RIBS

The crowning glory of barbecue, ribs give aficionados plenty to chew over both on the plate and in debates over which preparation technique is best. At Hillbilly Bar B-Q in River Ridge, ribs are hit with a dry rub of seasonings and smoked for hours over hickory brought in direct from Kentucky. The House of Blues smokes full racks of baby back ribs with Jim Beam BBQ Sauce and serves them with mashed sweet potatoes and turnip greens. The Hard Rock Café prepares a full rack of west Tennessee-style baby back ribs basted in a hickory barbecue sauce and cooked to fall-apart tenderness. Ribs are seasoned with a mixture of 12 spices and slow-smoked at the Fox & Hound English Pub & Grill, where they are available by the half or whole rack. Corky's Ribs & BBQ offers a choice of wet ribs with its patented barbecue sauce, dry ribs with a rub of seasoning or a combination of both. Café Pontalba opens its doors to the heart of the Quarter on Jackson Square and offers highly-seasoned, blackened ribs. Chef Donald Link gives beef short ribs a gourmet turn at Herbsaint, braising them before they are floured and seared for a crispy exterior and served over a potato pancake with a natural jus reduction and horseradish créme fraiche. Center-cut pork ribs are drizzled with Thai red curry and pineapple barbecue sauce for the Siamese Riblets at Sun Ray Grill.