Reader: Don't Complain About the Shortage of Good BBQ Spots — Patronize the Ones We Have

One of the most common complaints about Denver's dining scene is the lack of good barbecue joints here. When CJ Johnson opened Kings BBQ last year in Wheat Ridge, he was trying his best to help fill that gap with juicy brisket and ribs — but Kings recently closed. Says theFabulousMarkT: It's...

By Patricia Calhoun

February 26, 2015

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One of the most common complaints about Denver's dining scene is the lack of good barbecue joints here. When CJ Johnson opened Kings BBQ last year in Wheat Ridge, he was trying his best to help fill that gap with juicy brisket and ribs — but Kings recently closed.

Says theFabulousMarkT:

It's a vicious, vicious cycle, isn't it?

Folks say, "Oh, Denver's food scene sucks, 'cause there's no good X food in town." Then a good X restaurant opens, and no one goes to it. So then it closes, and once again we hear, "Oh, there's no good X" for the bajillionth time.

Is it just that folks are never happy unless they have something to complain about?

Are people happier when they have something to complain about? Or would a big plate of pulled pork satisfy even the crankiest diner? Where do you go when you want good barbecue in metro Denver?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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