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| - I recently got in on a groupon deal for this place, and consider BBQ my all time favorite food. I make some pretty mean slow-cooked ribs, brisket, and pulled pork myself, so I have a pretty good idea of what goes into making good BBQ.
Anyways, we walk into the place, and notice a myraid of flat screen tvs. With the world cup on, we decided to hear over to a spot in the bar directly in front of one. I take my seat, and something just doesn't feel right, so I swap my chair with no luck. The chairs are wobbly and underpadded (and I'm not a fatty) to the point where you can feel screws in some places. The decor was minimal, except for the big TVs everywhere.
Between the two of us, we ordered the brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, and quartered chicken. And for sides we got the ranch beans, baked beans, mac and cheese, and house cole slaw. Food took a while to come out, but when we got it, we each tried a bit of everything.
To start, all the meats were served dry, which is typically the sign of a pit master who knows his meat is so good that it doesn't need sauce to mask the flavor of the meat. Unfortunately, I don't think the pit master has earned that right in this case. Kind of like those restaurants that don't put salt or pepper on the table. It sets the expectation of the food to be perfectly seasoned, and if it's not, they just look pretentious. Serving dry bbq sets that same expectation in my case.
The Chicken was good, but wasn't anything spectacular. Skin on the the quartered chicken was nice and crispy, but the inside of the chicken was still fairly moist. Unfortunately it just tasted bland, and didn't have any smoky flavor I would expect from a bbq joint. Pulled chicken was the same, but had a vague beer taste. Both were ok, but nothing to brag about.
Now the pulled pork and brisket were also somewhat disappointing. I haven't found a place in the valley that does both pork and brisket very well, it's usually one or the other, and this place was no different. Based on the wood they use, I expected the brisket to be better, and it was. It had just the right amount of smoke to accentuate the meat, but not enough to overwhelm. The pork didn't have that same flavor, which was sad. I know pork is more delicate, but you can still give it some smoky flavor.
The major issue I had with both is that they almost seemed reheated. Like maybe they cooked it at one location, then transported it to this location and reheated it. I can't explain why I think that, but the meat just had a texture to it that you don't get with fresh brisket or pulled pork. Almost like a soggy feeling in your mouth, yet the meat itself was dry. The only other time I have experienced that is at Honey Bears (who I believe cooks most meat at the van buren location, and transports it to the downtown location). After we left, I made sure to walk around back, and didn't see any type of smoker/pit, and didn't get any type of smoky smell in the air to make me think they were cooking meat inside the restaurant. You can typically tell when they are BBQ'ing in the restaurant, because you will smell like smoke when you leave the place (ala Gates in K.C.)
As for the sides, they were also just average. I think a good bbq place can be set apart based on not only the meat, but the sides as well. Both the baked and ranch beans tasted like they were out of a can with some chopped meat thrown in. This was disappointing considering I had read a review saying they were the best in the valley. Obviously that person hadn't been to Joe's BBQ in Gilbert, where the beans are so hearty and full of meat that you can eat them as a meal themselves. The mac and cheese was also nothing to brag about, and the cole slaw was vinegar based, but had a bit too much vinegar in it. Out of the sides, I think the cole slaw was the best.
And as for the cornbread, ours were both fairly dry. I had to put a whole dish of butter on it just to give it some moisture. It had good flavor, just not enough moisture.
Overall, I wouldn't return. If you are looking for good bbq in the valley, try Bobby Q's, Joes BBQ, BBQ Factory (during the week), or even Honey Bears on a good day. It's not the worst BBQ I have had (Wigwam resort takes that prize with it's orange-flavored bbq sauce), but it's far from memorable.
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