The Shaved Duck is, hands-down, the best barbecue restaurant I have ever been to.

For birthdays in my family, we get to pick where we go to dinner, and this January, my oldest brother wanted to try The Shaved Duck out. He always picks a restaurant none of us have been to, and he had heard it was an amazing restaurant,

To be honest, I was skeptical mainly because of the name and because my brother typically picks odd restaurants. My doubts were soon swept away when I arrived.

Located on the corner of Virginia Ave. and Pestalozzi St., The Shaved Duck is a small, buzzing building with a lot of character.

After waiting outside for about 15 minutes, the waitress took us through this small, cozy restaurant that was packed to the brim in both the bar and the regular dining area.

We first ordered their famous Smothered Fries, which is a plate of fries with pulled pork rib, cheese sauce as well as shredded cheese. Saying these fries were the best fries I have ever had is an understatement. The mixture of both melted and solid cheese created a perfect texture, the pork was cooked perfectly and the fries were the perfect amount of crispy, allowing them to not get overly soft in the cheese.

Our food took a little long to come out, but it was understandable considering how packed it was. It was well worth the weight because all of the food was amazing.

I got the Two Meat Plate with tri-tip and burnt ends and mac and cheese as my side. It was by far the best barbecue I’ve had. Because of how much food comes with the plate, I couldn’t finish, especially since I had already had some Smothered Fries.

In addition to the amazing food, there is also live music performed on almost every night of the week.

My family loved this restaurant so much that, two months later, my other brother also chose The Shaved Duck as his birthday dinner.