Black Label Icehouse

In a world where most people think BBQ means grilling a hamburger, Black Label is a welcome addition to the ever growing Nola BBQ scene. For years the city was a virtual wasteland when it came to legitimate BBQ and now we have a bunch of places to choose from.

Black Label bills itself as Texas style BBQ and that is an accurate description. As far as technique, they fire up actual smokers as opposed to some electric smoking rigs used by other area restaurants. Their food is good to very good, but I think other aspects fall a little short.

Food

Brisket - Very Good. The brisket plate was mostly lean, but it had a great thick smokey taste. If you are unaccustomed to real BBQ, you may find this flavor off putting, but for me, I loved it.

Pork - Good. The pork was moist, but not as smokey as the brisket.

Jalapenos - Holy Mackerel. The stuffed jalapenos were creamy bites of smokey goodness. I could make a meal solely on these incredible poppers. Whatever you do, make sure you get some of these.

Location

Black Label is a pop up based in Barrel Proof. Maybe I am getting old or something, but it was pretty dark inside and I was confused about where to order. Once I noticed the host stand at the back left of the bar I figured it out. Because it isn't a dedicated restaurant, the vibe of the place was a little odd. People were friendly, but it felt like the combination of fancy whisky bar and BBQ joint was a bit forced.

Prices

I realize that the price of beef has skyrocketed, but I felt like the prices are a little steep. I am no expert in food cost, but brisket at Black Label is around $9-10 more per pound than other local stand alone bbq joints. Their brisket is very good, but I don't think it is above and beyond the other places with lower prices.

Summary

Black Label puts out a good product, but the location and prices detract from the otherwise good product. If I find myself inside of Barrel Proof for some reason I feel sure I will be ordering more BBQ from Black Label. I just don't know if I will go out of my way to visit.

I want to like this place more than the three stars I am giving it!

It's a great space with a big bar and a cool "bad boys of BBQ" vibe plus a live music area, so what's my beef you ask?

If you open for service at 11am that means all of your food has to be ready. My friend raved about the jalapeño poppers but when we asked for them we were told they wouldn't be ready for another hour to hour and a half. Luckily they had two, which I am guessing were leftover from the day before. Yes, they are as good as my friend said which really sucked because we couldn't get anymore.

We went ahead and order some wings and two of the Icehouse Platters, replacing the poppers with an extra ribs. Food came out in a timely manner the brisket was ok but I was served this really fatty piece which look like they didn't separate the flat from the point. The pull pork was well seasoned but it could have been warmer and the ribs didn't pull away cleanly from the bone. The wings were great smokey and juice.

I hope that these are just small start up issues as they settle in and start working on serving consistent well smoked BBQ.

While visiting NOLA from Texas for the Zurich Classic Open and Jazz Fest, my local friends told me of a cool Texas Style BBQ joint that existed in this wonderful city of Cajun cuisine so this Texas Boy had to put it to the test.

Entering the establishment I instantly got a really nice hole in the wall feeling that only a mom and pop place can offer.

The patrons and wait staff behind the bar all had a cheerful "I'm the coolest" smile on their faces which reminded me of the New Hipster Austin....but hey, never judge a book by its color, right?

So onward with my critique, the two, very young and inexperienced waitresses/bar attendants had absolutely no knowledge of the restaurants menu.

Side note, two young fellers walked up to the bar and asked questions about the local beers on tap. The waitress appeared confused and perplexed and couldn't give a clear answer. So the guys asked about ordering the ribs. She then said, we're out of ribs. What!?!, I thought to myself, you're out of something that's clearly on the menu? WTF....is this Mc Donalds?

I ordered the Cowboy from Hell brisket sandwich with the Badass Beans and the When Pigs Fly Fries that I had to pay extra for. Cute names for the items but in Texas we call it a Brisket sandwich w fries and beans. You see, in Texas when you order a brisket sandwich plate it generally comes with 2 sides. My sandwich looked good and the fries were yummy but not pig flying yummy. I didn't get any BBQ sauce w my sandwich and asked for some. The cute short green haired woman brought me a small shot of sauce but failed to tell me that it costs extra. Again, in Texas the BBQ sauce is free and usually comes in a mild and hot variety.
My buddy ordered 1/2 lb of brisket that looked like long strands of Slim Jims. I told the bar person that we didn't want it so she took the order back.

upon cashing out, I asked for my check. The attended brought me my ticket with a crazy dollar amount attached. I asked for an itemized receipt so she voided that copy and brought me another receipt that was itemized. On that ticket it showed that I was being charged for the stringy bbq strands. She then voided that ticket again and gave me another.

When it was all said and done, I walked out with 5 receipts, bitter feelings and as a unsatisfied customer. Oh, when I checked my bank transaction it showed that I had been charged for the food that was returned.

Lets sum this up, retrain your floor staff on the fundamentals on customer service.
My buddy asked for a knife to cut his food and the green headed waitress said, with a hint of rudeness on her voice, "let me go wash one for you."
As for me, I would never order a BLT in a Chinese restaurant so I shouldn't have had gone to a Texas Style BBQ joint in New Orleans.

My remedy and advice for the owner / management. Always cut your
brisket AGAINST the grain.
And please refrain from using any references to Texas on your menu or marketing.
But feel free to use New Mexico instead.

First off this business should have a new profile since it is completely different that the previous Black Label BBQ that was located in a bar with a completely different menu. I came to the new BL Icehouse to try the mesquite brisket sandwich and it was exactly what I was looking for, excellent, tender and full of flavor with no sauces needed on sliced white bread. The menu is very small with just a handful of items but what they do have is excellent. Beer prices are affordable too. A $2 high life to go with your brisket sandwich and we have a winner.

Black Label knows drinks (see Ladies Night). Black Label knows good DJs. What Black Label doesn't seem to know is that smoking meat outside and leaving all of the doors of the restaurant open is so unpleasant for customers. I feel a profound sympathy for brisket because I now know what it feels like to be smoked. I'm sure there's a practical reason for this. And, boy, do I love smoked meat. But despite our deep desires to drink, dance to DJ Quickie Mart and be merry the smoke was literally choking us. Our eyes stung, we couldn't suppress the coughing until we eventually had to leave.

I'd love to give them another try, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed about the smoke.

Those wicked pickles, that smoky brisket and bacon wrapped jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese you say? Count. Me. In.

Black Label BBQ fed a few of our Yelpers at our end of the year bash and ran out of food tout de suite. So fast, in fact, that although I arrived fairly early, it was already devoured by the time I made it to the table.

Well, of course I had to see what the fuss was about. We headed there less than a week later.

BLBBQ is located inside of Barrel Proof. It's a pop up but it's not that easy to find once you're in there. We had to look around a bit before we noticed it and it's really dim in there so that makes it challenge. Walk in and head straight back and slightly over to your left you'll notice the hostess stand where you go right up and order. It's opposite the bar, if that helps. Place your order and cross over to the bar for a beer (Bloody Mary) and have a seat at one of the many tables. The hostess will then bring out your death by BBQ.

I really liked the brisket...the flavor was incredible, but it was a little dry. The poppers were wonderful and my friend stole all but one because they were that good. Those pickles? Sweet Baby Jesus. They were so good. I am not above stalking the chef for that recipe. Ain't no shame in the wicked pickle game.

I've been here a few times before for various events. Black Label is a very versatile venue. They have live music, comedy, and now, they show movies on Tuesday. I have eaten here, and the bbq is pretty good. Not the best, but certainly better than most other places. The portions would be considered meager by most standards, but is adequate serving size. Nothing is 'overstuffed'. The bartenders are always friendly, and drinks are reasonably priced.

I had the thin sliced brisket with the blue cheese cole slaw on New Years Eve (see picture) and it was delicious. I like that you can just order it and they will deliver it right to you at Courtyard Brewery. A bunch of us ordered BBQ and it really put our little New Years Eve party over the top. Damien says that he slow cooks the meat and you can definitely tell. It's melt in your mouth delicious with a lot of flavor and not chewy at all.

Right now, Black Label is only a popup inside of Barrel Proof, but I am hoping that they have an actual store front soon.

First of all Jen is awesome! Went to Black Label around 9:00 on a Monday night with my fiancee and even though the place was empty we had a blast sitting at the bar with Jen.

We started off with the wings. We tried the dry and the BBQ wings and I would definitely recommend ordering them BBQ. Their sauce compliments the smokiness of the wings perfectly, and once you dip them in ranch you're in nirvana.

I ended up getting the Dixie sandwich which was exactly what I want in a BBQ pork sandwich. Nice smoked meat, good sauce, and nice CRISP cole slaw. Along with my sandwich I got an order of their french fried which I can say are top notch!

I'll definitely be back again. Only earlier during the day so I can try the brisket and ribs which they were both out of when we went late in the evening.

Woof. This place was so gross. Had 1/4 # of brisket that came out in two skinny strips with a thick slab of fat. No taste, all gross. Also had 1/4 # of the driest pulled pork ever. Cole slaw was cole slaw and nothing to write home about. The macaroni and cheese took the cake-something about some beer in there. Oh it was awful and had the worst, most bitter taste.

On another note, the staff..... Cursed like a sailor. Granted, we were the only ones in there on a Friday night at 845 (which should've told me something) and I don't mind a little cursing; but, we made a drinking game out of all the f bombs the bartender was dropping. Just something to be cognizant of.