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Shakey Jake's BBQ - Not at all Grumpy

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desertdog

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Please do not confuse this great little BBQ joint with Grumpy Jakes up in Pinetop.  The BBQ here is quite tasty, and Jake, the owner is all over the place, making sure things are running smoothly and that his patrons are happy.  In fact, I did not see a grumpy face in the whole packed dining room.

I got there about 1 PM and waited my turn to order.  Although they do not yet have a menu board up inside, they have plenty of paper menus for you to grab and decide what you want before you get up to the counter.  There was lots of activity in the kitchen as lots of hands were busy preparing orders and delivering them out into the dining area.

The girl taking orders was efficient and nice, even laughed at a corny joke I made, so she gained several points in my book right off the bat!

For $9.90, I ordered the 3 ribs with 2 sides, those being Shakey Jakes Beans and an order of slaw.   I paid and got my glass for the soda fountain, and, unfortunately the machine was out of ice.  The owner, Jake I assume, was right on it, apologizing and sending someone out to fetch more ice.  He explained that the ice holder was only a 400 gallon capacity, he has a 1000 gallon on order, at least that is how I overheard it.


My order came out quickly, and I dug in.  the cole slaw was average, I should have added some pepper, but was distracted by the ribs and beans.  The baked beans were tangy and HOT, nearly burning my mouth.  I did not care though, as they were quite tasty, not too sweet.  Good stuff.  I should have ordered the ribs without sauce, as I usually do, but forgot.  Oh well, the sauce on the ribs was tomato based, a bit sweet with a nice spicy kick to it.  (There was pooling, tsk, tsk, tsk, ;) )  The spare ribs themselves were meaty and juicy, the meat pulling away from the bone with little effort.  I noticed that he had left the membrane on as most restaurants do, but it was surprisingly tender and really did not get in the way of my overall enjoyment of this tasty rib.

Thumbs up on this place.  The owner clearly gets out there and works his regulars (although he has only been open for a couple weeks at the most).  He was so busy I did not get the chance to talk to him personally, but I will hit the place again a little earlier in the day for a quick chat.

I saw some folks eating brisket at the next table, that looked exellent as well, and they were obviously enjoying it.  If you are down in the West Valley (specifically 35th Avenue North of Baseline) please take a moment to check out Shakey Jakes BBQ.  I heard him telling someone that he is still working the kinks out, but it sure seemed like the guy had a passion for his business, and by the number of carry out orders he had going along with the packed dining room, he must be doing something right!










Sorry, forgot to grab a menu for address/phone number.  I did notice that they are closed on Mondays.




#1 - August 13, 2008, 04:14:10 pm
Pitmaster for Ship of Fools, er...Major Woody's BBQ Team
Beer Ambassador -currently doing research in assorted Bavarian Villages

Mike (AZBarbeque)

  • Karma: 171
Dean,  Great review, I will have to stop over there and tell them about our great Club.

Appreciate the pictures as well, we love pictures here.  ;)
#2 - August 13, 2008, 04:20:02 pm
Michael J. Reimann
Realtor - Clients First Realty (Real Job) - www.TheReimannWay.com
Owner/President - AZBarbeque - #1 BBQ Club in Arizona
Owner/Pitmaster - AZBarbeque Catering - www.AZBarbequeCatering.com

If God wanted us to be Vegetarians, why did he make animals out of meat??

desertdog

  • Karma: 1

We just picked up some work over in that area, so I'll definitely be stopping in there more often.

#3 - August 14, 2008, 07:15:34 am
Pitmaster for Ship of Fools, er...Major Woody's BBQ Team
Beer Ambassador -currently doing research in assorted Bavarian Villages

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