It's easy to look at what's happening on America's coasts and feel an immense jealousy—a jealousy so deep that it boils into a spiteful anger—for the food our New Yorker and San Franciscan brethren get to enjoy day in and day out. A seemingly endless string of new restaurants opening weekly, many run by the familiar faces we know from Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chopped—the A-list and B-list food celebrities. Their pride won't let them admit it, but they're jealous of us too. They don't have our BBQ. I've been to two of Boston's best BBQ restaurants; to say I was unimpressed would be an understatement.

As much as we'd like to be healthier, fitter people, we Midwesterners love our comfort foods too much for it to be a feasible option. Fatty, flavorful meat is what we crave and Mike Emerson and Skip Steele are our pushers.

It was only a matter of time before the Pappy's family made their way out of the city and into the suburbs. Their first foray in the 'burbs is Dalie's Smokehouse, located in Valley Park, off of Dougherty Ferry road.

It's the largest of the four BBQ restaurants (Pappy's, Adam's, Bogart's) and, thankfully, the least crazy. That's not to say business hasn't been steady every time I've been in, but it's not the madhouse that is Bogart's.