This very perfect Pacific Northwest day would find me in Renton at Renton Motorcycle Company checking out a new set of boots. I found a great set of Alpinestars Alpha Touring for $170 and June is no sales tax month too. After perusing some bikes my tummy was a rumbling for some BBQ. Good ol' Garmin said that there was quite a few BBQ restaurants in the area. I selected the Caveman Kitchen as its name was...well, kinda catchy in a way. Easy find and they had what appeared to be 2 converted water towers (smaller farm style) for pits and 1 of them was puffing out a stream of smoke that I could smell a block away. So far so good. The place was no-frills with a menu that was entirely made up of grilled and smoked choices. They even had a sandwich called the salmon dip. Sounds intriguing, to say the least, perhaps next time I'll have to give it a whirl. I saw a container of meat at the workstation and after finding out it was beef I decided on the beef sandwich.
Taste: Along with the large BBQ beef sandwich I also ordered up a small cole slaw and a small drink. Drinks were self serve and on the honor system. Diet coke with lots of ice. I observed my sandwich being prepared which consisted of a over sized handful of sliced beef placed on a 9 or 10 inch french bread. A scoop of BBQ sauce went on top and then much to my happy surprise the whole thing went open face into a broiler oven to get a bit of toasting. After a quick toast, I grabbed my order and headed outside to the plethora of well worn picnic tables. I'm sure the tables were both worn from being out in the sun and having lots of butts planted on them enjoying BBQ. The sandwich was huge with a big pile of very tender smoked beef. The BBQ sauce was less than spectacular and it seemed to me to be dressed up ketchup. I'm glad there was only a little on it. The meat was the star here for sure (along with the toasty bun). The slaw was what I could get down at the local Fred Meyer deli. Pretty fair and creamy. Soft drinks were the only drink offered and I thought that perhaps a Pale Ale would have been perfect with this lunch. Lack of adult beverages, the BBQ sauce having absolutely no character and the "store bought" cole slaw will only net you a 7 this day. Not bad, but certainly not perfect.
Value: Under 15 bucks for a giant sandwich, slaw, drink and a tip was a pretty darn good value. You deserve nothing less than a 9 here.
Staff: I was glad I was 2nd in line. There was only one counter person working when I walked in and she had to call someone up from the back to help out (more than once) as foot traffic started piling up behind me. As I was standing in line she was more than happy to get a head start on my order until help came up and wrote it up so I could pay. All the staff I saw (2) were very polite and friendly. I gotta give ya another 9.
Ambiance: This joint was only about BBQ and nothing else. In spite of the gimmicky name, which intrigued me enough to make the trip, there was nothing else in the way of decorations. The only thing, other than the menu, that was posted for public consumption was a local newspaper article which proclaimed the Caveman kitchen as the local favorite, as voted by the public. But, I have to respect that they seem to feel that nothing can or will get in the way of serving up BBQ to the locals. You get a 8 for this category. Your giant pits were great to look at and I would not have mined not having to peer at them through a tall fence.
Friends: I would certainly take my friends here and even let folks know about you if I think they will be in your area. There are a lot more BBQ joints within 10 miles of you and I may or may not stop in again in the near future. Another 8 stars.
Overall I award the Caveman Kitchen 8 stars out of 10. You BBQ was pretty generic, but not bad. I would like to try some of the other BBQ that you offer. Maybe the salmon or the pulled pork next time. For all of you up in the Kent area I respect your choice of favorite BBQ in your area.
Later.....
Taste: Along with the large BBQ beef sandwich I also ordered up a small cole slaw and a small drink. Drinks were self serve and on the honor system. Diet coke with lots of ice. I observed my sandwich being prepared which consisted of a over sized handful of sliced beef placed on a 9 or 10 inch french bread. A scoop of BBQ sauce went on top and then much to my happy surprise the whole thing went open face into a broiler oven to get a bit of toasting. After a quick toast, I grabbed my order and headed outside to the plethora of well worn picnic tables. I'm sure the tables were both worn from being out in the sun and having lots of butts planted on them enjoying BBQ. The sandwich was huge with a big pile of very tender smoked beef. The BBQ sauce was less than spectacular and it seemed to me to be dressed up ketchup. I'm glad there was only a little on it. The meat was the star here for sure (along with the toasty bun). The slaw was what I could get down at the local Fred Meyer deli. Pretty fair and creamy. Soft drinks were the only drink offered and I thought that perhaps a Pale Ale would have been perfect with this lunch. Lack of adult beverages, the BBQ sauce having absolutely no character and the "store bought" cole slaw will only net you a 7 this day. Not bad, but certainly not perfect.
Value: Under 15 bucks for a giant sandwich, slaw, drink and a tip was a pretty darn good value. You deserve nothing less than a 9 here.
Staff: I was glad I was 2nd in line. There was only one counter person working when I walked in and she had to call someone up from the back to help out (more than once) as foot traffic started piling up behind me. As I was standing in line she was more than happy to get a head start on my order until help came up and wrote it up so I could pay. All the staff I saw (2) were very polite and friendly. I gotta give ya another 9.
Ambiance: This joint was only about BBQ and nothing else. In spite of the gimmicky name, which intrigued me enough to make the trip, there was nothing else in the way of decorations. The only thing, other than the menu, that was posted for public consumption was a local newspaper article which proclaimed the Caveman kitchen as the local favorite, as voted by the public. But, I have to respect that they seem to feel that nothing can or will get in the way of serving up BBQ to the locals. You get a 8 for this category. Your giant pits were great to look at and I would not have mined not having to peer at them through a tall fence.
Friends: I would certainly take my friends here and even let folks know about you if I think they will be in your area. There are a lot more BBQ joints within 10 miles of you and I may or may not stop in again in the near future. Another 8 stars.
Overall I award the Caveman Kitchen 8 stars out of 10. You BBQ was pretty generic, but not bad. I would like to try some of the other BBQ that you offer. Maybe the salmon or the pulled pork next time. For all of you up in the Kent area I respect your choice of favorite BBQ in your area.
Later.....
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