05-26-2013, 05:19 AM
Well we went yesterday for a late lunch. Here is my "southern gentleman who knows his ribs and BBQ" take on it:
Service was slow - not waitress / she was on it and friendly - order coming from kitchen took about 1/2 hr, and we were only ones there. We wondered about Friday dinner time.... might be really slow.
Lillikoi juice, collard greens were exceptional. Fried okra was a nice touch.
Ribs not too bad but needed a better BBQ sauce. It was a little like Blaine's katsu sauce... which we like but wasnt BBQ really.
Pulled pork was bland, not much smoky BBQ flavor. Buns seemed to be just out of a package buns! Maybe they can collaborate with one of the many baker's around and get artisan buns!
SB's guess was because they are small, the pulled pork and ribs went on at the same temp and length of time. One needed more time and one needed higher temp and less time.
No non-sugar iced tea available - maybe cuz southern BBQ place and southerner's always drink sweet tea? But they have sodas so it was okay.
Baked beans were just okay. Not good or bad - or as my hubby said "blue Hair" beans like my mom made (which is not a compliment in this case). Smokey Jo's doesnt have great beans either, though.
Rice was just white rice, we thought maybe it was going to be dirty rice or cajun rice but didnt ask so not their fault. Rice with BBQ is a strange thing anyway - coleslaw, beans and Corn on the cob are typical.
Price was a little high for the sandwich (if it was just a take out place but Kaleo's charges about same for a burger.) Smokey Jo's has almost same plate for $8 but of course only take out, no dining in!
We skipped the sweet potato fries and asked for coleslaw with sandwich to get the true Southern effect. Coleslaw was bland too. I do like Smokey Jo's spicy coleslaw better and not as chunky.
SB asked why no brisket, or beef ribs on menu and waitress explained that chef wasnt happy with them and is trying to find a new supplier. Again, she was really nice and chatted with us and answered all SB's questions!
Over all our bill was $31.77 inc tax before tip.
A plus: One thing for me was the driveway apron off highway wasnt as hard to navigate as I thought it would be.
Would we go back? The reality is they are just starting out and Probably in a month or two, we'll check it out again! it has potential. (hey we gave Kaleo's numerous tries!)
I probably would not say "OMG! You gotta try this place, it is awesome!" But the reality is we actually for the 1st time since I moved here 24 yrs ago have two 2 Southern BBQ choices in Pahoa with not one item with teriyaki sauce on it! So I wish them luck and if they see this review, hope they understand that my hubby is a stickler for his BBQ.
(hence why we are doing the extreme outdoor kitchen in the fall for full BBQ'ing capabilities. )
Service was slow - not waitress / she was on it and friendly - order coming from kitchen took about 1/2 hr, and we were only ones there. We wondered about Friday dinner time.... might be really slow.
Lillikoi juice, collard greens were exceptional. Fried okra was a nice touch.
Ribs not too bad but needed a better BBQ sauce. It was a little like Blaine's katsu sauce... which we like but wasnt BBQ really.
Pulled pork was bland, not much smoky BBQ flavor. Buns seemed to be just out of a package buns! Maybe they can collaborate with one of the many baker's around and get artisan buns!
SB's guess was because they are small, the pulled pork and ribs went on at the same temp and length of time. One needed more time and one needed higher temp and less time.
No non-sugar iced tea available - maybe cuz southern BBQ place and southerner's always drink sweet tea? But they have sodas so it was okay.
Baked beans were just okay. Not good or bad - or as my hubby said "blue Hair" beans like my mom made (which is not a compliment in this case). Smokey Jo's doesnt have great beans either, though.
Rice was just white rice, we thought maybe it was going to be dirty rice or cajun rice but didnt ask so not their fault. Rice with BBQ is a strange thing anyway - coleslaw, beans and Corn on the cob are typical.
Price was a little high for the sandwich (if it was just a take out place but Kaleo's charges about same for a burger.) Smokey Jo's has almost same plate for $8 but of course only take out, no dining in!
We skipped the sweet potato fries and asked for coleslaw with sandwich to get the true Southern effect. Coleslaw was bland too. I do like Smokey Jo's spicy coleslaw better and not as chunky.
SB asked why no brisket, or beef ribs on menu and waitress explained that chef wasnt happy with them and is trying to find a new supplier. Again, she was really nice and chatted with us and answered all SB's questions!
Over all our bill was $31.77 inc tax before tip.
A plus: One thing for me was the driveway apron off highway wasnt as hard to navigate as I thought it would be.
Would we go back? The reality is they are just starting out and Probably in a month or two, we'll check it out again! it has potential. (hey we gave Kaleo's numerous tries!)
I probably would not say "OMG! You gotta try this place, it is awesome!" But the reality is we actually for the 1st time since I moved here 24 yrs ago have two 2 Southern BBQ choices in Pahoa with not one item with teriyaki sauce on it! So I wish them luck and if they see this review, hope they understand that my hubby is a stickler for his BBQ.
(hence why we are doing the extreme outdoor kitchen in the fall for full BBQ'ing capabilities. )