Joe's Real Barbecue
301 N. Gilbert Road
Gilbert, AZ

Meat 4
Sides 4
Sauce 4
Service 5
Atmosphere 4

Overall 4

Reviewer's Comments: While visiting in Arizona, I met Aloha Ed from the BBQ Mailing List at Joe's. As I walked to the door, it was the wonderful smell of Pecan wood wafting through the air. I heard good stuff about this place, and so far it was keeping true to it's legends. Inside was really neat, big John Deere tractor, old advertising signs everywhere and booths and tables lined the walls and floor. It's served cafeteria style and they offer almost everyting across the Q spectrum. Brisket, pulled pork, turkey, turkey-jalapeno sausage, and so on. I tried the brisket, turkey and sausage. The brisket was a tad dry, but good, and the turkey and sausage were great. Good smoke ring on everything. The baked beans were awesome, but not traditional style. They were really sweet with what appeared to be small lima beans in it as well. The cole slaw was average.
Ed asked one of the managers if we could see the units in the back. They let us back and showed us the whole operation. We tried brisket right off the smoker, and it was moist, tender and delicious. They use 100% pecan wood in the J&R smoker. One of the best things was the selection of sodas available IN A REAL GLASS BOTTLE!!!! Coca-Cola in a glass bottle is just a special treat, you don't find that much anymore. I will definitely go back to Joe's next time I'm in AZ.

Reviewed by: Dave Clark ( dclark@bga.com ) on 5/24/98.

Honey Bear's BBQ
5012 E. Van Buren
Phoenix, AZ
602-273-9148

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4
Sides: 5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 4.5

Reviewer's Comments:  Honey Bear's is in an industrial section of Phoenix near the airport. I does a big lunch trade. The Bldg. is 2 narrow and deep office spaces with a back yard. The cooking is done in the yard on a home made pit that from looking through the fence appears to be a 10 foot open grill with coals and wood burning at one end. ! side of the Bldg is the counter and food prep area the other side is limited seating with a couple TVs for sports events. The service is nonexistent as you order at the counter and get a receipt then wait for your number to be called and get your own order. The meat was super with excellant smoke and juicie. The Cowboy Beans and slaw were the best I've had anywhere. The atmosphere was like an after work bar and that is probably what it is around 4:00PM every day. I could eat there 3/4 days a week. It is definitely a joint.

Ed Slavish (slavish@pixi.com) on 2/9/99.

El Paso BBQ Company
8220 N. Hayden
Scottsdale, Az
602-998-26264

Meat: 4
Sauce: 3
Sides: 3.5
Service: 4.5
Atmosphere: 4

Overall: 4

Reviewer's Comments: Great looking family style resturant. They have 2 large ferris wheel smokers in the kitchen with the actual fire outside the structure. The food was excellant. I tried a combo platter with sausage, ribs, brisket and pulled pork. The flavor and smokewere great in all of them. The pork was a bit dry but that wasn't the cooking; I think it was just on top of the pile and the juices dripped down. It had been out too long I think. The manager took me through the kitchen and was killing himself to be helpful in explaining everything. I gave the sauce a 3 only because I didn't need any. I tasted it and it was fine but the meat was so flavorful I didn't use any sauce on any of it. This resturant was purchased by a group with money that is now taking it to other sites and franchising the operation. In the last year 3 or 4 new sites have been opened in the Phoenix area as well as Tulsa and Fresno, Ca.

Reviewed By:  Edward Slavish ( slavish@pixi.com ) on 02/08/99.

Thee Pit Again
Cave Creek Road
Phoenix, Az

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4
Sides: 4
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 2.5

Overall: 4

Comments

This place is a sleeper. You have to be looking for it to find it.It is on Cave Creek near Greenway. I don't recall the address. The owner is a competition Qer. The counter is covered with trophys. He had a place in Phoenix for several years called "Thee Pit", then moved back East. After a few years he returned to Phoenix and opened "Thee Pit Again". It is clean but without any real atmosphere. He said he was too busy to show me the pit, although there was only 1 other customer in the place. I had a combo platter and the meat was good. The pork and brisket had good smokey flavor. The ham was very average. If I wasn't hungary, I mighta left it. The sides were above average but the slaw was kinda runny; too much juice. The service was pleasant but average. The place on the whole was good but not memorable. I'd go back but I wouldn't go far. The joint needs a little personality.

Reviewed By: Edward Slavish ( slavish@pixi.com ) on 6/98.

Sir Charles Bar-B-Que
Phoenix, AZ

Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4.5
Sides: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3

Overall: 4.5

Reviwer's Comments:  I do not expect to find good barbecue that pleases my Georgia-bred tastbuds anywhere west of Texas, and I'm suspicious of Texas.  Nor do I expect to find good barbecue in a strip shopping center with no pit anywhere in sight.   But my wife and I stumbled on Sir Charles in just such a setting, on Northern Ave., just off the 51 Freeway, and it just bowled us over.  We divided a pulled pork sandwitch and a pound of rib tips, with potato salad and Texas beans and everything was outstanding.  From the testimonials written on the walls (which tells you all you need to know about the decor), everything else is good too.  Total bill for all that, plus two big glasses of iced tea, was $15.  Maybe Sir Charles' secret is his selection of sauces: sweet, hot or mild. The mild was awful close to the sauce I grew up on, not at all what you'd expect from a Texan like Sir Charles. (that's no knock on Texas, just that Texas sauce is usuall thicker and sweeter than most Georgia sauces.)   Anyway, if I'm ever back in Phoenix, Sir Charles will be my first stop.

Reviewed By:  John Garrett ( TheOLT@aol.com ) on: June 28, 1999.

Name: The Clubhouse Cafe
Address: 1153. E. Jefferson
City: Phoenix
State: AZ
Phone: 602.262.2411
Meat: 3
Sauce: 3.5
Sides: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3.5
Overall: 3.5
Date: 5.20.00
User: J.B.
Email: bnoj@ix.netcom.com
Date: 5/22/00
Time: 1:06:27 AM

Comments

Enter Your Comments Here!!!......just visited this place once last summer, but kept the menu. A great BBQ place with soul food ranging from catfish & meat loaf to pot roast & ox tails. The beef ribs & hot links are meaty & spicy with sauce, and the list of available sides is extensive. Pork ribs dinners also available.

Name: BBQ Smokehouse
Address: 6929 N HAYDEN
City: scottsdale
State: AZ
Phone: 480.991.2110
Meat: 4.5
Sauce: 4
Sides: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
Date: 2/28/02
User: bruce pinnell
Email: bruce@bigbruce.com
Date: 3/27/2002
Time: 8:09:50 PM

Comments

ALL you can eat ribs $13 incl sides and a drink can't be beat, especially in Scottsdale.