Last weekend we headed over to Florence, South Carolina and while we were there we went to Roger’s Bar-B-Que and Seafood Buffet. If you have read any of my posts, or even the title of this post, it’s not about the seafood. Since it was the whole family, we were looking for a place that the peanut could get some vegetables. I have been so Roger’s several times so I knew what to expect. I couldnt find a website for them though.
The experience begins on the road. There is a life size, or maybe larger than life size, pig on the Roger’s sign. Any great Bar-B-Que place must pay homage to the wonderful swine with pictures, posters, figurines, dolls, and/or a large statue. I have also noticed that the pigs are usually depicted as being happy. Kind of ironic, eating some pork in a place with pictures/figurines of happy pigs all around. I have even heard it say that the happier the pig on the sign, the better the Bar-B-Que. Needless to say, I can appreciate the sign.
Once inside you are shuffled to the register and then the buffet. Roger’s has a pretty large buffet with lots of interesting food. It has the typical items, rice, hash, mac-n-cheese, lima beans, green beans, corn on the cob, hushpuppies, fatback, slaw, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Que chicken, fried chicken and ribs. I am sure I left out at least 10 items on the buffet.
I would have to say that most of the sides are good, better than average, but not jaw dropping spectacular. Just good home-style cooking. One exception would be the hushpuppies, which were much better than average. The fried chicken is pretty good too.
The pork is chopped similar to most South Carolina Bar-B-Que establishments, bite size but not chopped fine. The sauce is vinegar based and added to the meat before serving. They don’t offer any additional sauce at the table or on the buffet, although the servers might have some in the back. The good news is that the vinegar sauce is not overpowering and actually works really well with the meat. The pork does look red but much of the smoky flavor would be masked by the vinegar sauce. I cant say whether or not they use wood to cook with. The important thing is that I cant say that they don’t. My conclusion is that this light smokiness is done on purpose and I think it works. The pork is tender and juicy too.
The ribs were somewhat different. They did have a tomato based sauce cooked onto the ribs. The meat had a dark red tint to it, but the smokiness was once again masked by the sauce. The sauce had a sweetness that I have only tasted in Chinese restaurants on their ribs. But it wasn’t overpowering, and I didn’t get tired of it. The meat on the ribs was a little tougher than the pulled pork, but it appeared that most of the fat had been cooked off, so I can take that trade.
I don’t get to Florence too often but eat at Roger’s frequently when I do. It isn’t my normal taste for Bar-B-Que but what they do works really well and I am usually satisfied with my meal. My only complaint is how tightly they pack the tables in the dining area. I wouldn’t want to eat there when they were really busy.
The experience begins on the road. There is a life size, or maybe larger than life size, pig on the Roger’s sign. Any great Bar-B-Que place must pay homage to the wonderful swine with pictures, posters, figurines, dolls, and/or a large statue. I have also noticed that the pigs are usually depicted as being happy. Kind of ironic, eating some pork in a place with pictures/figurines of happy pigs all around. I have even heard it say that the happier the pig on the sign, the better the Bar-B-Que. Needless to say, I can appreciate the sign.
Once inside you are shuffled to the register and then the buffet. Roger’s has a pretty large buffet with lots of interesting food. It has the typical items, rice, hash, mac-n-cheese, lima beans, green beans, corn on the cob, hushpuppies, fatback, slaw, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Que chicken, fried chicken and ribs. I am sure I left out at least 10 items on the buffet.
I would have to say that most of the sides are good, better than average, but not jaw dropping spectacular. Just good home-style cooking. One exception would be the hushpuppies, which were much better than average. The fried chicken is pretty good too.
The pork is chopped similar to most South Carolina Bar-B-Que establishments, bite size but not chopped fine. The sauce is vinegar based and added to the meat before serving. They don’t offer any additional sauce at the table or on the buffet, although the servers might have some in the back. The good news is that the vinegar sauce is not overpowering and actually works really well with the meat. The pork does look red but much of the smoky flavor would be masked by the vinegar sauce. I cant say whether or not they use wood to cook with. The important thing is that I cant say that they don’t. My conclusion is that this light smokiness is done on purpose and I think it works. The pork is tender and juicy too.
The ribs were somewhat different. They did have a tomato based sauce cooked onto the ribs. The meat had a dark red tint to it, but the smokiness was once again masked by the sauce. The sauce had a sweetness that I have only tasted in Chinese restaurants on their ribs. But it wasn’t overpowering, and I didn’t get tired of it. The meat on the ribs was a little tougher than the pulled pork, but it appeared that most of the fat had been cooked off, so I can take that trade.
I don’t get to Florence too often but eat at Roger’s frequently when I do. It isn’t my normal taste for Bar-B-Que but what they do works really well and I am usually satisfied with my meal. My only complaint is how tightly they pack the tables in the dining area. I wouldn’t want to eat there when they were really busy.
the fried pork chop was gooooood!
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