Who is Famous Dave??

[brdbbq]

Where the Beef ?

 

[BBQchef33]

Well.. they had the grand opening this past weekend. parking lots been full since. A few neighbors went and said it was good, but not my stuff. some said its in a different class. So tonight i went and loaded up on takeout.

1 pound each of brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, full rack of babybacks and a dozen wings. Bill came out to 70 bucks.

Family reviews.

Jackie after sampling one of everything.

"There is nothing on this table that i want more of"

James after a rib and slice of brisket and a wing.
"Can I have a hamburger?. There is one left from this afternoon."

Sharon after a sample of everything.
"You should cook like this. At least i will loose some weight."

Me.
Ha.. this sucks.


Wings were ok. those I may get again.

Brisket was dry and flaky. Absolutly NO SMOKE RING.. NONE.. But very smokey flavor. Even the very center of the slices were smokey. According to Famous Daves "BBQ BUDDY", the little restaurant handbook that all the kids their have in the back pocket. "All brisket cuts are cooked for 2 hours." 2 HOURS?? Alot of smoke flavor in that brisket for a 2 hour cook. Obviously cooked offsite. KCBS judging score. 3 for texture/tenderness. 4 for taste.

Chicken, cooked nicely, sauce was kind of funky though.. Some unusal flavor I cant figure out. Apricot?? who knows.. was pretty good though.. but next time.. no sauce. KCBS judging score. 8 for texture/tenderness. 7 for taste. (maybe an 8 if i knew what that flavor was).

Pork, dry and stringy, but flavor was OK. Found a few pieces moist enough to eat. KCBS judging score, 4 for texture/tenderness. 6 for taste.

Ribs.. a joke. still attached to the bone. very tough, very chewy, if i ever cooked them in a competition i wouldn't turn them in. Flavor was from the drowning in sauce. KCBS judging score. 3 for texture/tenderness. 2 for taste.


IMHO.... This place may satisfy an urge for pork or chicken sandwich on a rainy saturday afternoon.. but it aint real Q. Eldorados BBQ chain is much much better than this was. My daughter said my mistakes were better than the stuff tonight. Won't be going back there anytime soon. Dont have to, there is plenty left over. No one went back for seconds.

 

[racer_81]

How'd the celery and carrots turn out?

Is that sauce ranch or bleu cheese?

 

[BBQchef33]

those got all ate up. They were good... Thems the only things that got finished. Wings came with Bleu cheese. i got the buffalo style, they also come roasted or BBQ'ed.

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

The whole place sounds utterly disgusting to me...

 

[BBQchef33]

i jsut read my post to Sharon.. she says i overrated it... and she thought it was rated 1-10. ouch.

 

[Ron_L]

Way back in this thread, Jim Minion siad that the quality can vary dependant on the location. I've found this to be true. It seems to me that the location in the Twin Cities are better than the franchises elsewhere, but it could be my imagination.

They used to have a Famous Dave's stand at the MSP airport, right by the gates that Northwest sues for the Chicago flights, and I would stop there once in a while for a pulled pork sammie before my flight. It was always pratty good, and much better than the other airport choices.

 

[nmayeux]

My trading partner should be recieving is F.D. sauce today!! As far as I'm concerned, it is the only chain bbq joint where I will eat.
Noah

 

[brdbbq]

I use to have a smoker for sale.

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Note to Phil,

Only a fool goes to a restaurant in the first 2 months of operation, and then gets take out to boot.

Go back in a couple months, and eat there, not 1/2 hour later at home.

That brisket you ate was like the third one that zit faced kid up the street ever served. The wings, well, they ran out and ended up reselling ones they bought at Shop & Save. And the retarded guy who collects carts in the shopping mall parking lot was the guy they inadvertantly hired to mix the sauce.

Give'm another try, but wait 2 months.

 

[mrkkti]

I find Famous Daves to be decent. Granted, my family says it doesn't hold a candle to my Q either, but Daves isn't that bad.

 

[Trout_man22]

I've never had their take out, but not bad for a chain. Some of the sauces are good, not great. BBQ is done on site the night before, but at high temps in a closed chamber.

 

[The_Kapn]

I just read your review and Mista's post in WoodPile:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=6145&highlight=
Matches perfectly :lol:
Good example here of why I order the smallest portion or meal available when sampling a new "Chi Chi Que Joint"--Cheap Mod
Wish it had been better for you.
TIM

 

[BBQchef33]

Note to Phil,

Only a fool goes to a restaurant in the first 2 months of operation, and then gets take out to boot.

Go back in a couple months, and eat there, not 1/2 hour later at home.

That brisket you ate was like the third one that zit faced kid up the street ever served. The wings, well, they ran out and ended up reselling ones they bought at Shop & Save. And the retarded guy who collects carts in the shopping mall parking lot was the guy they inadvertantly hired to mix the sauce.

Give'm another try, but wait 2 months.

Too bad.. They are OPEN FOR BUSINESS. If they want to stay open and get repeat customers, they should produce good Q from the start. Word of mouth will bring people in. What good is it if the opening reviews from peopl esay.. it sucks?

Some of the details I left out last night.

the place was packed.. decor ala outback or boulder creek. The takeout spot is direclty next to an open kitchen where you can see everything goin on. So take out, or eat in.. irrelevent. Same food, same cook. The place is next to James school. no more than 5 minutes away. Food was hot when we got it here.

While waiting for 35 minutes, I was in the kitchen area talking to the 2 guys from the staff. Asked about cooks training, and they said all "red shirt" kitchen staff is trained for 3 months on how to cook. When i drilled them on what cuts of briskets, pork butts, types of ribs, how long they cook stuff for, etc.. i was answered with shrugged shoulders and blank stares. One guy says 'BBQ BUDDY!! BBQ BUDDY!!" and pulls out this little handbook form the back pocket. hands it to me. First section, an explanation of all the meats.

'Brisket is from the chest area of the cow. It has 2 sections, the flat and the deckle. The flat is very lean and the deckle is very marbled. Most people prefer the deckle becasue of its tenderness. We serve the flat portion." All briskets pieces are cooked for 2 hours in our ovens. '

ribs cook for 2-3 hours, chicken 2-3 hours.. yada yad yada...u get the idea... BBQ BUDDY has the recipes and amounts for how much of which rub, spice, dressing, sauce to use. It specifically says not to deviate from these recipes. they shoot for consistancy, the same rubs, same ovens.... they use ONLY hickory. How much change can there be in 3 months.? There constrained on everything. They are not going to turn into Home style BBQ. Gimme the little shack with the busted door, single table an 3 chairs anyday. A few towns over there is a roadside 12x14 shed that has a Lang cooker in the back. Mom and Dad there produce better stuff than this place.

in section 2, the BBQBuddy, calls out portion sizes, and recommended sides dishes.. its all the verbage that the server will recite to you if u ask "whats this" on the menu. Place was one bigass log cabin, menus are plastic laminated. There is absolutly NO SMELL OF WOOD BURNING either outside in the parking lot, or in the kitchen.

Bottom line, this place is the ultimate in commercial, mass produced Q. its called BBQ because someone shows it some wood sowhere in the cooking process. Eldorados is another chain around here and the stuff was much better. (you can smell the wood in the parking lot).

keep in mind.. I am making comparisons and judgment based on what WE produce. A burger we make in our kitchen and on our grills are really good.. that does not mean we wont go to macdonalds or burger king. Im sure I will stop at daves takeout occasionally and get a pulled pork sandwich or some chicken(I will skip the ribs). This place was no more than fast food with a bunch of tables and nice building.


3 familys of neighbors are going tonight with the boy scout troop. They have all eatin in my yard...... Lets see what they say. :twisted:

 

[brdbbq]

3 familys of neighbors are going tonight with the boy scout troop. They have all eatin in my yard...... Lets see what they say.

_________________

Who hasn't eaten in your yard ?

 

[The_Kapn]

PooBah,
Sounds like "By the Book" Que to me. :wink:
But, the wrong "book" :twisted:
What a shame.

Just like the decline of "Larry's", a local chain, that I wrote about over in Road Trips. Bean counters take over from the founder.
But, the "public" just keeps on coming.

TIM

 

[Bill-Chicago]

Maybe it's because you live on an island.

 

[jt]

But, the "public" just keeps on coming.

That's because 2 hours is longer than they cook it on their "bbq", or as we call it, the grill

 

[mrkkti]

...keep in mind.. I am making comparisons and judgment based on what WE produce....

And there-in lies the problem...you can't compare apples to oranges!

...3 familys of neighbors are going tonight with the boy scout troop. They have all eatin in my yard...... Lets see what they say. :twisted:

It'll be interesting to see what they say...."Yea, Daves was alright, but man, your stuff is the bomb" In the words of MC Hammer, they 'Can't touch this'!

(For those of you wondering "The bomb" is a good thing)

 

[Mark]

New BBQ joint openng up about a mile from my house.. Gonna be the first on ein town.. Figure its a chain because its right between Boulder Creek and Carubas. Building a brand new big ass building right between them. Famos Daves.. cant be that famous cause i never heard of it.. Anyone know about it?

I'm just guessing; but I think he's some famous guy named Dave.