Famous Dave’s

He said:

When I think of going out for Mother’s Day, going to a barbecue joint isn’t my first thought. However, I waited too long to make reservations and my first choices were unavailable. Still, what’s wrong with barbecue? Come to think of it, this isn’t the first time that ribs have featured into our Mother’s Day celebrations. Years ago, my mother-in-law visited from New Brunswick, Canada. We decided to take her to a steakhouse for Mother’s Day, where we told her to order whatever she wanted. She settled on the Baby Back Ribs. The waiter asked if she would like a full rack or a half rack, and she opted for the full rack. She would later tell us that in New Brunswick, an order of ribs usually consists of only about four ribs, which she assumed was a half rack. When her order finally arrived, it hardly fit on a large, elongated plate. It had a “full” thirteen ribs! She responded with a mildly profane exclamation of surprise and joy. She would still laugh and remind us of that moment many years later, truly a cherished Mother’s Day memory.

The place wasn’t too crowded when we arrived, but it was quite full and lively by the time we finished. Clearly, plenty of families don’t find anything amiss in taking their mothers out for a barbecue lunch on Mother’s Day. Our son joined us to honor his mother, and as we are all adults, they asked if we would like to sit in the bar area. I think they wanted to keep as many of the regular tables open for younger families. It worked out well for us, as we got to sit in a much quieter section of the restaurant.

Although we had plenty of menu selections—about 14 pages’ worth!—we decided to just go with one of the Famous Feasts. With three people in our group, I think we could have ordered either the Feast for 2 or the larger, All-American BBQ Feast. We went with the larger option, knowing that we would have plenty to take home afterward. The feast arrived on a metal garbage can lid, apparently a nod to the namesake Dave’s first smoker, which he built as a kid from a metal garbage can. This lid was loaded with food, truly deserving of its Feast moniker.

The feast included a full rack of St. Louis-style spareribs, which I prefer over baby back ribs because of their plump meatiness; a full roasted chicken; four segments of corn on the cob; sliced brisket; chopped pork; Famous Fries, which were something in between French fries and potato wedges; Wilbur Beans, not too sweet, but rich with beans and pork; a creamy coleslaw; a couple slices of Texas Toast; and four cornbread muffins.

The Feast is a great way to go because it offers a lot of food, with plenty of variety. I ate many of the ribs, while Kathy seemed to prefer the chicken. I also enjoyed the Famous Fries, which I ate with the Rich and Sassy sauce from the table’s condiment holder. I also sampled the Sweet and Zesty and the Devil’s Spit sauces. All were rich and tasty, but I expected the Devil’s Spit sauce to be hotter. I didn’t detect much heat in it. I almost offered it to Kathy and then I decided that she would probably detect the heat even if I didn’t. I also really liked the Wilbur Beans.

As I predicted, we had plenty of food left over. We let our son pack a to-go box for himself, and Kathy filled a couple more for us. We ate too much to consider any of the desserts. The food was great, but the company even better. To Kathy: Thank you for all you do. I hope you have a great Mother’s Day, and all days, for that matter.

She said:

Famous Dave’s isn’t exactly where I expected to celebrate Mother’s Day, but from the crowded tables and booths, we weren’t the only ones who decided to go there in order to mark this special occasion. There were happy, hungry, and chatty families occupying tables and booths throughout the restaurant.

Luckily for us, we were seated at a booth tucked away into a dark, intimate, quiet navy-blue upholstered booth in a corner of the bar. In fact, we were the only patrons in the bar. As I looked around me, I took note of the TVs, neon signs, the bar counter and stools, and everything else that surrounded us. It all looked like a typical BBQ joint: wooden floors, wooden tables, a slight country-modern vibe. It was comfortable and felt really familiar.

Anyway, we placed our drink orders to give us extra time to peruse the menu while our waitress went to get our diet Pepsis. We decided on getting the All-American Feast. They were not exaggerating. It definitely was a feast! There was a lot of food. Brian already mentioned what was included, but I wanted to focus only on a few items because they were my favorites.

First of all, the brisket was tender, flavorful, and lightly salted. It was so delicious, I didn’t even need to put some BBQ sauce on it.

Second, the chicken was melting off the bone, and the dark meat on the drumsticks tasted wonderful with just a tad of the Rich and Sassy BBQ sauce.

Last but not least, the coleslaw was perfect. I like coleslaw an awful lot, but I’m often disappointed with most restaurants’ offerings. This slaw did not let me down. It was fresh, crunchy/crisp, and boasted a rich, thick, creamy dressing. It was very satisfying.

I left Famous Dave’s with a happily satiated appetite. There’s a reason it’s famous. 😉

Conclusion:

Famous Dave’s has a great feast to satisfy a variety of appetites without leaving anybody hungry.

To our mothers, sisters, daughters, and to mothers everywhere, we wish you a happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for all you do to bless our lives.