Waldo's BBQ Mesa, AZ

21 January 2009

Driving east down Main Street in Mesa, you'll find a restaurant just east of Greenfield on the north side called Waldo's BBQ.

Yet another "impromptu" BBQ dinner this weekend. I use the quotes because the wife says there is no such thing as "impromptu" because I'm so predictable when it comes to BBQ.

We entered around 6pm and the place seemed pretty lively. It had a sit-down restaurant style to it. We decided to take-out so we walked up to the counter and had a pretty friendly face greet us and take our order. The prices were a little more than we expected but it was a little nicer than your average BBQ joint.

We got the ribs, the beef brisket, the pulled pork, and the shredded beef as well as a side of fries and another side of spicy fries.

The ribs had a pretty good flavor, but I like them to be able to taste a rub or some kind of seasoning. They pretty much fell off the bone and melted to pieces in my mouth.

The beef brisket was a bit dry and it seemed a little tough. The flavor was decent but, like the ribs, a little more seasoning or rub couldn't have hurt.

When I tried the pork it was quite different than I expected. I don't remember the last time I had pork that was as greasy as that. The flavor was decent, pretty salty, but it worked well for that dish.

The shredded beef was a lot like the pork. It was greasy and salty, but flavorful.

I expected to find different varieties of sauce to sample but, when I opened it up, there was only the Original. The tangy flavor and touch of sweetness made me smother every bit of my food with it until I had licked the dishes clean. It had a great consistency to it that worked well with the food.

The french fries were a little soggy but I attribute that to being in the take-out container too long. (my own fault) The spicy fries were the same but had a great salty seasoning on them that was, of course, a little spicy too.

All in all, great BBQ and a nice saw-dust-on-the-floor sit down restaurant. When I factored in the environment, BBQ sauce, greasy meats, and dry brisket, I ended up giving a 7 of 10.