Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ

  What can we say? This chain of restaurants in Pensacola (and elsewhere) is a franchise and a down-market franchise at that, but we love their BBQ! Sonny’s is absolutely perfect for a particular type of situation: When you are hungry and want lots of tasty food fast, without the need to get dolled-up to go out. Which is exactly when you crave BBQ, is it not? Sonny’s is that place we go when we don’t want to cook, we don’t want to drive far, don’t want to get cleaned, up, and just want to dive into great food. The service is friendly and accomodating. The meat is all slow cooked all-day, so its ready to hit the plate as soon as you order it. Sonny’s is one of the last restaurants in Pensacola to have a  GREAT salad bar to get food right NOW. And the bill is very reasonable.

Since it is a BBQ place and we love our BBQ, let me take a minute to lead you in the right directions. First , let’s talk sauce. All of Sonny’s sauces are exactly how they are tagged: Mild, Sweet, Sizzlin’ Sweet, and Smokin’. Don’t expect the Smokin’ to be super hot, but it is spicy. I like the Sizzlin’ Sweet for the best of both worlds. On a good night, you just can not beat Sonny’s baby back ribs. Be careful- the Sweet and Smokey ribs can be dry at times. (I like to ask for a one rib sampler, or I just go with Baby Back, which are almost always great!) The pulled pork and the beef brisket are also winners.

We listed one dining location below. It’s the one we most frequent. But there are other locations in Pensacola as well.

Name: Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ
Location: 6757 North 9th Avenue, Pensacola, FL, 32504
Phone: 850-476-7618
Price: $-$$
Website: http://www.sonnysbbq.com/

Philly’s

      Its Christmas and at Christmas we all think about home. Since this is a restaurant blog, I think about Restaurants in my hometown. I was born in Philadelphia, and when one think about Philadephia food the first thing that comes to mind is CHEESESTEAKS! The second thing is hoagies. While Pensacola restaurants offer us many different food options, from seafood and steak to sushi and thai, one has to hunt long for a cheesesteak or a hoagie. Never fear. I have found a restaurant in Pensacola that serves cheesesteaks as good as any in Philly. Its called Philly’s (ironically enough!)

Let’s first do a bit of background study on the food itself. Wikipedia says this:  “The cheesesteak, known outside the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area as the Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly Steak and Cheese, Philly cheesesteak, steak and cheese, or simply a Philly is a sandwich principally of thinly sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese on a long roll. A cheesesteak without cheese is locally called a steak sandwich, or a Philly Steak in other parts of the country. The cheesesteak is a comfort food for natives of the Philadelphia region. It was invented in the city in 1930 and is considered to be a city icon along with other foods such as Tastykakes, water ice, the Philadelphia soft pretzel, hoagies, and scrapple.” The best places to get cheesesteaks in Philadelphia is Pat’s or Geno’s. The former claims to have invented the cheesesteak.

I grew up eating all these things in abundance, and still do a couple times a year, when I get back to southeast Pennsylvania. Hoagies became known in other parts of the world as italian subs, but hoagies are different. They come on the same roll as a cheesesteak. Those rolls are special. In fact, as Ross, the owner of Philly’s in Pensacola, tells the story, he woudl have opened Philly’s sooner if he could have figured out how to get the rolls fresh in Pensacola. He now has them specially shipped to his shop. It is important that the bread is fresh to a great cheesesteak or hoagie. Philly’s has them fresh.

Philly’s in Pensacola is every bit as good as Pat’s or Geno’s in Philadelphia. (You’re welcome, Ross) It’s not a glamourous place (sorry, Ross), but neither s Pat’s or Geno’s. They are all essentially grill counter sandwich shops that are entirely focused on giving you the real product, which is a belly full of delicious juicy meat, grilled onions, peppers, bread, and cheese. Both cheesesteaks and hoagies are traditionally served with fries and soda, with a dessert of Tastykakes. Philly’s has it all. There are a few tables but most business is takeout!

If you are a southerner looking to step above the mason doxon line, or you are a Yankee looking for a taste of home, Philly’s can not be beat. And it is a must for anyone seeking to expand their culinary horizons. I’d love to see Philly’s expand their operation to more tables and a downtown location.

Name: Philly’s Cheesesteaks & Hoagies
Location: 3900 Creighton Rd, Pensacola, FL, 32504
Phone: (850) 969-0087
Price: <$
Website: www.phillysonline.com