“The category for authentic, smoked barbecue is nearly untouched in the Valley,” said Oliver Badgio with Mastro Development in a recent social media release.
Oh, how my hopes were up!
But, unfortunately, after visiting Big Daddy's (BD) Grand Opening benefit on Saturday night, the category remains as virginal as ever.
Here's the low-down:
We arrived early, quickly made it through the line to pay our $15 each (gave some extra), got our hands stamped and staked out a spot at one of the few open picnic tables. Inside, BD looks somewhat like a BBQ joint crossed with a Margarita bar, with picnic tables, big red umbrellas, concrete floors and huge garage doors that open the dining area to the elements outside. However, there were touches of Scottsdale everywhere, too, such as a full-service bar serving wine, vodka-cranberries and the like, and upon gazing at the rest of the décor, I noticed what historically has been a bad omen for many of the BBQ joints I've tried – a huge cartoon pig in human clothing on the wall. I'm sure there are exceptions, but a cartoon pig on the wall usually spells “pretender” in my experience.
Nonetheless, let's get to the food. First, I should explain my rating system:
A = World Class. The type of place those in KC, Texas, Memphis or N. Carolina would take visitors.
B = Above Average. Not quite as good as the best, but easily satisfies a BBQ craving.
C = Average. Good enough to say it's BBQ, but leaves you craving something better.
D = Below Average. The type of place you might go to in a BBQ emergency, but then after eating you kind of wish you hadn't gone.
F = Unacceptable. So bad that you tell others not to eat it.
Well, on to Big Daddy's.
Sauce = F ...There's no other way to put it. It's simply one of the most boring, bland “afterthoughts of a sauce” that I've ever tasted. Even worse, unlike any real BBQ joint, there's no extra sauce on the table or available at the condiment stations. You are stuck with what little sauce the cook thinks you deserve.
Brisket = D+ … Heavily smoked and fairly fatty, but with no real taste.
Pulled Pork= C- … I only got a small sample, so this grade could change. Meat seemed of good quality, but again, with no real flavor to hang your hat on.
Ribs = D- to F …. Very smoky, overly dry, and extremely salty.
Sweet potato fries = C … nothing notable
Mac and Cheese = C … ditto
Pasta Shells = D … no reason to ever order / eat these
Tater Tots = C … just like the frozen grocery store ones, but a bit smaller
Beans = ? … A litmus test for good BBQ and they never brought any out to our table
Chili = C to C+ ...not unreasonable, but why waste the stomach space?
Final Grade (tentative) = DNR (Do Not Return). I will give BD one more try, but only because it was opening night and it is very close to home and I am desperate for there to be a half way decent BBQ joint close to home.
Prediction and Suggestions: As it stands, I give BD about 4-5 months before it closes, depending on how deep the Mastro-makers pockets are these days. It is not nearly as good as Bad to the Bone, which was mediocre at best and the location is jinxed, anyways. The owners need to take a trip to one of the BBQ capitals, taste some real BBQ sauce and reformulate theirs ASAP to have any chance of survival, and then they could probably survive by fine-tuning the rubs and smoking process.