Leviathan, whoa. Talk about being a little buzzed. I probably should have waited to post until this morning considering our outing last night. I could have been a little more tactful and given a little more depth in my comment.
Here is the thing, I so desperately want a good BBQ place in the DC area. I don't want fusion. I just want good smoked BBQ. They have a state of the art smoking machine (whose exhaust is odorless but that is a conversation for another time) and do well on their smoking times. I have seen a few briskets come out a little dry but the pork is good. They could spend more time pulling the que but otherwise fine. The best thing is they are here in Alexandria.
Their problem, as you pointed out, are the sides. Collards need more heat, a little more vinegar, and seasoning. The mac and cheese has gone through three distinctive recipe changes that I can identify. The current form is okay but mac and cheese shouldn't necessarily be shells and it should be baked. The slaw gets absorbed into BBQ sauce and pork but from prior tastings, I think it's fine.
Business seems to be good but adding servers adds overhead. I've waited for over two years for this place to open, I'd hate for them to get in trouble adding to their operational cost because a few people complained about going to the bar for their drinks. Maybe if it was a bit crummier inside, people might not expect service but that isn't the case. They did well with their space. I can see how people can get annoyed if they are sitting at the central tables near where the line forms but that's neither here nor there about the food itself. The solution we came up with is to just sit at the bar to tie food and drink together.
If Bill and Co. lurk around the dr.com, they'll pick up some good insight here. My head still hurts a bit from last night but I think I got something cogent here. Thanks.