Dining Guide

Killen’s Barbecue

Owner Ronnie Killen is first and foremost a chef. That training shows in sides (say yes to creamed corn), in desserts that exceed the norm (croissant bread pudding with tres leches sauce), and his restless quest for meaty perfection. One example is a recent dry-aged-brisket kick—yep, like dry-aged steaks. Not available regularly, said briskets are a treat, with a concentrated beefiness. But even when he’s using normal wet-aged brisket (which is USDA Prime, by the way), the meat is supremely tender under a nice, crunchy bark (although it can be dry). Everybody knows that his signature is the beef rib (stupendous), but the real aficionados get the hedonistic bone-in pork belly, essentially a sparerib with bacon attached. It goes beautifully with his mustard-based sauce. The building is designed with efficiency, not soul, in mind.