and our son. It was great. I had the pulled pork sandwich and it was excellent. Preferred the sweet smoked bbq sauce, which I put on my sandwich and thoroughly enjoyed. Service was excellent and of course we tried different beers and enjoyed them as well. Will definitely go back there when we come to visit our son at school again.