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| - On entering Andrew's BBQ Restaurant in Tempe I was transported back to kindergarten, the happiest time in my childhood: hardwood chairs and tables, red floor, white walls covered with crayon drawings. I expected to see my teacher seated at her upright piano leading us in song. There was no piano, but Jody, event coordinator and restaurant manager, was as cheerful and informative as the teacher of my memories. I should have asked her to sing "I Am A Little Teapot" with me. Maybe next time.
A huge blackboard above the counter displayed the menu. The item that popped right out at us was Wisconsin Cheese Curds with Ranch Dressing ($4.95). We also ordered a BBQ Sampler Plate ($12.95) and a house-made cupcake ($2). Our food arrived quickly. Portions were large: the cheese curds could easily have fed four. Our sampler plate consisted of 4 pork ribs, a container each of BBQ chopped chicken, beef brisket and pork. For our two sides we had selected baked potato salad and slaw. There was also a wedge of cornbread.
The cheese curds were out of this world, deep fried in a beer batter. Cheese curds are fresh young cheddar cheese in natural form before being processed into blocks and aged. They're mostly found in places that have cheese factories, since they should be eaten soon after being taken out of the vat - but happily they've been showing up in the Valley. They're less chewy than mozzarella, with a lovely mild flavor. It's worth a trip to Andrew's just to have these!
The BBQ was excellent too. It's cooked over cherry wood imported from northern Michigan. All the chopped meats were moist and tender, served in their jus rather than slathered with BBQ sauce. Our only quibble was that the same rub seemed to have been used on all three, thus making their taste similar. The ribs were falling off the bone, but just this side of dry. There were two sauces, regular and spicy - not overly sweet or tomatoey. The baked potato salad was a treat, with bits of real bacon and scallions. One of the nicest surprises was that the moist, caky cornbread was served with real butter, and there were packets of honey on the table. We did pig-out on the cheese curds, so we finished only half of our platter. We took the cupcake home with us and had it as a mid-afternoon snack. From the many flavors available, we had chosen a chocolate-cherry. The pink frosting was topped with a maraschino cherry; while sweet it went nicely with the chocolate cupcake which was less sugary.
Other items I'd like to try:
Loaded Fries ($6.95) - Choice of BBQ Meats, Cheese, Onions & Ranch
BBQ Baker ($6.95) - Large baked spud loaded with cowboy beans, choice of BBQ meat, onions, sour cream and cheddar cheese. (Jody says this is HUGE)
Green Chili Mac & Cheese (one of the available sides) or $1.75.
Andrew's started out as a catering company, then added the restaurants (there's also one in Mesa) about a year and a half ago. They do catering for the Phoenix zoo and also private parties. If you happen to be having 100 people over to your house, for $13.95 per person you can get a whole smoked pineapple pig, injected with teriyaki pineapple juice, slow cooked for fourteen hours and hand carved at the buffet. Too bad our condo is so small....
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