NOVEMBER 16, 2013
Famous Dave’s Barbecue
Being in Yuma, the lettuce growing capitol of the world and home to mostly migrant farm workers, I was a little surprised that there were some pretty good places to eat near our campground. One was a joint called Famous Dave’s Barbecue. (As I re-read this post in March of 2015, I realize that Famous Dave’s Barbecue joints are a dime a dozen across the country, but I didn’t realize that when I wrote this post. These places don’t have any presence in California at all.)
Dave’s Famous BBQ. There aren’t any in California, so this was the first time for me. the food is good…I think better than Phil’s.
I learned that Dave’s is a franchise operation…it’s not really unique but there are none in California so it was new to me. Honestly, the food was better than Phil’s in San Diego. We went two nights in a row! Whenever possible in most restaurants, being the wanna be restauranteur that I am, I try to speak directly with the manager or owner. I did this at Dave’s. Here’s what I learned: Dave’s grew out of a backyard barbecue party he threw almost 25 years ago. He’s brought the same good food and friendly atmosphere to all of his restaurant locations. You’ll notice it in the food, the staff, the decor and the music. We learned that Dave won’t send you home with any remaining appetite! You can dig in and get your hands covered in sauce.
Dave’s got baby backs, burnt-ends, chicken, salmon, brisket and Georgia chopped pork. I can personally recommend the ribs and the chopped pork! With some really good sides and fruit cobbler for dessert, our meals were hard to beat.
Lin’s Grand China Buffet
Another good spot in “Lettuce Land” was Lin’s Chinese Buffet. I’m picky about Chinese food: Upon entering any Chinese restaurant, I pause and sniff. If it doesn’t smell good inside, I’m out of there. This test has served me well, as before I began doing it I had some pretty sorry Chinese food. When we set foot inside Lin’s it smelled good…so we stayed. The place is huge and it offered an equally huge selection of tasty Chinese food.
I’m a pretty adventurous diner, but there is no way I’d ever sample one of these octopus entrees they served at Lin’s.
Good looking Chinese ribs.
One of the only items I didn’t try or even have any desire to try was the Octopus. However, we sent a picture of this dish to our foodie friend Tracie, who told us that it looked good to her and she’d for sure have eaten it. Not me…I’m not that adventurous. My suggestion is that you consider passing on this delicacy. Take a look at the picture.
The Chinese bbq ribs were particularly good. (I should know, but I don’t, how they get that beautiful red coffee-colored glaze.) The place also has a full American-style salad bar, which is something often missing in these kinds of buffets. All the greens were cold, fresh and well presented. The salad plates were even chilled. Ambiance was pretty non-existent as is the case in so many Chinese restaurants. However, the dining area was neat, tidy, simple and clean as a whistle.
