What a well spent way to end 2 days of volunteer work with the Patriot Guard Riders of Washington State. I had been asked by more than 1 if the BBQ Hunter was ready to get his grub on. Heck yes I was. Daylight, being from the area, spoke pretty highly of this place and that it was just around the corner, so to speak, didn't hurt my feelings at all. It had been another dry spell in the world of BBQ for me. What we didn't announce was that we were headed out to eat, so our group slowly whittled it self down to 4 bikes from around 9 as people began to realize that the freeway, and home, was not our destination. Anyway, it wasn't too long after leaving the hallowed grounds of Mt. Tahoma that the restaurant was in view and we were parked & heading inside. It was before dinner and well after the traditional lunch time, so we pretty much had the run of the place. Two tables were pushed together and we got seated at some pretty massive looking log furniture that could take the weight of leathers and not tip over. What a great menu and the prices were really good. After drooling a bit and almost proposing to our waitress (she provided me with a "menu" of adult beverages) we all made our choices. On with the ratings.
Taste: Wookie and I ordered The Pig Pile. Daylight got the The Mess of BBQ. Trike Daddy ordered the Long Horn and finally Hobbler, who really wanted some diet BBQ ordered up a half Caesar Salad. Coronas for Trike Daddy and Wookie, Red Hook ESB for me and not so adult beverages for the Daylight and Hobbler. I also asked for a side of ribs. The Pig Pile was just that! A gargantuan mound of pulled pork and beans baked into a giant slab of cornbread, topped with sauce (spicy this time) and grilled onions. Also included on the plate was another 3 inch round of super moist corn bread. Off to the side was a pickle wedge and a little cup of honey butter. Absolutely delicious! The pork baked into the cornbread tasted like it was fresh out of the pit, the ribs were super tender and the meat fell off the bone. My only concern was the amount of sauce used. Just a wee bit heavy for me, but very good, so that not really a complaint and just an observation. The ESB was icy cold and went great with the spicy sauced BBQ. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food as the only take home was half of the "half" salad. I have to point out that Rooters perception of a half salad is slightly skewed. It was just as enormous as the rest of the "carnivores" lunches. Based upon my meal and I'm pretty sure that everyone else would agree, I score 9 very deserved stars for this fare.
Value: Nothing but praise here too. The entire lunch menu is priced at $8.99, the dinner menu was priced well too and the ribs were on the house. Very generous portions! $13.53 for food and drink. 9 stars.
Staff: I wish I could remember our waitress's name. She was great and took any ribbing (pun intended) we dished out in stride and giving me the ribs gratis was a really nice touch. As I passed the plate around the table she wondered if I didn't like them. Heck no! I just wanted to share. Anyway, she was the very picture of hospitality. Another 9 stars here too.
Ambiance: This place was pretty much like Famous Dave's BBQ, but on a smaller scale. Very rustic and my first impression was that of a log cabin, perhaps a cabin next to a lake (nudge, nudge......Lake Sawyer is in the area) as fish and fishing seemed to be the decor. My only complaint, and this one I take seriously, is that I could not detect a pit by smell. I sure could taste it in the food though! 8 stars.
Friends: Yep! I would be remiss if I didn't rave about this place to my riding and eating buddies. Way off the beaten path of my normal haunts, but well within reach for PGR missions. You will see me again and thanks to Daylight I now have another "favorite" joint to talk about. 9 stars.
Overall I award Rooters famous BBQ 9 out of 10 stars. Keep up the good work and next time I'll have to try the The Mess. Any of you living up there in the Black Diamond area need to make this place one of your favorites too. Check them out out www.rootersbbq.com and see for yourself.
Later...
Taste: Wookie and I ordered The Pig Pile. Daylight got the The Mess of BBQ. Trike Daddy ordered the Long Horn and finally Hobbler, who really wanted some diet BBQ ordered up a half Caesar Salad. Coronas for Trike Daddy and Wookie, Red Hook ESB for me and not so adult beverages for the Daylight and Hobbler. I also asked for a side of ribs. The Pig Pile was just that! A gargantuan mound of pulled pork and beans baked into a giant slab of cornbread, topped with sauce (spicy this time) and grilled onions. Also included on the plate was another 3 inch round of super moist corn bread. Off to the side was a pickle wedge and a little cup of honey butter. Absolutely delicious! The pork baked into the cornbread tasted like it was fresh out of the pit, the ribs were super tender and the meat fell off the bone. My only concern was the amount of sauce used. Just a wee bit heavy for me, but very good, so that not really a complaint and just an observation. The ESB was icy cold and went great with the spicy sauced BBQ. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food as the only take home was half of the "half" salad. I have to point out that Rooters perception of a half salad is slightly skewed. It was just as enormous as the rest of the "carnivores" lunches. Based upon my meal and I'm pretty sure that everyone else would agree, I score 9 very deserved stars for this fare.
Value: Nothing but praise here too. The entire lunch menu is priced at $8.99, the dinner menu was priced well too and the ribs were on the house. Very generous portions! $13.53 for food and drink. 9 stars.
Staff: I wish I could remember our waitress's name. She was great and took any ribbing (pun intended) we dished out in stride and giving me the ribs gratis was a really nice touch. As I passed the plate around the table she wondered if I didn't like them. Heck no! I just wanted to share. Anyway, she was the very picture of hospitality. Another 9 stars here too.
Ambiance: This place was pretty much like Famous Dave's BBQ, but on a smaller scale. Very rustic and my first impression was that of a log cabin, perhaps a cabin next to a lake (nudge, nudge......Lake Sawyer is in the area) as fish and fishing seemed to be the decor. My only complaint, and this one I take seriously, is that I could not detect a pit by smell. I sure could taste it in the food though! 8 stars.
Friends: Yep! I would be remiss if I didn't rave about this place to my riding and eating buddies. Way off the beaten path of my normal haunts, but well within reach for PGR missions. You will see me again and thanks to Daylight I now have another "favorite" joint to talk about. 9 stars.
Overall I award Rooters famous BBQ 9 out of 10 stars. Keep up the good work and next time I'll have to try the The Mess. Any of you living up there in the Black Diamond area need to make this place one of your favorites too. Check them out out www.rootersbbq.com and see for yourself.
Later...
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