The View – Raleigh, NC
I recently attended a media event with a group of my fellow foodie blogger friends to sample some great food from Bike Mike’s BBQ. Big Mike’s started as a food truck and while they still have the mobile aspect of the business, their food can now also be found in its permanent location at View Bar on Glenwood Avenue in downtown Raleigh. This was my first visit to View and I was excited to check out the space and enjoy an evening of great food with friends.
Tasty Chicken & Pork
Big Mike kicked the evening off explaining how we would get a chance to sample some of his signature creations paired with locally brewed beer from Triangle Brewing Co. out of Durham. This was an added bonus as I am a big fan on Triangle Brewing and find they don’t get as much recognition as they deserve on the local beer scene.
We started the evening off with a healthy serving of chooped chicken and pork (boston butt) that was dry rubbed and smoked. The dish was accompanied by several dipping sauces which ranged from “Crazy Stupid” hot all the way down more mild vinegar based sauces. I am pretty tame when it comes to levels of food hotness so I opted for the weaker sauces. Of course the Habanero Pale Ale paired with the dish had a little bite to it as well making for a great start to a night of excellent eating.
Best Chicken Wings Ever!
Next up were some incredible smoked dry rubbed crispy chicken wings. These babies are flash fried. This process that keeps the flavor trapped in the meat and makes the wings nice and crispy. I loved these wings and am already looking forward to going back to get some more. I believe they are offered on the menu for $1 a wing. I could easily make a nice lunch out of 5 or six of these succulent yet crispy wings.
Big Mike’s BBQ “Meatup”
One dish that got a lot of attention was the “Redneck Nachos”. They are comprised of Fritos topped with Eastern NC pulled pork, baked beans, blue cheese coleslaw and a dab of sweet hot mustard. At this point I was already getting full so I dialed things back a notch, enjoyed some more Triangle Beer to wash down the BBQ goodness and snapped a few pictures my friends tearing it up on Instagram.
Another fan favorite of the evening was beef brisket and collards paired with a Belgian Abbey beer. The brisket drippings are used to cook the garlic and onions for the collards / kale making for a flavorful side. I’m usually not a fan of collards but this dish won me over!
Brisket & Fries
From there we sampled some of Big Mike’s “fatty” fries, served as a bed of steak-cut fries underneath a layer of brisket, pimento cheese, and jalapenos piled high on a plate. Plates like these make eating Big Mike’s fare family style very easy. At this point I was getting really stuffed so I only took a few flavorful bites of the fries and threw in the towel allowing my fellow diners to finish off the plate and rescue me from my food induced coma.
Triangle Brewing IPA
Throughout the evening Doc from Triangle Brewing did a great job introducing the beer pairings he had selected to accompany each of Mike’s dishes. I’m a big fan of their IPA and it remains my solid favorite to enjoy with food. All in all it was a great night filled with some of the tastiest BBQ I have ever had. I was also very impressed with the vibe of View. It’s a nice space to enjoy some food, have a drink and catch a game on the TV. Now that I have been there I look forward to going back during March Madness to catch a few games while dining on Big Mike’s addictive crispy chicken wings. Who’s hungry?
Big Mike’s BBQ at View Bar
610 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27603
http://apexbbq.com
Follow Big Mike’s BBQ on Facebook and twitter at @bigmikesbbqnc
The Triangle Explorer 
Nice recap. I have this place high on my BBQ go-to list.
Me, too. Love it.