Famous Dave’s has been on our bucket list of restaurants to try. We had just finished judging four meat categories at a contest in Montague, California and were spending the night in Redding with our favorite Bro & Sister in-laws. This was the perfect opportunity to visit Famous Dave’s. Famous Dave’s opened the Redding branch about a year ago. Since their opening they have been very popular. It was Saturday night and there was a crowd spilling out of the front door. We prepared ourselves for a wait and hunkered down to the bar. Fifteen minutes and a sudsy, cold, draft beer later we were seated.
Famous Dave’s is a colorful, friendly, fun place to eat. The walls are wildly decorated with barbeque kitsch. Our waiter promptly took our orders. He returned with a small bowl of freshly made kettle style potato chips. He then gave us a lesson in barbeque sauce knowledge. Every table was equipped with five different barbeque sauces. He squirted a little of each sauce on a plate explaining the style and we sampled with our chips. He mentioned a secret hot sauce and I took the bait. “Wilbur’s Revenge’ was a habanero based barbeque sauce that would light a fire under the bravest soul. With our new found barbeque sauce knowledge we were ready to eat.
Our table ordered a lot of ribs. I supplemented my rib plate with some brisket. These were good looking ribs. The appearance would have scored an eight on my score card. I bit into the rib and it pulled cleanly from the bone with little effort. These ribs were cooked perfectly. The ribs were lightly sauced. The flavor was of pork with a friendly kiss of smoke. The only fault if any was the ribs were a little on the salty side. This did not stop anybody at our table from devouring these meat bones. The brisket had been sliced razor thin. It was very tender and flavorful. The side dishes were spectacular. Cheesy, Gooey, Mac & Cheese, creamy Cole slaw and baked beans studded with sausage did not just accompany but starred. The warm corn muffin was the icing on this cake.
Famous Dave’s did not disappoint. I was impressed that this chain restaurant could produce award winning ribs. The meats were a vehicle to enjoy our side dishes or vice versa. The sauce lesson and the fresh chips was a fun touch. Our total experience at Famous Dave’s was barbeque excellent and we defiantly will return.
Famous Dave's
I'll remember this place if I'm ever in one of their locations.
ReplyDeleteOh golly! I had a tooth extracted and am eating rice pudding. Real food and BBQ to boot. Mmmmm!
ReplyDeleteZoomie, I think the closet on is in Tracy.
ReplyDeleteGreg, Sorry to hear that. You should be up and running soon.
Wow, I must admit I'm more than a little surprised a chain can reach such high praise on the meat, though it makes sense the sides would be superior to the usual mediocrity so often on exhibit around here.
ReplyDeleteWas the aroma of smoke detected upon approaching the restaurant? Was the pit observed? Was the beer meritorious?
I see there's one in San Jose as well.
Aaron, You know the beer was the usual suspects. You also know that new restaurants in Ca. need a catalytic converter to open. They claim the ribs were smoked for three hours. We enjoyed them and will return.
ReplyDelete