OK, I tried two more Q joints this week. The Ranch House is about 8
miles west of Olympia, WA and is better than a lot of places I've tried
in KC, MO or Memphis. Their commercial Q is even better than than their
competition Q (I've judged it) and if 6' trophies from MIM or the Jack
Daniels Invitational aren't enough street cred for you, I suggest you
get your skeptical mouths down there so you can STFU about the imagined
lack of good Q in the west. Also tried a joint in Seaside, Oregon
called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years ago as expatriated Okies
selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand. Somebody on the Chamber of
Commerce said that business model would work "when pigs fly". Now they
have a sit down joint right next to the Espresso stand with another
location planned so winged pigs adorn the exterior decor. Honest Q, real
offset smokers right where you can see 'em, not quite as good as Dave's
or The Ranch House but great road food..

JD

JD wrote:

> ..... Also tried a joint
> in Seaside, Oregon called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years
> ago as expatriated Okies selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand.
> Somebody on the Chamber of Commerce said that business model would
> work "when pigs fly". Now they have a sit down joint right next to
> the Espresso stand with another location planned so winged pigs adorn
> the exterior decor.

I had a couple of customers a few weeks back mention that place. They like
it real well.
--
Dave
www.davebbq.com

Denny Wheeler wrote:

>On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 05:19:03 GMT, JD > wrote:
>
>
>
>>OK, I tried two more Q joints this week. The Ranch House is about 8
>>miles west of Olympia, WA and is better than a lot of places I've tried
>>in KC, MO or Memphis. Their commercial Q is even better than than their
>>competition Q (I've judged it) and if 6' trophies from MIM or the Jack
>>Daniels Invitational aren't enough street cred for you, I suggest you
>>get your skeptical mouths down there so you can STFU about the imagined
>>lack of good Q in the west. Also tried a joint in Seaside, Oregon
>>called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years ago as expatriated Okies
>>selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand. Somebody on the Chamber of
>>Commerce said that business model would work "when pigs fly". Now they
>>have a sit down joint right next to the Espresso stand with another
>>location planned so winged pigs adorn the exterior decor. Honest Q, real
>>offset smokers right where you can see 'em, not quite as good as Dave's
>>or The Ranch House but great road food..
>>
>>JD
>>
>>
>
>Thanks for the reviews, JD. When you say 'about 8 miles west of
>Olympia'--would that be by following US101 west to WA8, then a bit
>along 8? Just lookin' for a good 'how to find it;' I figure I'll be
>heading that general direction within a month or two, and Ranch House
>sounds like a good 'partial destination.' (primary destination likely
>will be Powell's Books in Portland...)
>
>--
>-denny-
>"Do your thoughts call ahead or do they just arrive at your mouth unannounced?"
>
>"It's come as you are, baby."
>
>-over the hedge
>
>
Kennedy Creek Rd is just off of WA8 on the South side. There are enough
sign to get you there.

JD

Dave Bugg wrote:

>JD wrote:
>
>
>
>>..... Also tried a joint
>>in Seaside, Oregon called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years
>>ago as expatriated Okies selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand.
>>Somebody on the Chamber of Commerce said that business model would
>>work "when pigs fly". Now they have a sit down joint right next to
>>the Espresso stand with another location planned so winged pigs adorn
>>the exterior decor.
>>
>>
>
>I had a couple of customers a few weeks back mention that place. They like
>it real well.
>
>
Like most good Q joints, they seem to have a loyal following that come
for miles plus the tourist traffic apparently keeps them quite busy
too. She said they cater a lot of weddings on the beach as well.

JD

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 19:33:01 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
wrote:

>JD wrote:
>
>> ..... Also tried a joint
>> in Seaside, Oregon called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years
>> ago as expatriated Okies selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand.
>> Somebody on the Chamber of Commerce said that business model would
>> work "when pigs fly". Now they have a sit down joint right next to
>> the Espresso stand with another location planned so winged pigs adorn
>> the exterior decor.
>
>I had a couple of customers a few weeks back mention that place. They like
>it real well.


Dang, I KNEW I forgot something...was gonna post my own review of the
Riverside BBQ awhile back.

Every year I go with the same bunch of friends to Seaside to watch the
first rounds of the NCAA playoffs and generally fart around. We rent
a beach house and the ten of us guys pretty much try to fool ourselves
into thinking we're back in college again (poker, booze, volleyball on
the beach and BBall on the TV).

Anyway, on the way in me and my friend Will stopped at Riverside BBQ.
I had read a review of the place and wanted to check it out (as I want
to do with just about EVERY roadside BBQ joint I see.

I had the spareribs and my Will had a pork sandwich.
I'd say the meal was pretty good, the sandwich was far better than the
ribs, but I may have just gotten an older batch. It was dead slow,
but from the waitress I gathered it had been packed earlier and
hadquieted down just before we arrived.

No where near Dave's in my book, but that was just one meal and I do
want to try again.

-Chef Juke
"EVERYbody Eats When They Come To MY House!"
www.chefjuke.com

Chef Juke wrote:

>On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 19:33:01 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
>wrote:
>
>
>
>>JD wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>..... Also tried a joint
>>>in Seaside, Oregon called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years
>>>ago as expatriated Okies selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand.
>>>Somebody on the Chamber of Commerce said that business model would
>>>work "when pigs fly". Now they have a sit down joint right next to
>>>the Espresso stand with another location planned so winged pigs adorn
>>>the exterior decor.
>>>
>>>
>>I had a couple of customers a few weeks back mention that place. They like
>>it real well.
>>
>>
>
>
>Dang, I KNEW I forgot something...was gonna post my own review of the
>Riverside BBQ awhile back.
>
>Every year I go with the same bunch of friends to Seaside to watch the
>first rounds of the NCAA playoffs and generally fart around. We rent
>a beach house and the ten of us guys pretty much try to fool ourselves
>into thinking we're back in college again (poker, booze, volleyball on
>the beach and BBall on the TV).
>
>Anyway, on the way in me and my friend Will stopped at Riverside BBQ.
>I had read a review of the place and wanted to check it out (as I want
>to do with just about EVERY roadside BBQ joint I see.
>
>I had the spareribs and my Will had a pork sandwich.
>I'd say the meal was pretty good, the sandwich was far better than the
>ribs, but I may have just gotten an older batch. It was dead slow,
>but from the waitress I gathered it had been packed earlier and
>hadquieted down just before we arrived.
>
>No where near Dave's in my book, but that was just one meal and I do
>want to try again.
>
>-Chef Juke
>"EVERYbody Eats When They Come To MY House!"
>www.chefjuke.com
>
>
I don't think they'll get near Dave's but seafood was a real bust in
Seaside this week which made the Q that much better.

JD

jd

Chef Juke wrote:

> No where near Dave's in my book, but that was just one meal and I do
> want to try again.

That's an important point that Chef made: try not to judge any joint by a
single meal. Every place has days where it just seems things are just in
another dimension. Ya try to be consistent, but sometimes the bear just
won't crap in the woods.

--
Dave
www.davebbq.com

JD wrote:
> OK, I tried two more Q joints this week. The Ranch House is about 8
> miles west of Olympia, WA and is better than a lot of places I've tried
> in KC, MO or Memphis. Their commercial Q is even better than than their
> competition Q (I've judged it) and if 6' trophies from MIM or the Jack
> Daniels Invitational aren't enough street cred for you, I suggest you
> get your skeptical mouths down there so you can STFU about the imagined
> lack of good Q in the west. Also tried a joint in Seaside, Oregon
> called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years ago as expatriated Okies
> selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand. Somebody on the Chamber of
> Commerce said that business model would work "when pigs fly". Now they
> have a sit down joint right next to the Espresso stand with another
> location planned so winged pigs adorn the exterior decor. Honest Q, real
> offset smokers right where you can see 'em, not quite as good as Dave's
> or The Ranch House but great road food..
>
> JD


May not be as good as Dave's, but at least they're tryin' in that BBQ
forsaken part of the country.


Salute to ya JD for your informative report.


TFM®

TFM® wrote:

> JD wrote:
>
>> OK, I tried two more Q joints this week. The Ranch House is about 8
>> miles west of Olympia, WA and is better than a lot of places I've
>> tried in KC, MO or Memphis. Their commercial Q is even better than
>> than their competition Q (I've judged it) and if 6' trophies from MIM
>> or the Jack Daniels Invitational aren't enough street cred for you,
>> I suggest you get your skeptical mouths down there so you can STFU
>> about the imagined lack of good Q in the west. Also tried a joint
>> in Seaside, Oregon called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years
>> ago as expatriated Okies selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand.
>> Somebody on the Chamber of Commerce said that business model would
>> work "when pigs fly". Now they have a sit down joint right next to
>> the Espresso stand with another location planned so winged pigs adorn
>> the exterior decor. Honest Q, real offset smokers right where you can
>> see 'em, not quite as good as Dave's or The Ranch House but great
>> road food..
>>
>> JD
>
>
>
> May not be as good as Dave's, but at least they're tryin' in that BBQ
> forsaken part of the country.
>
>
> Salute to ya JD for your informative report.
>
>
> TFM®

Your welcome. The Q is getting better and better out here as joints like
Dave's and The Ranch House raise the bar. I'm lucky in that I have
respectable Q 2 blocks from my house.

JD

Denny Wheeler wrote:

>On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 04:21:13 GMT, JD > wrote:
>
>
>
>>Your welcome. The Q is getting better and better out here as joints like
>>Dave's and The Ranch House raise the bar. I'm lucky in that I have
>>respectable Q 2 blocks from my house.
>>
>>
>
>And what joint is 2 blocks from you, JD?
>
>--
>-denny-
>
>

Bodaceous BBQ in Granite Falls.

JD

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 05:19:03 GMT, JD > wrote:

>OK, I tried two more Q joints this week. The Ranch House is about 8
>miles west of Olympia, WA and is better than a lot of places I've tried
>in KC, MO or Memphis. Their commercial Q is even better than than their
>competition Q (I've judged it) and if 6' trophies from MIM or the Jack
>Daniels Invitational aren't enough street cred for you, I suggest you
>get your skeptical mouths down there so you can STFU about the imagined
>lack of good Q in the west. Also tried a joint in Seaside, Oregon
>called Riverside BBQ. They started out 10 years ago as expatriated Okies
>selling Espresso and BBQ from a Latte stand. Somebody on the Chamber of
>Commerce said that business model would work "when pigs fly". Now they
>have a sit down joint right next to the Espresso stand with another
>location planned so winged pigs adorn the exterior decor. Honest Q, real
>offset smokers right where you can see 'em, not quite as good as Dave's
>or The Ranch House but great road food..
>
>JD

Thought I'd share a quick personal restaurant review:

Just went to the Ranch house last night with friends. I was really
hyped, and convinced them it was worth the small trek. We were really
hungry. A good sign was the cars all lined up along the street. Two
large trailer smokers were parked in front. Once inside the mass of
articles, ribbons and trophies were definately impressive. I had made
a reservation for 6:30, which on Friday at least were definately
needed (1/2 to 1 hour minimum wait otherwise).

Service was capable. Normally I stick with ribs or brisket since I am
really good at concocting pulled pork and chicken on my WSMs and
kettles, but I wanted to sample their championship caliber Q. We
ordered the sampler platter ($18.99) with garlic fries($2 extra) and
beans. The food arrived very quick. Plate came with chicken leg
quarter, brisket, pulled pork, and a 2 rib riblet.

A bad Omen? The party next to us returned two plates of pork chops as
being uncuttable and inedible, and most of the garlic fries remained
uneaten on their plates.

Started off with the cornbread muffin which was dry and crumby (lots
of butter and honey helped get them down).

Had to start with the ribs which tasted fantastic, nice smokey flavor,
but were just a little too quick to come off the bone for my taste. It
went downhill from there. Chicken was overcooked and slightly dry
(skin wasn't leathery though) and had an slightly acrid smokiness
about it. The lighty smokey pork was a pile of stringy, dry shreds. I
never had pork butt this dry, none of that succulent gelatin or fat
that gives pulled pork it's typically wonderful mouth feel. Most
disapointing was the brisket. No succulent slices here, just a pile of
stringy dry shreds. A brown version of the pulled pork. Nearly
inedible. I was planning on taking home a couple pounds of brisket
too. The beans were tasty, but the 1/2 cup ramekin was 2/3 full. The
garlic fries smelled awesome. Unfortunately they were hard, dry, and
many were broken pieces.

All in all it was kind of sad, since my expectations were raised so
high. For $30 a head anyway. The flavors were good, but the condtion
of meats were unacceptable. I tried to keep positive for my friends
sake. I was very curious if the ladies that were featured on the Food
Network actually did the Q. Ideally you would hope that the food
served to customers would be similar as that served to contest judges,
Honestly, if I found out the brisket and pork were scraps from the
night before it wouldn't surprise me.

I will give this joint another shot, hoping this was just a bad night.
It definately was real Q (unfortunately just tasted like really old
Q).

Dave

dave wrote:

>
> Thought I'd share a quick personal restaurant review:
>
> Just went to the Ranch house last night with friends. <snip>
>
> All in all it was kind of sad, since my expectations were raised so
> high. <snip>
>
> I will give this joint another shot, hoping this was just a bad night.
> It definately was real Q (unfortunately just tasted like really old
> Q).
>
> Dave

Aileen and I were there on a Wednesday at 11:30am. We just had the
pulled pork sandwich and garlic fries, neither of which matched the
description you gave. The pulled pork was great, with good smoke and an
abundance of bark. The fries were crisp outside (I hate mushy fries)
and pretty tasty. I wasn't dazzled by the straight vinegar slaw since I
make mine with mayo and red wine vinegar. Maybe you caught them at the
end of a busy day when they may have been near the end of the days
supply. Maybe they treated me extra good because I came in the door
snappin' pix with a big ass Nikon. I do know that what you get at *any*
Q joint can depend on how late you get there.

JD