Huge and tasty portions attract big, hungry crowds to the new Famous Dave's location
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We could see rib-loving hordes milling in and around Chandler’s new barbecue joint as we drove up at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday. Forty minutes later, we were seated.

Service: We weren’t even halfway into our large sampler appetizer when our main courses were squeezed onto the table. Crowded dining spaces bug and being deprived digestive time between courses is even more annoying. Other than that blunder, the service was OK.

What we liked: Two words — feeding frenzy. The carnivore in us came roaring out the instant our beautifully organized platters of meat and sides came into view. Fingers and forks flew from the slabs of glossy, sticky red ribs to the pile of chopped pork, back to the ribs, over to the slices of tender beef brisket and to the tops of the shiny, butter-infused corn bread muffins. Sides were mostly skipped save the salty wedge fries which were some of the tastiest ’taters we’d ever had. With stuffed belly, I halfheartedly ordered the pecan pie “strictly for review purposes.” The large slice was warm with a shortbread-ish crust and a side of whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Decadent and delish, it was devoured just as quickly as the pounds of meat that came before it.

Scene: The restaurant is packed with a hodgepodge of people and bold sportsman signage. It feels like a rowdy Midwestern backyard barbecue that moved indoors.

Bathroom break: Clean with a few fun touches.
Tab for two: $73 with tip and tax for Dave’s Sampler Platter ($12.99), full slab of baby back ribs ($17.99), Rib-N-Meat Combo ($12.99), extra side of meat ($2.99), Better Than Mom’s Pecan Pie ($4.99) and two coffees ($1.95 each).

If work weren’t buying: Dave ain’t famous for nothin’!

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: We called 30 minutes ahead for reservations at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday and arrived to see many open tables. We were seated immediately.

Service: Our server was friendly and mostly expeditious (an extended pause between appetizer and main courses was likely kitchen lag, not her fault), and when part of the order was botched, she corrected it immediately.

What we liked: From the moment we walked into Famous Dave’s and spotted the kitschy decor, we couldn’t help but compare it to Waldo’s BBQ, that Mesa barbie favorite. Think of Famous Dave’s as the bloated franchise cousin of Waldo’s. No fried corn on the cob here, and instead of Waldo’s authentically hearty meats, dear Dave’s offered less freshness, less robust, fatty cuts and, in their brisket, a little too much reliance on liquid smoke to simulate depth. My companion’s barbecue chicken was overpowered by pepper, even when she dunked it in extra sweet sauce. Nothing special in my lightly blackened salmon fillet, either, and sides like potato salad, sweet cinnamon apples and doughy cornbread muffins are no match for Waldo’s more adventurous sidestuffs. Disappointed with Dave’s main dishes, we didn’t save any belly space for the ballyhooed bread pudding. We did, however, like that Dave’s supplies each table with a variety of BBQ sauces, from Sweet ’n’ Sassy to Devil’s Spit. (Waldo’s offers one.) And our appetizer of meaty rib tips and french fries — tasty near-wedge suckers that sopped up stray barbecue sauce nicely — was the heartiest thing we ordered.

Scene: Faux old-timey signage covering the dining room’s walls kicks up the whimsy — “If it can walk or fly… we’ll bar-b-que it!” one promises, to our imagination’s horror — but not as much as our dear Waldo’s, which goes one kitsch click higher, thanks to items like a stuffed javelina head and an Elvis hip-wiggle clock. And would Dave’s jibe with sawdust on the floor? We bet not.

Bathroom break: Thank the barbecue gods that, what with all the sauce and grub-grime on our fingers and faces, Famous Dave’s bathrooms offer conveniently automated everything: motion-sensor soap squirters, faucets and paper towel dispensers. The only thing I had to touch on my trip to the loo was the door and even then I used my foot. Take that, germs.

Tab for two: $41 with tax and tip for rib tips and fries ($5.99), salmon platter ($12.99), two-meat combo ($11.99) and an Arnold Palmer ($1.50) which, after sampling the muy caliente Devil’s Spit sauce, was much appreciated.

If work weren’t buying: Sorry, Dave’s, you don’t earn our raves. On our dime, it’s Waldo’s every time. (And yes, that rhymes. Is that a crime?)

Famous Dave’s
3250 W. Frye Road, Chandler

Major cross streets: Frye and Price roads
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thu., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Reservations accepted: Available Sunday through Thursday for parties of 12 or more
Health report: Not available
Kid friendly: Yes
Web site: www.famousdavesbbq.com