Is Famous Dave's any good

[Behemoth]

No fans of Ron's Ribs in the house?

[oneidaone]

Aloha! I have been to Dave's many times as my mother really enjoys their food, I too have

become a fan. The sides are very good, there is something really unique with his french fries

and I like his different sauces, I've even bought some to bring back here. The corn bread is

pretty good, it kept my dad happy the last few months of his life when we'd bring him some to

the home. The drunken apples are good and I like his beans very much. What I do enjoy is all

the props and trappings of a cottage on a lake, this reminds me of childhood vacations. I think

he's got a good product. A hui ho

[jmbrightman]

No fans of Ron's Ribs in the house?

←

I was not impressed with Ron's Ribs. I was last there back in November and the ribs were dry and tough. they appeared to have been sitting for a while. I will not return.

[WolfChef]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Rudolph's. They used to be the BBQ place to beat here in the Mnpls/StPaul. Or were they only located in Minnesota? I still prefer their sauce to any others, in fact it's the sauce i buy. I used to make my own with a recipe we honed over the course of a few years at a resturant i worked at, but what a pain in the ass to make. And since I always compared it to Rudolph's I said "what the hell, might as well just buy it". I wish there was video of the look my wife gave me when I put the bottle in the cart. To tease me a bit she proceeded to put a jar of Pace salsa in the cart too. That didn't stay.

[john b]

what do you all think of Whistler's on 130 in Cinnaminson for ribs?

←

Had 'em tonight for dinner, with wings. The ribs were tasty, smoked perfectly, but the meat was a little to soft and fell off the bone. I prefer just a little more chew to the meat.

The wings were perfect. Flying Fish ESB on tap. Yum.

[Betts]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Rudolph's.  They used to be the BBQ place to beat here in the Mnpls/StPaul.  Or were they only located in Minnesota?  I still prefer their sauce to any others, in fact it's the sauce i buy.  I used to make my own with a recipe we honed over the course of a few years at a resturant i worked at, but what a pain in the ass to make.  And since I always compared it to Rudolph's I said "what the hell, might as well just buy it".  I wish there was video of the look my wife gave me when I put the bottle in the cart.  To tease me a bit she proceeded to put a jar of Pace salsa in the cart too.  That didn't stay.

←

At one point I had partial bottles of both, and a few of us did a comparison tasting. Dave's had a richer, fuller flavor but Rudolph's is darned good. I make my own sauce from an old Consumer Report's article and if I add a tiny pinch of five spice powder it is amazingly close to Rudolph's. Rudolph's is my favorite rib joint mainly because they serve them naked ( no sauce ).

[deprofundis]

I guess I'm the first to try out Famous Dave's? I ordered the Spare Ribs + Brisket platter. It came with 2 sides (I chose beans and potato salad), corn bread, and corn on the cob. They also have 5 different styles of barbecue sauce on the table. So here's my breakdown of the meal:

BBQ sauces: they had their standard tomato-based sauce, a sweet sauce, a hot sauce, a texas-style sauce, and a vinegar-based sauce. Most of them sucked. Really bad. The best was the regular sauce, but even that wasn't as good as I've had at the other bbq joints in the city.

Corn on the cob - not that great. mushy.

Corn bread - actually a corn bread muffin. not bad but nothing to write home about.

Potato salad - again, not bad but not great

Beans - Ok, these were some good beans. They had hunks of bacon mixed in. Smokey-porky flavor. Very good.

Ribs - disappointing. Did not taste smokey at all. A little too much pepper flavor - or something. The bbq sauce didn't help out too much.

Brisket - was served on top of a slice of white bread. The brisket was actually pretty good. Had a nice smokey flavor. I think I detected a metallic aftertaste though. Meat was a bit fatty. Possibly lower quality meat than the other places? Still, if I had to go to Famous Dave's I would stick with the brisket.

Portions - just about right. Not small and not enormous.

Price/value - total bill with soda, tax, and tip was just over $22. I can't really say this is a good value considering the competition.

Service - very friendly. no complaints here. food came out fast.

Summary - good beans and brisket. Most everything else disappointing. Not a very good value. I probably won't be back anytime soon.

[serpentine]

I've had the big ol' combo platters a number of times (different location.) The brisket and the chicken are my preferences, actually. The ribs are good to fulfill the knawing-on-ribs craving to some extent, but the quality seems to vary wildly. Corn is always mushy, cornbread is too sweet for my taste. Fries are weirdly satisfying, despite being nothing special.

[jmbrightman]

I guess I'm the first to try out Famous Dave's?  I ordered the Spare Ribs + Brisket platter.  It came with 2 sides (I chose beans and potato salad), corn bread, and corn on the cob.  They also have 5 different styles of barbecue sauce on the table.  So here's my breakdown of the meal:

BBQ sauces:  they had their standard tomato-based sauce, a sweet sauce, a hot sauce, a texas-style sauce, and a vinegar-based sauce.  Most of them sucked.  Really bad.  The best was the regular sauce, but even that wasn't as good as I've had at the other bbq joints in the city.

Corn on the cob - not that great. mushy.

Corn bread - actually a corn bread muffin.  not bad but nothing to write home about.

Potato salad - again, not bad but not great

Beans - Ok, these were some good beans.  They had hunks of bacon mixed in. Smokey-porky flavor. Very good.

Ribs - disappointing.  Did not taste smokey at all.  A little too much pepper flavor - or something.  The bbq sauce didn't help out too much.

Brisket - was served on top of a slice of white bread.  The brisket was actually pretty good.  Had a nice smokey flavor.  I think I detected a metallic aftertaste though.  Meat was a bit fatty.  Possibly lower quality meat than the other places?  Still, if I had to go to Famous Dave's I would stick with the brisket.

Portions - just about right.  Not small and not enormous.

Price/value - total bill with soda, tax, and tip was just over $22.  I can't really say this is a good value considering the competition.

Service - very friendly.  no complaints here.  food came out fast.

Summary - good beans and brisket.  Most everything else disappointing.  Not a very good value.  I probably won't be back anytime soon.

←

I went last Friday and Sunday for takeout, and the quality varied. They do a great job with takeout packaging. Each time I ordered the all-american feast for 2, offering 3 meats, baked beans, cole slaw, potato wedges, 2 (1/2) ears of corn on the cob, and cornbread muffins. The platter is packaged in a hoagie tray dome, with the cole slaw in a separate container. The brisket (5-6 slices) and chopped pork (about a 1/4 lb.) are served on thick sliced white bread, the beans are under the dome in their own container. The only flaw in the packaging was the pats of butter for the corn muffins were included with the hot food.

I liked the ribs both times. I enjoyed the sauce they were basted with, and did not feel the need to dip. They were meaty and tender, and the meat and fat had an appealing char. They are not overly smoky tasting.

The brisket was tender and flavorful. again, mildly smoky.

The chopped pork was excellent on Friday, but close to poor on Sunday. More fat than meat.

The corn was mushy, not surprising for frozen ears, and doesn't merit inclusion in the platter.

The potato wedges were good after a few minutes under the broiler.

The beans were very good both nights - a bit spicy, with small chunks of pork.

The corn muffins are too sweet for my taste.

All in all, I would return. It is no Sweet Lucy's, but it is way better than Nick's Charcoal Pit takeout. For $30, the feast for 2 is a pretty good value.

[Andrew Fenton]

Stopped by Famous Dave's tonight, after a home-improvement run to the Delaware Ave big boxes.

The ribs were surprisingly good: maybe a little too tender, but with okay smoke and nice flavor. Along with the fries, they were also the only dish I tried that wasn't loaded with sugar, which was nice. Everything else was fair (pulled pork-- a little dry and too sweet-- or beans) to middling (brisket: okay, but with some odd flavors: maybe the metallic aftertaste deprofundis noticed?) to nearly inedible (BBQ chicken which, while tender, had a weird astringent bite, presumably from the marinade. Super Sugar Coleslaw was also awful).

All in all, I'd say it's not worth making a trip to Famous Dave's. Even in a so-so BBQ town like Philly, it can't compete with Sweet Lucy's. But if you end up there, I'd say get the ribs... and skip the rest. Tell 'em it's an Atkins thing...

[joiei]

Famous Dave's is not worth any trip. I tried it once and with all the REAL BBQ we have here in Tulsa, It just can't begin to compare. So I will not bother going back. The sauce was overpowering the ribs to the point where that was all I tasted.

[Andrew Fenton]

The sauce was overpowering the ribs to the point where that was all I tasted.

Right: I should have mentioned that I ordered the ribs dry, which is definitely the way to go. If you go, that is...

[mrbigjas]

All in all, I'd say it's not worth making a trip to Famous Dave's.

let's face it: when you're down there, just go to chick-fil-a.

unless it's sunday.

ok let's face it REALLY: just go to john's. or tony luke's.

unless it's sunday.

in all those cases, just go to wendy's. or ikea! meatballs in dingleberry sauce!

[Holly Moore]

The hot dogs at Home Depot aren't all that bad either. Even better at other Home Depots around the country. Rumor has it that some even import Usinger's dogs. And I believe they're open on Sunday's.

[Andrew Fenton]

All in all, I'd say it's not worth making a trip to Famous Dave's.

let's face it: when you're down there, just go to chick-fil-a.

unless it's sunday.

ok let's face it REALLY: just go to john's. or tony luke's.

unless it's sunday.

in all those cases, just go to wendy's. or ikea! meatballs in dingleberry sauce!

Yeah, yeah. But I wanted barbecue, see! Shoulda just driven the fifteen minutes up north...

[phungi]

recently had Dave's and Lucy's and IMHO there is no comparison... Dave's pulled port was way too salty, and the BBQ sauce only partially countered the salt... the ribs were also salty and nothing special... Lucy's, on the other hand, was simply delish... can't wait to go back!

[CoolPapaBell]

Famous Dave’s is average to below average. If you must eat at a ‘cue chain, Smokey Bones is a better option. I know there is one in Reading but not sure if any closer.

To the Bush bashers, Famous Dave’s will more than make you feel welcome. When the bill comes they will be happy to overtax you.