Famous Dave's

303 Vista Village Dr
(at Vista Way)
Vista, CA 92083

This one famous chain that started as an Adirondack Lodge on Big Round Lake in Hayward in 1994. Dave was obsessed about barbecue. Before then, for 25 years he visited as many barbeque joints as he could, "From the neighborhood storefront BBQ shacks in Memphis, Kansas City, and Chicago, to the backwoods smoke-houses found in the Southern foothills of Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee the Carolinas, and finally, to the huge mesquite pits of Texas." Dave talks of barbeque like it's his religion and in this respect his is definitely a fundamentalist, believing "that there is no other way to smoke good "cue" than to first hand rub each slab with a blend of southern spices, then slow smoke 'em in a pit of smoldering hickory." Rightly so, for as complicated this is to find good barbeque, the solution is really found in simplicity and good fundamental technique.

The location in Vista is a behemoth. The front section holding the sign is as big as some of the barbecue shacks that I have visited. Conviently located off the 78 in a newer shopping center it stands shoulder with the likes of CA Pizza Kitchen. Outside, the fire truck red catering truck waits outside for the desperate caller in need of barbeque. As we stepped in, there were two greeters who kindly asked if we would like to sit in the garage. "Garage?" we asked, "You have a garage?" "Yes, it's actually more of a bar," she answered. "We would like to sit next to the smoker," Good Bro #2 said. A perplexed look fell over the girl. Our request must have fell out of the normal range of questions that they have been trained for. We let it go for almost 10 secs hoping that she might figure out that we were not referring to a non-existant smoking section in California, but an actual smoker that should be present in a barbeque establishment.

From the outside to the inside, this restaurant is splashed with a revived, reprinted, some authentic images and artifacts of Americana complete with a hunting trophy over the mantle. Now the menu is just as complicated. This restaurant if full-service from appetizers to soup & salad, a choice of 5 sauces, to fish, sandwiches, chicken & burgers, it goes on. We had to regroup, Dave's has award-winning St. Louis Style Ribs so we got some of that and the Texas Manhandler that would give us a taste of brisket and hot links.

The spice rub was present. The sauce that was on the ribs were actually cooked onto them, sadly, that's a first on the gauntlet that we've been through. Tender meat with good flavor, the ribs are best consumed without the addition of more sauce, the smoke flavor was evident without being overwhelming. I pulled some brisket off the sandwich and took a taste. It's a pleasant experience much like the ribs, the hot link was lively with a nice kick of heat. I may have become distracted with the hot link because I saved a piece to finish my meal with that flavor. Through the sandwich, I tried a bit of each of the sauces: Georgia Mustard - with was very vinegary, Texas Pit - which was like Rich and sassy but with a strange heat in the beginning, Rich and Sassy - the thickest of the group you can taste the pickling, Devil's Spit - which basically means you like to ruin your food with hot sauce, and whatever the last one was. In the end my mouth, was a mess of flavors, and I accomplished finishing a sandwich on a soggy BK bun.

The sides are good. That is, if you like cornbread incarnated as a muffin and texture like a Duncan Hines cupcake. I think that this would be better with frosting and some sprinkles. There was something else that reminded me of apple pie filling, the mashed potatoes were thick and heavy and not a standout. Entertained by the environment, pleased with the ribs and hot links, felt the downward spiral on the sides, left feeling sick by the sauces; this was a rollercoaster I wouldn't take the time to drive to again.

C