Backyard Bistro review: Real ‘sports bar’ food to go with your virtual football
With apologies to Hank Williams, Jr. — Are you ready for some virtual football?
Or maybe you’re a college hoops fan. Or you bought season tickets for the Hurricanes. Whatever your sport(s) of choice, odds are you’ll be watching from home this season.
Still, all is not lost. You can always watch the games (assuming the season isn’t canceled entirely) at home, on that 75-inch HD TV you bought last year for the Super Bowl party.
But wait, what about food? Victory just doesn’t taste as sweet without some wings or a big plate of nachos in front of you.
That’s where Backyard Bistro comes in. Home to several professional sports team fan clubs (including the Carolina Hurricanes), the popular sports bar is just a slapshot away from PNC Center. That puts it in delivery range for much of the Triangle’s population.
Including me. Here’s my scouting report on a recent delivery order. Backyard Bistro uses several delivery services. I went with my favorite, the locally owned Takeout Central. They’ve yet to let me down.
▪ Wings: The Backyard Bistro kitchen is a culinary switch hitter, serving up both fried and grilled wings. Both come with fresh cut celery and carrot sticks, Ranch or blue cheese dressing, and your choice of a dozen sauces (or dry rub). I went with grilled, hot sauce on the side, and I don’t regret my choice.
▪ Burgers: The 8-ounce flame-grilled burger has long been a favorite — and deservedly so, based on the one I had a few years ago. This time, though, I opted for the Bistro Smash, a burger I don’t recall seeing on the menu back then. Think Big Mac, promoted to the big leagues: two four-ounce patties, smashed and seared, then topped with American cheese (melted to a blistery turn) and served on a potato roll with shredded iceberg lettuce, pickles, red onions and “Bistro Happy Happy Sauce.”
▪ Wedge 2.0: The salad, that is. Not your traditional sports pub fare, strictly speaking, but I couldn’t resist the description: “Iceberg lettuce topped with bacon, charred red onions, pickled tomato and cucumbers and blue cheese vinaigrette and balsamic glaze.” And yes, you get both dressings on the side.
The Wedge 2.0 fully lives up to its description — and to its name, for that matter. Turns out the 2.0 refers to the fact that you actually get two large wedges, with ample toppings for both. I added grilled shrimp, because why not?
I was sorely tempted to order the Loaded Backyard Nachos, which the menu says is made with house-fried corn chips, queso, iceberg lettuce, homemade salsa, jalapeños and sour cream. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to do the nachos justice, given all the other food I’d ordered. Especially since I wouldn’t have been able to resist adding an optional protein (pulled pork, grilled chicken, chopped brisket or BBQ brisket navy beans).
I’ll get the nachos next time, maybe when (fingers crossed) the ACC basketball season gets started. I might even check out Backyard Bistro’s contact-free curbside takeout.
Who am I kidding? I’ll stick with delivery. Why spoil the couch potato mood if you don’t have to?
Backyard Bistro
1235 Hurricane Alley Way, Raleigh
919-851-6203
Takeout Tales
Send me your experiences with restaurant delivery and curbside pickup at ggcox55@gmail.com. I’ll publish as many as I can (edited as needed for brevity and clarity) in this space.
Lemongrass
Jeff R. gives a shout out to Lemongrass, a hidden gem of a Thai restaurant in a North Raleigh strip mall.
“Lemongrass in North Raleigh was one of the first places to set up a totally contact-free takeout. The whole menu of fantastic Thai specialties is available, and they continue to offer the best lunch deal around, complete with soup or salad and beverage.
“My wife will fight you if you don’t agree that they make the best pad thai in the Triangle. I recommend the salmon with basil sauce, Panang curry and tom yum soup, but honestly, everything is good. A Lemongrass meal has been a highlight of every week since they reopened.”
Poppyseed Market
Nell W. is a longtime fan of Poppyseed Market, and the the pandemic has done nothing to dampen her enthusiasm.
“We have enjoyed going to our nearby cozy and comfortable Poppyseed Market in North Raleigh for many years. We have taken out-of-town visitors there too. And we really enjoyed their currently suspended monthly wine tasting event with special menu and live music.
“Ever since the new rules took effect, the Poppyseed staff have implemented special protocols which their website describes.
“Each week I call in a curbside takeout order and pay with my credit card, thus avoiding contact at pick-up. When I arrive to pick the order up, I call from my car and the associate brings out the order and places it through an open window on the passenger side, on the back seat of my car.
“The main thing is that she or he is wearing a mask. It is comforting to know we can rely on the staff at Poppyseed Market to keep its customers safe.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 8:00 AM.