Tom's BBQ - Chicago Style Mesa, AZ

25 May 2009

My wife woke me up today with a pleasant surprise. Not what you're thinking. She told me that she was in the mood... for BBQ. Since she's been pregnant, its been hit or miss for BBQ because of the cravings and food sensitivities. She wanted to try Tom's because I had been there before and she didn't get any. We ordered the rib tips, "Onion Strings," BBQ pork sliders, and a 1/2 lb BBQ pork sandwich to share.

Tom's has a cozy little dining area with a bar to one side and a patio outside and some sweet Chicago blues playing in the background.

The rib tips were very flavorful, heavy smoke taste with a little bit of saltiness, drenched in your choice of hot or mild BBQ sauce. With the mild it was a little too sweet for my tastes, but the hot really added the right amount of heat.

The "Onion Strings" were a breaded and fried oinion with a flavor that resembles the "Awesome Blossom.". Salty breading and sweet onion led to a good combination that was delicious in BBQ sauce.

The pork sliders came on smaller, dinner roll sized buns and the 1/2 lb sandwich was on a full sized bun. The flavor from this pork is difficult to describe. It had the favored saltiness, the elusive sweetness, a nice texture, and was very moist but not mushy. I paired it with more of the hot BBQ sauce and it was a match made in heaven. The flavors of the pork along with the sauce were outstanding. So far, this might just affirm their claim: " Serving the best BBQ in Arizona since 1988."

I payed a little more than average but would gladly do so again. After a nice lunch and a satisfied belly, Tom's is one of the top on my list with a 9 out of 10.

Joe's Real BBQ Gilbert, AZ

28 January 2009

In downtown Gilbert, AZ is a classic BBQ restaurant called Joe's Real BBQ.

I decided, on a whim (mostly to appease my readers, of course) to head in for some BBQ. My father-in-law helped me choose Joe's. I had a sleeping 18 month old in my arms so I decided to do carry-out. The prices were about the same as anywhere. In keeping with a fair review, I ordered the ribs, brisket, pulled pork with sides of sweet corn and potato salad.

The ribs were sweet with a nice rub crust. It had a great flavor from the smoke and the BBQ sauce really added to the flavor. It came off the bone pretty easily and wasn't too tough or mushy.

The brisket was pretty sweet also but the rub crust was a little bit mushy on the outside. (It may have been due to the packaging.) It was quite soft and fell apart nicely. It seemed moist enough that BBQ sauce was only needed if you wanted it for flavor.

When the pork touched my tongue I was delighted. It was sweet, like the other food, but also a little salty. A great texture and just the right amount of shredding made it one of the best shredded porks that I've tasted yet.

The sauce was good. I tasted a lot of vinegar and it really worked well with the food being so sweet. A balance of flavors when added to anything. I found myself holding the sauce container and poking fingers in whether food was between them or not. Joe's Real BBQ has a nice sit-down atmosphere and home-made root beer that will addict you quickly. Based on this, an 8 of 10.

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.

Cooper's BBQ Co. Gilbert, AZ

20 January 2009

The family and I were out looking at houses in the east valley and I saw a sign for Cooper's BBQ Co. located on Gilbert Rd. just south of Ray between a feed store and a saddle shop.

The restaurant had a buffet style counter to order your food and gave a fast-food joint kind of feel even with its rustic wood booths and western decor. While placing our order, the man behind the counter was quite friendly. I chose ribs, brisket and pulled pork. It came with my choice of two sides. Mine were cowboy beans and cheesy potatoes. It didn't cost as much as I expected. Pretty average prices for larger portions.

I watched him pull the food from the warmer and plate it right in front of me while we chatted about various AZ BBQ places.

The ribs were fantastic. A good rib rub gave them a nice crust that was not too crunchy. The meat was tender and came off the bone without any effort on my part. Delicious.

Next, I sampled the brisket. Again, the rub made a nice crust and the meat was beautifully colored. It had a smoky flavor and the BBQ sauce made it even better.

The last item was the pulled pork. The flavor was good and smoky and I really enjoyed its texture. It was dry enough to not be greasy, but not so dry that I had to drown it in sauce just to choke it down.

There were three varieties of BBQ sauce: Smoky, Sweet & Spicy, and Classic.

The Sweet & Spicy was just that. Sweet & Spicy. Although the flavor wasn't quite as good as the Smoky.

The Smoky sauce was also true to its name. It seemed to have a bit more of a tangy, vinegary taste to it as well.

The Classic was, by far, my favorite. It was a perfect blend of sweetness with just the right touches of spicy and tangy. There was even a hint of smokiness.

Overall, the food was great and I have already been recommending it to friends. I decided to give a 8 of 10 with an extra half point (which says a lot because I don't give half points) just for the BBQ sauce. Definitely a keeper.

Sweet Charley's BBQ, Snowflake, AZ

10 January 2009

Well, on a spontaneous trip up north to find snow to play in, the wife, the kids and I stopped at a local BBQ joint on the Main Drag in Snowflake, AZ called Sweet Charley's BBQ. It looked like an older building from the outside but when we walked in it looked great. A totally remodeled interior greeted us. We were there about noon and were the only customers in the place. The prices were a little high but I was willing to take the risk.

I was quite impressed with the atmosphere. We ordered a rack of ribs, rib tips, a pulled pork sandwich and a few "Snackers" (snack-sized pulled pork sandwiches that were perfect for my boys.) We also ordered a slice of lemon-berry cake to share for desert.

We were sitting around waiting for a little while but, you can't rush good BBQ right? And at least it smelled delicious.

When my food arrived, I was less than impressed. The ribs looked like they had been heated and reheated numerous times. They were also a little tough for my tastes. (I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't have to fight with your food.) I didn't taste any kind of rub or spices at all. It was as if they were just cooked naked.

The next thing that I tried was the pulled pork. Again, I was less than impressed. The pork was dry and almost tasteless. It left me searching for a water glass. At least the BBQ sauce was decent enough to drown some of the tastelessness.

While the kids ate the "Snackers," one of them noticed that there was mold on the bread. A little more disgusted, I moved on to the rib tips. They had more flavor and were quite a bit more tender than the ribs. With the sauce they weren't bad.

I took a short break and when I got back to it I didn't want any more. I sampled the lemon-berry cake and its gel filling was not enough to override the dryness of the crust.

Overall, the food was dry and tasteless and had no redeeming qualities other than the BBQ sauce. With the food and sauce together ranking a 3 of 10, the service and atmosphere brought it up a point to 4. I would say that makes it a "Don't waste your time or money" place.