Well I think people tend to think of "barbecue" as about what you're thinking, but I the people I know nearly always think of "a barbecue" as an event that must involve a grill, but can include a wide variety of meats and styles of cooking.

In the DC area (and spreading), a BBQ place called Red Hot & Blue is the place BBQ. They're mainly focused on the pork side of things, but have ribs and burgers. They also offer 4 sauces on the table, one of which is a vinegar sauce that I've been told it pretty good. Down here where there are very few decent restaurants, that place is my favorite by far.