Wildside BBQ & Grille - Orlando, FL

Wildside BBQ & Grille feels more like a sports bar than a BBQ joint inside with TVs everywhere you look. But the BBQ I had was pretty tasty, so don't judge a book by its cover. Although anyone looking for good Q knows better than that.

I broke with first-time visit tradition and did not get a pulled pork sandwich. I went with the brisket plate instead.

I got BBQ beans and mac-n-cheese for my two sides. Don't usually do mac, but did tonight. Must be the humidity getting to me already (just flew in tonight).

I am sorry to say the meat was barely warm on my plate. I kept the sides (which were hot) and once I was able to find someone that would look up so I could catch their eye, I sent it back.

I am glad I did. Very tender and very tasty. I was disappointed when I added sauce - to me this meat is best as it comes (assuming it is hot...), don't kill the taste with extra sauce.

For my taste the beans were too sweet. Some had a bit too much tooth to them and could use a longer soak.

Not generally a big mac-n-cheese fan (other than my wife's of course!!), but I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.

We visited on a Monday evening - rainy too. Not that busy. If you visit on such a night sit front and center so you can get service if/when you want it.

I would come back here.
Lots of options on the menu too.

Wildside BBQ & Grille
700 E. Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801
407-872-8665
http://www.wildsidebbq.com/

Kinder's Meats Deli BBQ - Fairfield, CA

Two new BBQ joints in two nights, and two posts to match.

Tonight found me in Fairfield, CA. After a trying day with a critical computer failure I wandered into Best Buy to by a thumb drive in the hope that my computer awakes long enough for me to pull a bunch of data off the local drive. Curses for not backing up regularly and/or saving critical files to the cloud.

What does this have to do with BBQ? Well, I asked the guys at Best Buy for a BBQ recommendation. They both said to go to Kinder's. Bonus points for it being really close to my hotel.

Cut it close by getting there at 7:45 - they close at 8. They didn't have any issue with me ordering that close to closing and eating there.

Got the pulled pork of course. Their standard sando comes with mayo on the top bun. Never had that, but rolled with it. Added coleslaw and baked beans. Plus a beer and it only set me back $14.34.

Not my favorite coleslaw - but I am really picky - still ate most of it. Enjoyed it added to the sandwich. Beans were good and hearty.

They pork was tender and had a nice flavor. The Kinder sauce added a nice touch of flavor without overpowering he meat.

I would come here again for sure. Who knows, maybe I'll head back tomorrow to try the BBQ Beef sandwich. 

They actually have three locations - Fairfield, Danville and Pleasanton.

In Fairfield they are at:
1363 Oliver Road, Suite C
Fairfield, CA 94534

They even have an Android and iOS app. Looks like they are on Facebook & Twitter, but no account info is on the menu.

A New Joint - Dickey's Barbecue Pit (Lodi)

Mobile post.

Tonight I find myself in Lodi, CA on a business trip. Whenever I find myself overnight somewhere I seek out BBQ. Here I was only able to locate two locations, and one closed at 4 pm so that was out.

So I heard from a few people that Dickey's is the place to go for BBQ. I didn't think much about the name at the time. When I pulled up I recognized it as a chain because there is one about to open in San Marcos near us.

Truth be told I was disappointed because I really like to find those classic, single-location joints that do some catering on the weekends. But I was ready for BBQ so in I went.

I grabbed a menu and got in line. My go-to item for the first time at a location is the pulled pork sandwich. But I didn't see one on the menu. Well, turns out the "Big barbecue" is a sandwich with your choice of meats (not that you'd know that from the menu).

So I got that with pulled pork (which he pulled right there) with the Dickey's BBQ sauce. They also have a sweet sauce and a spicy sauce. And I got two sides - coleslaw to add to the sandwich and barbecue beans. Add a bottle of Coors Light and the total came to $14.26.

Well, short review - I am looking forward to stopping by the San Marcos location and eating at Dickey's again.

I don't care for most coleslaw. I like theirs. I might like it more with a few raisins and a few chopped nuts, but good just as it is. Just a little sweet.

Enjoyed the beans too. Lots of other sides to investigate during future visits.

The pork was nice and tender. Sauce has just a little spice. Good flavor. I did enjoy the sandwich more with the coleslaw on it.

If you ever find yourself in Lodi and wondering what to do for lunch or dinner, swing into Dickey's at 1379 S. Lower Sacramento in the Lowe's shopping center.

Famous Dave's BBQ for Family Dinner

We have almost always enjoyed our visits to Famous Dave's BBQ in Vista, CA. Tonight was no exception.

My brother-in-law Eric is in town and staying with us for a few days. After a day working in the yard we were treated to dinner out with mom and dad. We had all been to Dave's before, but it was Eric's first time. So we decided to go for it!

We had the...

ALL-AMERICAN FEAST
A full slab of St. Louis-Style Spareribs, a whole Country-Roasted Chicken, 1/2 lb. of either Texas Beef Brisket or Georgia Chopped Pork, Creamy Coleslaw, Famous Fries, Wilbur Beans, six pieces of Fresh Sweet Corn (farm fresh when available) and four Corn Bread Muffins. Served family-style for 4-6 people.

Wow. That is a lot of food!



Mom had her usual pulled pork plate (we did the brisket on the trashcan lid, oh ya, it is served on a trashcan lid!) - so that left four of us to work on a meal that can feed six or more. We did OK, but we still left with three takeout boxes!

You have to give it to Dave's, they have a wide selection to pick from, and it is consistantly good. We never hesitate to go there because of worries about the food.

If you haven't been to a Famous Dave's BBQ, I recommend you get to one and see what you have been missing!

New BBQ Joint - Mike's BBQ in Escondido (mobile)

Grabbed a quick full rack of baby back ribs to go after an afternoon with friends at Stone Brewery & some shopping.

Will report back later with a mini-review.

Will go back again later (unless this rack totally sucks) for a more traditional meal & full review.

I can report that this place is huge. Plus a bar where you can eat off the full menu while watching the 15 foot (yes, 15 foot - this is a big TV) tele.

Visit Mike's BBQ on the web.

Review: BJ's Barbecue (Sparks, Nevada)

I happened to be in Reno at the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) annual conference a few weeks ago. Myself and two coworkers piled into a rental car with the Neverlost GPS system and took off for old Reno in search for food. We cruised the main drag a few times looking at the odd sights. I tossed out the idea of BBQ and Brent thought that was a great idea.

We tried a few variations on "BBQ" in the Neverlost and in the end it served us well by taking us to BJ's Barbeque in Sparks.

Sitting in the booth with a Newcastle on tap was a good start. I happened to mention that I am a member of the California BBQ Association and Brent was very interested to learn more - turns out he is a BBQ fan too. Kevin was quite interested to sit back and ask questions about this form of cooking that we seemed to be so excited about.

Looking over the menu Brent and I both settled on the 1/2 pound of pulled pork and we talked Kevin into the 7 ribs. I went with the coleslaw and dirty rice for sides. I had never actually had dirty rice before, so thought this would be a good time to go for it.

I wasn't thrilled by the coleslaw. It was OK, but not great. I didn't eat it all. The rice was dirty - a little spicy. I'm not that great with spicy, so that wasn't a plus for me. But it was pretty good. Better than the slaw.

Brent thought the corn bread was too sweet. I really liked it.

Brent and I both enjoyed the pulled pork. It wasn't fantastic, but it was quite good. I would get it again for sure. My plate didn't have any pork left on it, that's for sure.

The service was quick and friendly. Our waitress sat down in the booth and joked with us a bit and made suggestions when we asked. Friendly but not pushy.

We were there on a week night - I think it was a Monday evening. Two other booths had folks in them when we got there, so it was quiet.

Did I mention Newcastle on tap?  =)    
Sorry I didn't get any photos.

Review (not mine) - QN4U BBQ House

Fellow CBBQA member Professor Salt was able swing by the restaurant on his way home from a BBQ Competition and was nice enough to post some photos and a review of his meal.

Get Your Grill On - » Product Review: J&D’s Bacon Salt

Thought you might like this review by Chuck Marting on his "Get Your Grill On" site. It is a through review, even with photos.

Bacon is one of my favorite foods, in my home my kids have grown up thinking its one of the basic food groups! In fact one of there all time favorite meals for dinner is an all American BLT! Bacon in our home is a food group all by itself!

So it was no big surprise that I would have to try a seasoning whose motto is “Everything Should Taste like Bacon!” Of course I’m talking about a seasoning known as “Bacon Salt”.
Bacon Salt is the brain child of Justin and Dave who love grilling, hanging out with family and friends and of course eating there favorite food bacon! (my kind of people!)

Read more: Get Your Grill On - » Product Review: J&D’s Bacon Salt