Your experience starts with confusing, as you select your meat outside the restaurant, order it by weight, and then carry it inside after the loose meat is thrown on a tray. Yeah, no plate. The meat all "looks" amazing. You won't get a chance to consider anything other than meat here, so just immediately base your meal choice on just the meat you want. If you're a vegetarian, just turn around and go back to your car.
I chose brisket torpedoes (stuffed jalapenos) and St. Louis cut ribs. All items are priced by weight, which is not a good representation of what you are getting until you've got it. 3 ribs ran me $12.50, which seems the guy must have had his thumb on the scale. So shockingly with just 3 ribs and 2 jalapenos I was already at a $16 meal, without even a choice yet to see what sides could be added (for an additional fee).
Once you navigate carrying your greasy tray of loose meat inside (seriously, do they wash them or only cover them with paper?), you'll see a few slim choices for sides. Potato salad, fries, cole slaw, side salad, fried okra, there wasn't much more. There's only two choices for dressings, so you better like Ranch or Caesar. Get your BBQ sauce here and now, because there's none at the table or elsewhere. Pay up at the end of the line, and they'll want you to fork over their tip at this point as well (even though it seems to me the tasks that you normally tip for you are all doing for yourself). For 3 ribs, 2 jalapenos, and a side salad, they'll hit you up for $20.51. Nevermind the fact you can get a full slab of tastier ribs for less than that elsewhere. Oh, and before you leave the line, be sure to grab your fork/spoon/knife that is stamped out of a sheet of tin metal since those aren't available elsewhere either.
Now go fill up your own drink and then find an indoor picnic table to share with strangers. Stare at your plate well, because it's all downhill from here, so savor this moment. Again, the ribs were BEAUTIFUL! Maybe the prettiest ribs I ever saw. I can't wait to taste these bad boys. As soon as the meat touches your lips, you are shocked by how cold they are. Maybe it was the meat sitting outside in the open for who knows how long, or maybe it was the long trek through the line, paying, getting a drink and finding a community table while your meat was just splayed out on your tray. In any case, your meat is cold.
As you bite down further into the meaty ribs, you realize they are quite tender, as if they had been cooked low and slow at the perfect temp for about the right time. Or maybe not quite long enough, as much of the fat is curiously still in place which should have melted off a bit. But alas, they still seem to be lacking something. Ah yes, flavor. Ribs (as beautiful and meaty and pricey as they are) should not be this bland. Fortunately, when presented with my only choice to get sauce right before paying, I chose a small plastic tub of one of each of their two sauce options. Unfortunately, these don't do much to help the flavor of the ribs (seriously, did they even use smoke?). By my third rib I was pouring what was left of both sauces on the rib to finally get some flavor into my mouth.
I also opted for the brisket-stuffed jalapenos. These were pretty tasty, but perhaps more cold than the ribs. I can only guess how many hours had passed since they were cooked. Not much heat but the flavor is ok. You can do better at home.
Of course not being a complete carnivore I did opt for a small side salad, which was the only green choice besides pickles or cole slaw. Again, there's only two choices for dressing, ranch and caesar. The salad is iceberg lettuce, some shredded carrots, and 3 grape tomatoes. I'm not sure if they froze the lettuce beforehand or managed to wilt it some other way, but it was like eating a cold wet napkin.
As challenging as it was, I ate everything on my piece of paper covering my unwashed greasy/saucy tray. As I leaned back to assess my meal, I was overwhelmed with just one thought. I AM STARVING! Twenty one bucks worth of cold subpar food, and I am left starving. Do I go for a dessert? No, I'm not going to suffer another disappointment at this place. A friend with me had leftover fries, so I decided to ease the hunger with those. Three fries later I'm up to refill my own drink to dilute all the salt. The rest of our table had a "meh" feeling about their choices as well.
So what about service? Well, you don't get much. The guy cutting the meat, the girl passing you the sides, and the cashier all seemed none to happy about having to help you complete your food gathering process. Though they may be smart to ask for their tip before you actually eat any of it. I asked questions which strangely resulted in grunting from all three.
In summary, food is cold, bland, and waaaaay overpriced. Service is better on a chuck wagon out west. Meat is some of the best "looking" I've seen. I won't be back. read more