[Monk]

Had Famous Daves for the first time today and I must say it was wonderful.

Service was great - my food was out at lightning speed!  I wasn't counting the minutes, but I'd say I was actually eating my food within 5-10 minutes of walking through the door.  I suggest going in the afternoon to avoid the dinner crowd and hopefully have your food brought to you as quickly as they brought mine out.

For the main course, I had the rib tips.  The meat was excellent for the price - tender, juicy, and the sauce was excellent.

For the two side dishes, I chose the jalapeno mac-n-cheese and the garlic mashed potatoes.  The mac was awesome - the jalapenos give it a perfect little kick and it wasn't bland like the mac at most other places.  The garlic potatoes were good and complimented the meat nicely - nice and creamy with a good garlic taste.

The meal also comes with corn-on-the-cob and a cornbread muffin.  The corn-on-the-cob was done well - so juicy that it squirted in my eye when I bit into it!    The cornbread muffin wasn't anything special - tasted pretty much like every other cornbread muffin I've ever eaten.  Both of them had me wishing there was some butter around.

Overall, the meat and the mac were the two things that really stood out and they are the reason I would be happy to return there for another meal.  I left full and quite satisfied.

The portions were large enough that I had leftovers, so I brought them home in a to-go box and will be enjoying a decent-sized meal of it later as well.

I know you guys love pics and so do I, so I took a pic for you guys.  Cornbread muffin not pictured - use your imagination as to what a cornbread muffin might look like.    

[Thom Emery]

Yes they do a fine job
for a chain BBQ operation
We eat there from time to time

[jmcrig]

I like the way you put that. I eat there on occasion, and the food and service is generally very good. Just wish there was an Authur Bryant's or Quick's out here. But Monk, you listen to the people on here and develop your own BBQ and store bought will never taste the same.

[Thom Emery]

I tell folks eating at Daves  can give them a baseline for judging BBQ
They are able to present 666 scores all day everyday which is not easy to do
It gives new CBJs a idea of what to expect

Competition Que moves past this in quality
But we are only doing one box worth, one time in a day

[KidCurry]

Right on Thom!!  That is exactly how i feel.


Famous Daves kicks the pants off of anything around here!!  The atmosphere is fun and they can/will accommodate a large group.   I always have enjoyed my meals at Daves.   Very consistent, and sometimes that can be more important than a once wow, second crap type place.  Yes I have had better food as a judge but I have also had worse. 

[SmoknAZ]

I like the way you put that. I eat there on occasion, and the food and service is generally very good. Just wish there was an Aurthur Bryant's or Quick's out here. But Monk, you listen to the people on here and develop your own BBQ and store bought will never taste the same.

Mark I had a customer in KC that used to take me to all the "local" joints. Was Bryant's the one that was in a small store front with a jug of sauce aging in the front window? Didn't look t be in the best neighborhood Sign inside said that had served about the last 5 or 6 presidents??? This would have been mid 90's. Some very good Que in KC

[jmcrig]

Steve, you were there. I've been going there since the mid 50's. And the neighborhood is probably one of the worst in Kansas City. But I've never had a problem there. There are a couple of other places in Kansas City that carry the name, but not the same food. They suck. And you've gotta love the hand full of fries, cooked in pure lard.

[Monk]

I'm still a BBQ newbie compared to most.  I've never had competition BBQ or BBQ from the areas that claim BBQ capital status (Memphis, Kansas City, Texas, etc).  However, for a BBQ restaurant chain, it beats the others I've had here in Phoenix, that's for sure.  I think I'm going to dig into those leftovers now.