“In England there are sixty different religions, but only
one sauce.”
--Voltare
“Trust me; this is not the case at Famous Dave’s”
--Howard
FAMOUS DAVE’S
1205 Rancho Vista Boulevard
Palmdale, CA 95331
866-408-7427
Open 11 AM to 10 PM weekdays close 11 PM weekends
So, it’s a chain, but an exceptional chain. It is indeed famous and Dave is a real person. I’ll leave it to you to visit their web site
for the company history. The barbecue at
this location is worth driving the 54 miles all the way to the North American
plate. It’s just the other side of the
San Andres Fault in the Antelope Valley Mall, a shopping center in Palmdale. One
of several stand alone chain locations on the perimeter of the parking lot.
Sharon and a colleague spotted it on their way to a
meeting in the Antelope Valley. Since
they both love barbeque, they decided to take a chance and try it on their way
back to the San Fernando Valley. Both
were favorably impressed with the lunch menu items they tried. Sharon brought home a sample of her order –
sirloin tri tip and baby back rib tips, as well as the firecracker onions and pickles
(Sharon is allergic to onions and peppers – but states she’s willing to suffer
for good barbeque). I tried the sample
and was also favorably impressed. So we
agreed to go back for dinner to see if we could still be impressed.
We came in after the dinner rush and the young man that
was acting as host seemed a bit worn out, but got us seated promptly. Looking around we could see the décor was formula
restaurant designer road house. The
whole thing was a little too whitewashed and bright to have the true feel of a
place where customers actually come in and tack up old license plates and road
signs. I would guess that every Famous Dave’s
location (there is another one in Long Beach) looks the same, but I would also
guess that there isn’t a health department in the country that has any problems
with them.
The booth was plain and upright, but comfortable. It was not too noisy and you could hear the pleasant
track of jazz and blues playing in the background. On the table was a rather remarkable rack of
sauces, knife, fork and napkin setups, and a vertical dispenser holding a roll
of paper towels. Our server, Julie, a
veteran of restaurant service, arrived promptly to take our order and give us a
tour of the sauce rack.
The sauces at Famous Dave’s deserve some respect. Apparently Dave likes it hot. They start at just above mild and go to
infernal. The two hottest sauces (Yes, this
location has one past “Devil’s Spit”!) will clear your sinuses and cause you to
break out in a sweat. When I was younger
I suppose that it was a matter of machismo to be able to enjoy the hotter
sauces. Now I’m not trying to prove
anything and prefer to taste the meat so I stick to the milder ones. The sauces are available in bottles at the
restaurant and on line.
Sharon and I ordered a combo plate to get a good sampling
of the que.
Herb Roasted Chicken
The combo gave us a leg and thigh from a not particularly
large bird, but very tasty, thoroughly cooked, and not at all dry. This was a small portion, but very high marks
for chicken.
Chopped Pork
I am a fan of Memphis style pulled pork. This is Georgia style chopped pork, and has
opened a new horizon for us. We really
liked it, tender, not at all fatty and served on a traditional slice of white bread. Next time I’m there I’ll get a whole
sandwich.
Pork Spare Ribs
It’s always a good
sign when meat is served not drowned in sauce.
The cook is not afraid to let you taste the unadorned meat. Sharon always orders her meat “dry” so she
can savor the seasonings the cook has marinated the meat in before trying a
barbeque sauce on it. The ribs were
tasty, carefully selected to be meaty, but not fat, and not at all dry. Again, high marks.
Baby Back Ribs
These appeared to be double dipped to get a nice glaze. Again, Dave likes it hot, because the sauce
used in the dipping was too hot for Sharon, as there was the distinct flavor of
jalapenos in the glaze and made her mouth burn and start to swell up. They were meaty for back ribs, but the glaze
made them a bit too chewy for me. A few
points off on these.
Barbecue is for carnivores, but the sides count too.
Coleslaw
Not my favorite way of preparing it, I prefer a vinaigrette
cole slaw, but this is not bad at all.
It’s all chopped, not shredded, sweet, and creamy. Not vinaigrette dressing, but I finished it.
Corn
Fresh, local, sweet corn, with one of the good signs of a
competent kitchen…it’s not overcooked.
Mac and Cheese
This is a good one, mac and cheese for grownups. It’s obviously made here, baked, with a good
cheese selection, and just the right amount of moisture. However, be careful. Watch out for the jalapeno peppers!
Corn Muffins
Done right! This
is something that is so typically done so badly in most restaurants that it is
a real pleasure to find great ones. They
are large, sweet, not at all dry, and do not crumble in fear at the sight of
butter. If these came from a mix I want
to know which one.
Cinnamon Apples
Nicely cooked with just the right amount of sugar and
seasonings and a hint of Amaretto. Not
overly sweet, so it is a good alternative to the traditional baked beans or
coleslaw.
Banana Pudding
Real whipped cream, rich vanilla pudding, Nilla wafers,
slices of banana, in short, comfort food.
Just the way Sharon’s mom used to make it.
The drinks are more than fair sized, the service prompt
and attentive, and the meat is great. We
don’t see how anyone would not want to come back to this Famous Dave’s , but
apparently some people don’t. Julie told
us that they used to have catfish on the menu.
They stopped serving catfish about a year ago. Since then customers have come in, been
seated, and been surprised that there was no catfish on the menu. When told that catfish was no longer served
they get up and leave. That catfish must
have been really something!
Yes, this is a chain restaurant, but an exceptional
one. Big game que! I would give it a 9.0 but Sharon gives it a 9.5!
No comments:
Post a Comment