11-14-2008 Smoking Mo’s Kitchen

Its been a long dry spell for the BBQhunter as personal events and the season have conspired to cause a lack of enthusiasm in seeking out BBQ, much less blogging about it. This last Friday was a play day for me as it is my normal day off and I was to have a buddy from work spend the day here instead of working 2 jobs and heading back to his home more than an hour away. Besides, with AC/DC right around the corner, there was some concert footage to watch and some beer to drink. It was decided that Smoking Mo’s was the flavor of the day. I was looking forward to kicking myself in the rear and getting back on track as the BBQHunter. So, on with the nitty gritty, as I’ve said before.

Taste: Well lets get this party started. Right out of the gate, the mouth watering smells that emanated from the place got some serious looks as Andy and I looked at each other and started grinning. We decided earlier in the week to order up the family platter to go as it included a bit of most everything that is included on the menu. Ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, hot link, cornbread and 4 sides. Only problem was that the hot link wasn’t in the order when we got back to my place. That will be a automatic deduction, which comes later. I couldn’t make up my mind which sauce went the best with this feast so I asked for some of each and Smoking Mo’s had no problem delivering. Carolina mustard, sweet, fire and spicy in pretty generous cups. Everything in the bag lived up to the promise of great BBQ. The pork and brisket were fork tender, but just a wee bit dry. The chicken was absolutely delicious, but dry. The ribs were the champion here as they were falling off the bone tender and very juicy. I’m sure the hot link would have been as great as it sounded, but alas it was not to be found. With additions of one of the sauces the dryness of the before mentioned items took a back seat to the wonderful aroma and flavor of some good BBQ. The double order of beans and slaw were a pretty good partner to the main meal. The slaw could have used a bit more sauce as it seemed to lack flavor other than what super crunchy veggies have to offer and the beans were fantastic with additions of meat. The cornbread was really good, sweet and buttery. Overall it was a meal (actually a couple of meals) worth. 8 stars. This reflects the lack of a hot link and the dryness of the meat.

Value: 32 bucks for a veritable mountain of food. I’ll surrender up 9 stars and that is in spite of the fugitive link. Serious good bargain here folks. You get your moneys worth and then some. The missing link doesn’t detract from this score.

Staff: No complaints here. Very friendly and seemed eager to please. The gentle suggestion when I called in the order to wait for the next offering of ribs to come out of the smoker before picking up the takeout was spot on as the ribs were indeed the best of the lot. 1 point deduction for not including the hot link. 8 stars.

Ambiance: The last time I was at Smoking Mo’s my only issue was the lack of any indication of a smoker in the place. Well, that was certainly not the case this time. My nose was singing praises to the heavens over the “smokiness” of the BBQ that was driving my senses crazy with the promise what was to come. 9 stars.

Friends: 9 stars. I will continue to promote Smoking Mo’s Kitchen as a great place to get some BBQ. Andy was very impressed with the food and so was I. I’m very grateful to have you in my neighborhood. I can’t wait to bring another convert to your door. Oh, by the way, Andy is a southern boy. He knows what good BBQ is supposed to be.

Overall I award Smoking Mo’s kitchen 9 stars out of 10. The wayward hot link and the dryness of the other meats (excepting the ribs) kept you from getting 9 stars across the board. Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to another encounter.

Later…

9-19-2008 Bunk House BBQ and Burgers

After a super day of riding to the Salmon Hatchery on the Cowlitz river and then taking the back entrance into Mt. Rainer it was time for some food. I had casually suggested that the Bunk House in McKenna would be a great dinner. Wookie teased me that he and Her Majesty thought it was kinda funny that the self proclaimed BBQhunter hadn't eaten any BBQ at the Bunk House yet. You know what? Its true. Although the Bunk House is more known for their great hamburger menu, they do offer up 3 items for BBQ (beef, pork and chicken). Plus, the restaurant usually smells like a pit is in operation. So what the heck, I'll go for it. Now for the meat of the matter (pun intended).

Taste: I ordered the BBQ beef brisket sandwich with fries. This was duplicated by Wookie. Doug (another rice burner) ordered the pulled pork sandwich and Dave, our lone Harley rider (from California to boot) ordered the fried chicken basket. Iced Teas around, except for Wookie who had to have his diet "whatever". The BBQ beef sandwich was very impressive to look at. Piled high with meat, which was pretty darn tender. The downfall is that I couldn't taste the meat at all because of the amount of tangy BBQ sauce. One of my firm beliefs about BBQ is that too much sauce hides the meat defects. So what is going on here Bunk House? What are you hiding? Doug thought that the pulled pork was good and Dave said the same about the chicken. I'll give you guys a 6 out of 10 stars for this category.

Value: No problem here. A BIG (and I mean really big) sandwich with a bunch of fries and a drink for less than $15 dollars is very nice. 9 stars.

Staff: No complaints here. The waitress was efficient and had our drinks out to us in no time. The food was just a short wait and us macho retread, leather encrusted bikers gave her a bunch of our usual lip. 8 stars.

Ambiance: Not quite the look or feel of a BBQ joint, but sure is a great hamburger place. The smell from your pit was incredible when it blew in my direction (we were eating outside). 7 stars.

Friends: I ask myself if this is a place to bring my friends for BBQ. Nope.......Would I bring my buddies here for a great hamburger. Yep..... Unfortunately, this is a blog about BBQ. If you want a writeup about what a great hamburger joint this is, go to www.robsnet.com and read all about it. 6 stars.

Overall I award the Bunk House BBQ and Burgers of McKenna 7 out of 10 stars for their BBQ menu. If I was to make a side award for their hamburgers I would say 8 stars out of 10 would be the final score. You guys are a great place to stop after a day on the road. Being just a short stones throw from Stewarts Meats is a plus too. Your hamburger menu is extensive and I would love to see the Trail Boss challenge done some time when I am in your establishment. Your BBQ is not bad, but it doesn't compete against your burger menu. For all of that, keep up the good work and you will see me again with my buddies.... for burgers.

9-18-2008 Ranch House BBQ

On this day DiDi was due her 12K checkup, which South Sound Honda said was 5 hours long. So at 1000 hours I dropped her off at the service department and and met my buddy Gery for a bit of bike drooling and lunch. After an hour of driving to the various shops in the Olympia/Lacey area and checking out the motorcycle selection we headed into downtown Olympia and the Ranch House BBQ. As a side note, during our travels I spotted 2 other BBQ joints that my GPS doesn't know existed. Eureka! More BBQhunter travels ahead!

Taste: It didn't take much convincing (OK......no convincing at all was required) to choose the lunch special. A BBQ beef brisket sandwich, hotlink and 2 sides. We chose the slaw and beans as my previous visits has brought me to the realization that these guys really know their sides. We also ordered a glass of Whistle Pig Hefeweizen from the taproom to go with lunch and it was a great beverage to enjoy with BBQ. The brisket sandwich was piled high with savory chunks of brisket with a kiss of sauce. The hotlink was juicy and very flavorful with grill marks that gave it a great "just off the BBQ" look. It was split lengthwise and served on top of the sides like it was a garnish. Nice touch! The beans were spicy and sweet. The slaw was crunchy and had that great honey dressing. A very deserved 9 stars. You were really hitting on all cylinders this visit.

Value: 32 bucks for 2 identical lunches. Not bad. We were both pretty darn full walking back to Gery's truck. 9 stars.

Staff: All cylinders were firing in order here too. The gentlemen had us quickly seated, served up some ice cold water and had our Hefe back to the table lickity split. We no more than had started to sip at the brew when our orders were whisked out to the table. He was very attentive and made sure our lunch was to our liking. 9 stars. Very well done!

Ambiance: Maybe it was the cool overcast day that put visions of a broke air conditioner out of my mind. Maybe it was spending the day with a good friend and a great lunch. I know getting to do some window shopping for bikes (with the exception of the dirty feeling I had leaving the Yamaha shop) had me in a great mood. Somehow being a hotel bar with a BBQ menu didn't just to seem so important this visit. 7 stars. Not perfect, but today it didn't matter.

Friends: Another one of my associates has seen the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel that is the Ranch House BBQ. I can't say much more than that I am looking forward to my next visit and another convert to your place. 9 stars.

Overall this visit was great. Your staff and food were top notch, as usual. My question is, When are you going to complete the experience and get out of the hotel? 9 stars and well deserved.

9-14-2008 D.O.C. Employee Recognition Fundrasier

The only reason I'm even blogging this is because of the singular experience of which has to be the world's worst BBQ. I can't even give these folks an F for effort, it was that bad. My employer, the Washington State Department of Corrections threw a BBQ beef dinner for a fundraiser. In the past the fundraisers that involved food usually were hamburgers, chili, nachos, salads and the like. I pulled into work last night and what the heck, its only 5 bucks for a BBQ sandwich, chips & a drink and I wasn't even paying.

Taste: I had a choice of Beef or Moose. Hmm.......moose? I'll take the beef please. Maybe I should have tried the moose because the "beef" still had the whip marks from the track. I probably would have had a more tender cut if I had tried to eat my work boot. I took a big bite of sandwich, chewed on it for 30 to 45 seconds and spit it back out. My new chompers from the dentist were no match for the under done rawhide passing as BBQ beef. 1 star.

Value: Well 5 bucks for an inedible sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of lukewarm water wasn't much of a bargain. I should have just given them 5 dollars and skipped this treat. 1 star.

Staff: Well, my friend and I were welcomed very nicely. The server was polite and his diligent poking around for the toughest piece of meat made it seemed like my best interest was uppermost in his mind. I'll give it 4 stars.

Ambiance: Riding into the parking lot I saw a smoker/grill in full tilt cooking mode and the smell was pretty good. The sight of meat spinning on the rotisserie fooled me into thinking that I was getting into something decent. It was a very picnic style of atmosphere. 5 stars.

Friends: I went out of my way to warn coworkers to make sure their dental insurance was payed up before trying this BBQ disaster. I actually saw other people in muster sawing at the "meat" with all of their might in vain attempts to choke it down. 1 star.

Overall I award the D.O.C. Employee Recognition BBQ 2 stars. Next time stick with the burgers and chili and leave the BBQ to the experts. Or at least leave it to someone who at least has one BBQ under their belt.

8-30-2008 The Mesquitery

Located in Hood River Oregon (I was there on the first night of my vacation), this place was a welcome 2nd BBQ of the day. Earlier in the day I had eaten some really good BBQ and still had 2 ribs from that establishment. I had spent the afternoon touring the countryside around to the south of Hood River and was ready for some food to take back to the Hotel. I was coming from downtown Hood River were I just spent a pleasant hour at the Naked Winery sampling some vino and a pint of good beer. My GPS listed the Mesquitery as the only BBQ in town (I don't count Applebees, Tony Romas and sports bars as BBQ, even though Garmin wants to). So up the road I went. It was a very easy find and I was able to park right in front of the establishment. Now for the ratings.

Taste: I perused their very extensive menu and chose the BBQ beef ribs with 1 side (garlic bread BTW). The waitress seemed a little taken aback that I wanted this order to go and had to enlist the help of a more experienced staff to actually take the order. The cook/chef came out and informed me that these ribs were boneless. Cool I thought, I told him go for it. Well, if I was a betting man, which I'm not, I would say that these "ribs" were in fact 9 ounces of succulent and moist brisket. The garlic bread was loaded with butter and garlic. Very tasty and the side of sauce I received was sweet and a little spicy. 8 stars and that is because I felt like you tried to hide brisket under the name of ribs. Just call it what it is. It was quite good.

Value: Not too bad for a sit down restaurant, which is what this place is. The amount of meat was pretty big and the side of garlic bread was sized just right. But, for $18 bucks I would expect that maybe a second side would make it a better value. 6 stars.

Staff: The waitress could not figure out a simple takeout order. maybe it was her first day, who knows? She was very gracious to offer me some water and a place to sit while I waited. Little did she know that standing was a relief as my rear was kinda saddle sore from a day on the road. I'll stand, but thanks anyway. The cook/chef (not sure what to call him) was nice enough to come out and explain that the "ribs" were boneless. I'll give you 7 stars.

Ambiance: Not much I'm afraid. Having the grill located behind glass up front was a pretty cool touch. I got to see my order and others get some grill marks put on. Otherwise the only thing that screamed BBQ to me was the name of the place and some of the menu items. 6 stars.

Friends: If I was in town I would suggest your place as a possible eating location. I wouldn't insist on it though, just offer it up as a suggestion. I would recommend it only because you seem to be the only place in town (with the exception of the before mentioned Applebees and Tony Romas) to offer up BBQ. 7 stars.

Overall I award the Mesquitery 7 stars. The food was tasty. Your place was easy to find and I might want to try some of the extensive menu you offer.

Later...

8-30-2008 Big Lou's Texas BBQ

This date was the first day of my "big" trip on my new 2008 Goldwing. I had mulled over in my head many times about where I wanted to go and how far I was willing to travel. The closer my vacation got to be the more apprehensive I became because the weather forecast kept changing every 5 minutes, or so it seemed. So my final plan was to head straight to Omak WA and skip any extra running around. The day before my trip the weather forecast lightened up enough for me to leave a day early and that is just what I decided to do. Being the Labor Day weekend and the last minute I was pretty lucky to find a vacancy in the Riverview Lodge, located in Hood River Oregon. Of course, me being the self proclaimed BBQhunter, I had to at least make the attempt to find BBQ on this trip (little did I know just how hard that would be). My first attempt to find BBQ was in Vancouver WA. My GPS insisted that there was a BBQ joint called Joe's BBQ Bus in Vancouver. I drove around in circles before I came to the conclusion that this place doesn't exist anymore. The best I could tell is that a church resides at that address now. The next closest BBQ was located in Portland OR. No way I'm crossing into Portland. That town is nuts! So off I went east down Highway 14 (the Washington side of the Columbia River). Not a very auspicious day so far. Almost got run over by a crazy lady on I-5 and no BBQ in Vancouver. A couple of miles out of town I took another look on the GPS just in case there was BBQ ahead of me. My luck must be turning, because in Camas WA is a place called Big Lou's Texas BBQ. My fervent hope is that they still were in business and that they would be open. They were! Easy find and at the sight of that magnificent pit a big smile crept across my face. It got even bigger when I could see that they were open. Now, lets see what they are all about.

Taste: I was so happy when I walked in the joint, that when I was formally welcomed to the establishment I blurted out that I had traveled 120 miles just to eat there. Its not a complete fabrication, it really was 120 miles from my home to there. I even told them that I had tried to find another place first. Didn't matter, they thought it was still pretty cool and welcomed me with true southern hospitality. A gentleman standing behind me at the condiments bar had this great looking sandwich he was dressing up. I was told it was chopped mesquite smoked brisket. WOW, looks good, so that is what I ordered. The person taking my order said I could get the "plate" which included 1 side and a drink for 8 bucks and that is what I went with. Chopped Brisket Sandwich, Cold Slaw and Iced Tea. The sandwich was every bit as good as it looked. A giant scoop of tender brisket with a great mesquite presence. The slaw was fresh and crunchy and it was liberally sprinkled with celery seed (one of my favorites, by the way). The iced tea was super cold (not sweet - THANKS!) and cut a huge path through the road dust caking my throat. I would be truly remiss if I awarded anything less than a 9. Great job!

Value: 9 stars. All this for $8. Are you guys actually making any money?

Staff: Where do I start. From the second I walked in the place I felt like I was truly the most important person in the restaurant. From the waitress giving me a big handshake to the Owner/creator of the restaurant talking it up with me and the local owner giving me a travel bag of 2 ribs for the road gratis (that means free). These people are the definition of hospitality. Another 9 stars.

Ambiance: Big Lou's radiated BBQ from the very start. The pit was located street side where everyone could see and smell it. The building screamed "Hey dummy, look at me". It looked, felt and most importantly smelled like a BBQ joint. The menu was just what a BBQ place should be. Simple and to the point. Nothing fancy, just good old fashioned Texas Style BBQ. 9 stars! Another job well done!

Friends: I would recommend this place to my friends and even suggest it to strangers in passing if I knew they were headed to or through Camas WA. If fortune favors me and I'm in that area again I will definitely make this a stop. Don't wait for me to bring it up, just go! You won't be sorry. 9 stars

Overall: I'm sure you can guess what I will give Big Lou's Texas BBQ. But in case you just fell off the turnip truck I'll post it anyway. 9 Stars. This is one place I would consider awarding 10 stars to. I know....the sun almost stopped shining for a second. If I had 1/2 stars, then they would be 9 1/2. Folks, do yourself a culinary favor. Make the trip to Camas and try some really good BBQ and remember to say that the BBQhunter sent you. Their information is as follows:

Big Lou's Texas BBQ
1924 NE 3rd Avenue
Camas, Washington
98607

MON to THU 1100 to 2030
FRI & SAT 1100 to 2100

Phone 360-834-4114
Fax 360-833-1992

www.bigloustexasbbq.com

Later.....

8-29-2008 Ranch House BBQ

Today Wookie, Her Majesty and I ran the Capital Forest on the scoots with the idea that afterwords the BBQhunter would get to play. Not much choices on the Garmin, so it didn't take much to convince us to head to the Ranch House. We were quickly seated and served our beverages. I gotta say that our waitress was a bundle of fun and could dish it out as well as take it. Wookie and I could not get the upper hand, no matter how hard we tried. The lunch specials on the board out front had all our mouths watering for some good BBQ.

Taste: The general consensus at the table was to order the pulled pork sandwich with garlic fries, cole slaw for Her Majesty and I, and potato salad for Wookie. Ha Ha, our waitress even quoted the specials backwards and upside down (the last was her idea). Iced tea for me, diet Pepsi for the hairy one and water for Her Majesty. Our order arrived quickly and I was in awe by the size of the lunch. A heaping portion of pork on a sesame bun, a giant mound of fries and a scoop of salad made the plates disappear. There was enough garlic on the table to make all the vampires for a hundred square miles stay away.....FOR A MONTH OR TWO! Everyone thought the fries were wonderful and that includes your BBQhunter. I haven't ever considered fries as a side for BBQ, but I consider myself hereby schooled. The sandwich was sized just right and the pork was very flavorful. The cole slaw was great and even had kudos from Her Majesty. Wookie said that the potato salad was pretty darn close to Her Majesty's which means to me that it was homemade and delicious. The drinks were cold and plentiful. I don't know how I had room, but when our waitress mentioned "Award Winning" and "Chocolate Cheesecake" in the same sentence I was sold to stuff more into my belly. Chocolate was certainly the theme to the slice placed before me.......and coconut too. Wookie and Her Majesty shared apple pie with ice cream. The experience was worth a 9.

Value: Again, as before, top notch. It was sized just right for the money. Another 9.

Staff: Our waitress was a gem. Very funny and wouldn't take no lip from us guys, no matter how hard we tried. Its obvious that she has dealt with "old farts" before. Another 9.

Ambience: Still a BBQ joint in a bar. The air conditioner still didn't work, but the day was cooler that my previous visit. Just when are you getting your old place back up and running anyway? This time I'll award a 6.

Friends: Well 2 close friends thought that it was great. I agree with them. I see another visit in our, or at least mine, future(s). 9 stars. I'm glad that home wasn't any farther than 20 miles, I was truly stuffed to the proverbial brim.

Overall, it was a great visit. The meter out front was fed for an hour and the meterman had to tell us to feed it or leave. He was very nice about it. The time in the Ranch House flew by. Good food and good friends I guess does that. Today you guys deserve a 9. Excellent job!

7-15-2008 Ranch House BBQ

I've heard quite a bit about this BBQ place from friends and coworkers. I've even seen them referred to a time or 2 on the food channel. So it was with great expectation that I visited the Ranch House. My Garmin has them listed on Kennedy Creek Road. Fortunately I looked them up on the Internet before leaving my house and had discovered that their old location was destroyed by a mudslide and that they had relocated to downtown Olympia into a vacant restaurant at the Governor Hotel. They are just downhill from the Capitol complex and across the street from the park. Very easy to find and from first impressions, not a bad location at all. I showed up around 10:45 and waited until 11:00 for the place to open. A very helpful waitress "sold" me some change so I could feed the parking meter. I was able to park right in front of the building that both the hotel and restaurant are located in. The hotel lobby, right outside the entrance to the restaurant, was covered in newspaper articles about the Ranch House.

Taste: I ordered the BBQ plate lunch special. It came with 1/4 chicken, riblets, 2 sides (slaw and beans) and a corn bread muffin. I also had a Fish Tale Organic IPA at the suggestion of the bar's waitstaff. The chicken was moist and tender with little indication it ever was close to a grill or smoker. The riblet was 3 pork bones surrounded with tasty meat that just fell off the bones. Not much meat though. The beans were spicy and sweet, just perfect. The slaw was wonderful. The dressing was honey based with a touch of vinegar, herbs and spices. The corn bread muffin was cold and dry, but went down ok once I mixed some of it into the beans. The IPA was a great touch that countered the sweetness of the pork, beans and slaw. 7 stars.

Value: 9 stars. Top notch. For less than 15 bucks I enjoyed a nicely sized lunch that fit in perfectly with a day of riding.

Staff: 9 stars. Very friendly and helpful (see change comment above). The staff at the bar had no problem with me bellying on up and ordering lunch right there. The bar was well stocked with a nice selection of beer on tap. The IPA was a perfect touch with BBQ. I was even engaged in small talk by the staff as to where I was riding to.

Ambiance: I'm really sorry I didn't get to visit this place at the old location. I realize that you gotta deal with whatever fate throws your way (I'm referring to the destruction of the original building). The ground floor of a hotel just isn't the "right" place for a top notch, award winning BBQ joint. The feel of the Ranch House wasn't firing on all cylinders. To me, it was more of a upscale bar with a menu centered around BBQ. You have my kudos for "making do" until you can rebuild, but that won't be enough to get you more than 5 stars. The air conditioner being broke didn't help your score either I'm afraid and the air flow through the place was downright pitiful.

Friends: 8 stars. I would and will recommend your place for a nice meal. Its close enough to my home (Shelton) that I could get filled up with BBQ and still have a short ride home.

Overall I award the Ranch House 8 stars. The food was good, the staff was great and I hope that your rebuild of the old location is completed soon. Good job!

Later...

7-24-2008 Famous Dave's BarBeCue

I have been to Famous Dave's (in Tacoma) exactly 2 times. The first time was in January or February of this year and the meal was very good. If I was rating them on that visit they would have scored an 8 out of 10 stars easily. But alas, this blog did not exist at that time so my rating is solely based upon my second visit.

Taste: 5 stars. I had the sampler platter. The brisket was tender but lacked any real smoker characteristics. The ribs were pretty good. The chicken was very dry and again, like the brisket, lacked any indication that it had ever touched a grill. The sides of bread, beans and slaw were really good. The corn bread muffin was piping hot and melted into the BBQ beans. The iced tea was cold, but took forever to arrive and refills were nonexistent.

Value: I thought that a big ol' plate of BBQ for under $20 was a pretty darn good bargain. The portions were small, but it was only the sampler platter, so I really cannot complain there. I had a bunch of BBQ for my money. 8 stars.

Staff: Wow! Well, its not a good wow. My friend and I were seated right away, but it took many minutes (at least 15) to flag down a waitress and get our drinks ordered. Also, it took just a little too long to get them. After a wait of 20 more minutes we received our food and the staff just disappeared. Folks that were seated before us were still waiting to make their order after we had received ours. 4 stars.

Ambiance: Famous Dave's is a pretty cool place to be in. They have massive log walls and old timey hunting/trapping decorations to look at. I also enjoyed reading the tee shirts of the staff that happened to scurry by at 50 paces. They are not a Ma & Pa place, but they try to not be a"chain" either. 8 stars.

Friends: Is this someplace I would rave about. Probably not. Would I take my friends to dinner there. Again, probably not. If we just happened by and the "mood" was right, then I would propose eating a meal there. 6 stars.

Overall, based upon this visit I would rate Famous Daves a solid 6, perhaps just leaning into a 7 if the wind is blowing right. I know that someday I will revisit this BBQ chain and perhaps then I will have a better experience.

8-20-2008 Smoking Mo's Kitchen

Well what do you know? Right here in the middle of the BBQ desert (Shelton, WA) I find a place like Mo's. According to Mo (at least I'm pretty sure it was Mo), they have been in operation since last November. I have ridden and/or driven past Mo's a zillion times. I've even been to Philly Bob's, which is just a short stones throw away. I must need new glasses or something. Anyway, lets get down to the nitty gritty.

Taste: For sure an 8. I had the pulled pork sandwich and it was delicious. I have never tried a Carolina style BBQ before and they were offering my choice of sauces, so I went with the Carolina Mustard Sauce. Very good is one way to describe it. The side of slaw was great too. Crunchy and vinegary. The helping of pork was huge and I should have asked for a second bun to have another sandwich. The only big flaw I found in the meal was the tea. In my book, tea is not meant to be served so darn sweet. It was like drinking pure sugar.

Value: Very good. Like I said before, I want to feel like I got my moneys worth. 9 stars. The portions were a little more than what I expected for $10 (including drink).

Staff: I enjoyed listening to Mo talk to another person about how her business was doing. I got the impression that they were doing a bang up catering service. I was politely greeted and the food was whisked out to me without hardly a wait. Of course I have to mention that I was the only customer at the time. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. 8 stars.

Ambiance: I liked the "feel" of the place. It was small and cozy. I can imagine that 99.9% of their business is take out as there are only 2 lonely stools inside and 2 picnic tables outside. It would have been perfect if I could smell the pit. 8 stars.

Friends: Is this a place I would bring my friends to or at least recommend it? You betcha! 8 stars. I even went as far as to snag a menu and post it at work. Hey, it was in brochure form and meant to be taken from the premises.

So I give Smoking Mo's Kitchen a solid 8 out of 10 stars. Great job and keep up the good work.

My rating criteria and what it means.

I've put some thought into a rating system since I came up with idea of becoming the BBQhunter. I'm sure that there are better systems and systems that are simplier, but here is what I propose to do. Basically the rating will be 1 through 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. I'm not final on what areas I will rate, but at a minimum I'm thinking around 5 should do the trick, at least for now. So here is what I propose (for the time being):

Taste: Does it meet the standards of what my opinions of a good BBQ are? Can I tell if it has been within 10 feet of a smoker/grill? Are the sides homemade or prepackaged (I can usually tell the difference)? Did I get the beverage I wanted or did I have to settle for something else?

Value: Am I getting a good bargain? I realize that good BBQ takes a lot of time and effort to make and you have to charge accordingly, but at the same time am I paying $15 or $20 for a meal that should only be worth $10?

Staff: I really like a place that has friendly wait staff. I know everyone has off days, but customers should always be treated like your business relies on them to keep afloat. If I get a smile when I arrive and a thank you at some time during my visit, then my day is generally made. I work hard for my money (ok, I like to think I work hard) and I like to think that me being in your establishment spending those hard earned bucks means something to you.

Ambiance: Hey, I'm all for peanut shells on the floor when I visit my favorite watering hole. I think a good BBQ joint should look and smell like a there is a pit somewhere in the immediate vicinity. I greatly favor the Ma & Pa style place over the big sterile restaurant environment. Eating BBQ can be messy and I don't want to feel like I'm breaking the rules if I get something in my facial hair or use a bunch of napkins. At the same time I don't want to be fighting off swarms of bugs to enjoy my food. Plates, utensils and glasses should be spotless before I get my meal/drink served.

Last, but not least...

Friends: Bottom line, is this a place I would bring my friends to? How likely am I to rave about your place to all that can stand to listen to me?

____________________________________________________________________

Now lets talk about the stars and what they mean. This is from the bottom of the scale and up:

1 to 3 stars: Well, I'll keep this short and sweet. You suck, your food is terrible and I had better BBQ from a vending machine.

4 to 6 stars: Right down the middle. You are not terrible nor do you shine. 4 stars and I would have to have a really good reason to ever return. 5 or 6 stars, well maybe our bad days coincided with each other. I'll give you another chance to prove me wrong.

7 to 9 stars: Let's start with 7 stars. Your place is not too bad. Maybe I thought the portions were a little too small for what I was charged. Perhaps the beer selection was poor or my tea was not cold. Maybe I should have had pizza instead of BBQ. This is some place that I would bring my friends to get their opinions. 8 stars and you are in the big leagues now. I really thought that you were firing on all cylinders. Perhaps you were out of a menu item I had my heart set on. I would whole heartily recommend your food and BBQ experience to my friends. 9 stars is pretty darn close to perfection. Your restaurant meets and maybe exceeds all of my expectations of what I think a BBQ should be. I can't shut up about you and all my friends continue to think I've lost it (which usually is what they think most of the time anyway). I would be in your place at least once a month (or more if it wasn't too far out of the way).

10 stars: Fat chance. There is only one 10 star BBQ and I make it (remember this is my opinion, and that is what counts here). If for some miraculous reason I award 10 stars to your BBQ I would be admitting that my BBQ is not the king of the hill. Plus, the sun would stop shining, the earth would cease to rotate, dogs would meow and cats would bark.

So, there it is in a nutshell (if nuts were the size of greyhound buses). Lets get to work.

Later...

Pacific Northwest BBQhunter

Welcome to my written journal of hunting down great BBQ. "Just who does he think he is?" you may find yourself asking. Well, I'm a retired USAF veteran, currently working for the State of Washington, who is looking for a BBQ that I can rate a 10. My passion is to ride the back roads and sometimes not so back roads of the PNW on my Goldwing enjoying life and the road ahead. Everyday I get to breath the air and straddle DiDi (my 2008 GL1800) and partake in this adventure is a testament that the big guy in the sky is looking out for me. My many roads traveled could only have been accomplished with God riding by my side, whether I knew he was there or not.

So why BBQ and why the Pacific Northwest? I'll answer that in reverse order. I am a native of Washington State. I was born here and by the grace of god I'll die here. 4 years in the Coast Guard and 20 years in the Air Force never left me wanting to call anywhere else home. Some places come close, most places fall short of the beauty that makes up this part of the country. I've always had a way about the kitchen and I love to work magic on the grill. Much of my experiences of a "world" traveler has shown me that no matter what culture I'm exposed to, there is always some sort of grilled and/or smoked food available. I've had authentic Korean BBQ in the back alleys of Seoul, pork sticks outside the main gate of Clark Air Base (Philippines) and roast mutton from street vendors in the Middle East. I have enjoyed Texas and Oklahoma style BBQ in each of those states. I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to grilling and smoking. Over the years I believe that the only 10 BBQ comes from my smoker/grill off the back deck of my own home. So that is the ruler of measurement I will use on this trek. As this journal develops I will most likely revisit many of the BBQ joints over and over again, adjusting scores as I see fit. I'll take recommendations for your favorite spot.

I've tried to come up with my own definition of what BBQ is and what makes the criteria for inclusion or exclusion in the months and years ahead. I have to admit that I am very opened minded as it pertains to BBQ. Slow simmering a roast in BBQ sauce is BBQ to me. A rack of ribs cooked low and slow in the smoker is also defined as BBQ (by me). Burning hamburger patties in a 10 trillion degree charcoal grill is yet another version of BBQ by my own standards. BBQ is wet and dry (dry rub that is), hot or cold (as in Chinese BBQ pork) etc. So therein lies a dilemma. By my own standards Burger King, being flamed broiled, is BBQ. Whoa!!! Back up the chuck wagon there partner. Burger King is BBQ? Well....no it isn't. Burger King and its like minded chain restaurants have their place in my life, but they are not what I want this blog to be about. As a minimum a BBQ restaurant should serve pork (as in pulled), chicken (smoked or grilled), ribs (duh), brisket and maybe a sausage or two. Sides should included slaw, salad (potato or macaroni) and of course BBQ beans. A good BBQ joint should be stuffed with customers, offer ice cold tea (not sweet please, I'm not from the south) and have a beer selection. Good BBQ is some place I would take my friends to and make it the final destination after a days worth of riding. Good BBQ makes me full, yet wanting more.

BBQ in some form or the other is mankind's oldest cooking style. I would guess it dates back to...well....hmm...the discovery of fire, when grilled mammoth was the blue plate special. My other passion, home brew, was discovered by ancient man when the right series of events led to wild yeasties invading honey or berry juice and made a nectar (yuck, have you tried naturally fermented beer?) and it was further discovered that when fed to your enemies it made them happy and not dead (well, some of the time anyway). But that is a different topic all together. The only reason I brought it up is that I enjoy a good beer with BBQ and will rate a restaurant partially because of its suds selection.

As a starting point I'm going to use my Garmin GPS as a general guide to BBQ. I've discovered that its internal database includes BBQ restaurants (and many other millions of POIs) and their distance plus driving directions from my home. Plus no matter where I am at, if I'm hungry for some grilled smokey goodness all I have to do is whip it out of my trunk and off I go. As a disclaimer I realize that BBQ restaurants drop off the face of the earth and new ones appear right around the corner all the time. So, like I said, its just a general guide and not all inclusive. Who knows, maybe the Garmin corporation thinks that Joe's Italian Sub Shop is BBQ. I have discovered a couple of errors in just relying on it to navigate from point A to B.

Well, thank you for reading this far. I hope that my words and opinion will make you laugh, cry, think or just plain wonder who this nutcase thinks he is. Send me a quick email if you have a favorite BBQ joint that I should make it to. No guarantees I'll ever actually make it there, but who knows. If I decide to rate your place I'll leave a card stating that you have been hunted down by the BBQhunter. If you like what I've said let me know. If you don't like what I've written, also let me know. Just don't be an ass about it. I'm always up to revisiting a place to give it a second (or third/forth) chance to make things right by me. AND.....I'll never revisit a place I've given a low rating to in the hopes of free food for higher ratings. You won't know I was there unless I decide to leave a card. I may even send a friend instead. My opinion is just that....ITS MY OPINION.

Later...