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.
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.
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3 comments:
What makes the BBQhunter a self proclaimed expert? People travel from as far away as Palm Desert, CA
for or famous taste and home made secret recipe
I'm the "expert" simply because this is my blog. There is nothing wrong, per say, with your BBQ. Its just not up my alley. As I've preached before, too much sauce is hiding something. I want to taste the smokey meat with a hint of sauce. That is my criteria for a super BBQ. Folks come from Palm Desert CA for the experience that is the Bunk House, which is a very nice place to eat....hamburgers.
My daughter use to cook when it was yknot. They used Stewarts meat and I would hope that the Bunkhouse does the same. I live right up the hill from the Bunkhouse and have not eaten there in years. The last time I ate there the burger and fries were great. I can say on a good day, the smell that drifts across 507 is awesome!!
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