Eating high on the hog in Haughville

Of all the upwardly mobile, developing communities in Indianapolis, one that typically flies under the radar is Haughville. Indeed, if you haven’t driven west of downtown lately, you might be surprised by the spiffy corner at Michigan and Belmont, where an angular, glass-and-steel library rises high above the neighborhood. Amazingly, the distinctively modern Haughville IMCPL branch is already celebrating its second anniversary this summer.

The tasty pulled chicken sandwich with corn casserole and cole slaw.

Just across the street from where locals can fill their minds is a beautifully restored storefront that hearkens more to the early days of the community, when Benjamin F. Haugh’s iron foundry drew an increasing influx of English, German and Irish immigrant workers. Once a drugstore, the building, recently restored by the Westside Community Development Corporation, has been the home for Judge’s “Tip of the Rib” Barbecue for around six months. Here, folks from the neighborhood can sink their teeth into some of the most succulent barbecued ribs and chicken in town — in a location that’s a lot more elegant than your typical barbecue takeout.

Owner Judge Smith — whose first barbecue setup in City Market typically draws long lines of downtown workers on their lunch hour — had been looking for another location to serve up his smoky specialties. When he heard that developers were looking for a business to take over the restored Haughville site, he quickly jumped. It’s a great marriage of form and function. Reproduction ceiling fans and light fixtures hang above sleek dark-wood tables. Lace curtains in the windows add a nostalgic touch. Black-and-white photographs from the early days of Haughville give a sense of what the neighborhood was like over a century ago. Only a sort of blaring soundtrack of light jazz seemed a bit out of place in this historic location.

But this ignores the food, which is the real reason to go to Judge’s. Who’s to say what mysteries go into the preparation of truly sublime barbecue? A lot of places around town make some pretty hefty claims and even put up their ribbons and trophies in the window. But the real judge is the mouth, and Judge’s scores high marks on almost every count, not just with ribs or the sauce. Here, the meat is clearly seasoned judiciously and slow-smoked at a low temperature without any barbecue sauce. This lets the meat take in all of the succulent flavors of the barbecue without burning or tasting like something other than meat. The result is barbecue that rivals — maybe surpasses — just about any in town (perhaps even Kansas City or Memphis).

Ribs ($9.50/half-slab) were nicely chewy without being overcooked. Pulled pork ($4.99/large) was as tender as any you’ll find, a mound of melt-in-your-mouth meat that offered no more resistance than the bun. While even the best barbecued chicken can sometimes pull away in strings, the breast from a half chicken ($5) cleaved from the bone in big juicy chunks with plenty of dark, crispy skin for contrast. Of three sauces, the medium and spicy were both quite fiery, while the mild was a bit more syrupy and sweet. We dabbed back and forth among little pools of the flavorful elixirs.

Perhaps even more impressive was the attention given to the side dishes. Unlike too many joints that can’t see beyond their meat, Judge’s has perfected its recipe on a whole host of tasty accompaniments. Especially good was the rich and buttery corn casserole — a bit like a stuffing, thick with golden corn. Macaroni and cheese, to our delight, actually seemed to have been run through the oven to get a little crusty edge. Greens — the menu didn’t specify if they were turnip or collard greens — were tasty and not at all bitter with a little vinegar bite. Baked beans had an undertone of green pepper and a bit of shredded pork for flavor. One delicious wild card was roasted sweet potatoes with just a whiff of cinnamon. Even coleslaw was quite crunchy with a perfectly light touch of dressing.

The one Achille’s heel at Judge’s seems to be desserts, but this could have been the way they were treated the night we dined. Peach and blackberry cobbler were flavorful enough, but the crust was so mushy it had broken down into the filling, which was rather light on real fruit. The cobblers had the sort of uneven heat of a microwave and came served not on plates but in little plastic take-home containers. We hadn’t really needed dessert, though, so we could easily forgive this one lapse.

While service at the counter was a little deadpan, Judge Smith himself soon came by our table, making sure we had found everything to our liking. With barbecue this good, a location so charming and such a cheery corner brightening up the neighborhood, how could we not judge his place among the best?

Judge’s “Tip of the Rib”
2104 W. Michigan St.
631-0340

HOURS
Monday-Friday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; 5-8 p.m.
Saturday: 3-9 p.m.

Food : 4.5 Stars
Atmosphere : 4 Stars
Service : 3 Stars