It was sometime around the end of 2011 that Virgil's Real Barbecue opened in The Bahamas, and to be honest, I didn't exactly beat down their doors to get inside, especially as the word on the street that reached my ears wasn't exactly on the complimentary side - someone almost had a complaint. So I waited and waited and waited. And recently - actually almost eight months after the restaurant opened I tentatively made my way inside for the first time. Since that initial entry, I've darkened the doors of Virgil's quite a few times - because well ... my experiences have been ... quite good, contrary to the reports I'd gotten.
My sampling to date of the 32-item strong menu has included the BBQ trash ribs, baked crab cakes, beer battered onion rings, the Virgil's BBQ nachos, buttermilk biscuits, cornbread, collard greens, grilled vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and the Memphis pork spare ribs. And in the spirit of being adventurous, on one of those visits I ordered the Texas Volcano (dessert) to end the meal (something that won't happen again, because it's just well ... a sugar rush and too much. But it's something you have to experience at least once).
To be entirely honest, most of the items I thoroughly enjoyed, with the exception of the BBQ trash ribs, simply because I'm not a fan of vinegar-based BBQ sauces - plus those ribs are simply the tips off of the good stuff and usually tend to be tougher. My advice, stick to the dry-rubbed Memphis pork spare ribs if you have a hankering for ribs. They will not disappoint. I've enjoyed them on at least three forays into Virgil's, and have yet to be disappointed.

The only other menu item that I was a little disappointed with was the collard greens - and that was simply because I was looking to recreate the memory of my first taste of collard greens which happened more than 20 years ago when I visited my friend Tonya Tynes' aunt's home in South Carolina for Thanksgiving. The taste of those greens that Aunt Lillian Prioleau cooked that year stuck with me - for years. And when I saw collard greens on Virgil's menu, I just had to try them. The Virgil's collards weren't a homerun for me, but I don't know if I was living off false memories either because as far as my memory is concerned, Aunt Lillian's greens were banging.
Other than those two disappointments, the beer battered onion rings were some of the best I've had; the nachos were different, but good; the macaroni and cheese (while not Bahamian style by no means) was good; the buttermilk biscuits and the cornbread were pure decadence and a sin to indulge in (but I did anyway). And the crab cakes were just what most people are looking for - crab cakes and not bread cakes with some crab meat.
Speaking of crab cakes, Virgil's crab cakes sort of slam home the fact that Virgil's serves family-sized portions which are very large and are designed to be shared among several people. And those portions when placed on the table can certainly be daunting. If it's just two of you, you will be overwhelmed, trust me. On my most recent visit, my dining party consisted of my mom, Jestina Adderley, and my sister, Cornesha Gordon, and we were overwhelmed.

We ordered crab cakes for the appetizer, not knowing what to expect. The order consisted of five crab cakes, but they were the most massive crab cakes I'd ever seen. They had to be at least three inches high and three inches across and were chockfull of crabmeat, not breading as some cakes are. And they were a delight. To be honest, one of those cakes could have been shared between three people, but seeing as it was so good I ate a whole one to myself and then found myself stuffed to the point that I could barely make it through one bone of my Memphis ribs and the grilled vegetables. We had also ordered buttermilk biscuits, cornbread and mashed potatoes (which are delicious by the way). So when the server asked if the table wanted to order dessert, we had to all throw in our napkins in surrender. We simply could not do it. Plus, we had so much food leftover that we had two doggie bags.
For a family style dining experience, I definitely recommend Virgil's for a crowd of people hitting the town, and there are a few other menu items that I've got to try, like the Texas brisket which I understand is another house specialty, but have yet to try. They also offer grilled salmon, another entrée that I've got my eye on. But there is variety which means there is something for everyone - BBQ chicken, pulled Carolina pork, pulled chicken, fried catfish fillet, grilled swordfish steak, Kansas city fried chicken, grilled 38-ounce Texas Porterhouse steak and grilled BBQ shrimp skewers for entrees.
The starter menu also includes hush puppies, BBQ chicken wings, popcorn shrimp, train-wreck fries and biscuits and gravy.
The Virgil's BBQ salad (BBQ brisket, pork and chicken, hard-boiled eggs, cheddar cheese, tomato, green onion and olives), grilled vegetable salad (grilled vegetables over mixed greens with olives, cheddar, blue cheese and grilled chicken breast) and the Caesar salad (with grilled shrimp and grilled chicken breast) round out the salad offerings.
Besides the collard greens, grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes, they also offer Georgia pecan rice, Memphis BBQ beans, potato salad, cheese grits and coleslaw.
At Virgil's, starter prices are anywhere from $10 to $40. Salads are $31 to $42. Sides are $14 to $24 and entrees are $44 to $95. But don't mind the prices, I'm sure whatever size your dining party is, you can be assured that you won't get through the amount of food set before you.

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