Famous Dave?s Gets Three Stars (Business Lunch Review)

When we heard there was a new barbecue joint in town, naturally, we were curious. When we heard that it was a Yankee restaurant chain, we wanted to see why they would venture into the South where barbecue is a religion.

The restaurant’s bright yellow lettering and warm wooden exterior grabbed our attention in Scottsdale Center, which has become a concrete jungle.

We waded through the crowds on a Wednesday at high noon and were seated within 15 minutes. The place was packed with Wal-Mart “ID” badges, Tyson polo shirts and an assortment of other business lunchers and the occasional grandma/grandchild combo rounding out the group.

Our hostess warmly inquired about our day en route to the table, and our server promptly introduced himself as “famous.” Everyone in the “pit crew” at Dave’s has a name tag that is preceded by famous. Large glasses filled with sweet tea and Coca Cola came brimming with ice. Having come to Arkansas by way of the serious sweet tea drinking town of Birmingham, Ala., one diner noted that Dave’s menu description was accurate about its Southern sweet tea.

We staved off our midday munchies with the rib tips and fries appetizer ($6). A heaping pile of wet rib meat nearly hid the tasty fries underneath. One diner happily tested each of the six sauces on the table with the fries and concluded that the Texas Pit and the Devil’s Spit barbecue sauces were a tie.

After the appetizer, the main meals had a lot to live up to. The barbecue pulled chicken sandwich special ($5.29) required some serious dousing with Devil’s Spit to kick up the flavor, although the side of Drunkin’ Apples that came with it were great. The chicken and spare ribs combo ($7) disappointed when the dry ribs came up too dry for one diner’s tastes, and the roasted chicken didn’t seem to burst with a roasty flavor. Maybe all the Devil’s Spit tricked our taste buds.

We soldiered on with a piece of Better Than Mom’s Pecan Pie ($4.49). The potbelly portion of pie a la mode was plenty big for two, or even three, to share. The filling was melt-in-your-mouth good, although the crust was a little burned and we scooped the insides out.

At a place where the meat is supposed to be the star, we felt cheated out of a full performance. However, the service and the price deserve nominations for best-supporting actor, because in the end we left feeling like we were treated in a fast and friendly manner and our wallets didn’t suffer for it.