Summer is upon us and the 'Fat Man' and MDW have decided to try out a few new places to dine and with that in mind, comes the reincarnation of the 'Fat Man's Review'. We have gone to a couple of new places recently; an Italian place (of which I will review later), and the first of our summer plan to hit the different 'food trucks' for lunch in Edmonton: Bubba's BBQ.
Bubba's is a pretty well known BBQ spot in Edmonton, having been around for several years. The problem has been for Bubba to maintain one spot for a considerable amount of time. He parked his 'mobile restaurant' on the south side for quite a while, but when the parking lot was sold along with the building, Bubba's had to relocate. He has moved to a spot on Gateway Boulevard, directly south of Superstore, on the East side of the road. Parking is limited and generally the quality of customers, judging by their parking skills, is of limited intelligence. The place is open for business from 11:30 - 2:00, however people start lining up early and service is quite slow, so don't drag your feet getting there. Bubba's also closes when they run out of the food for the day, so… chop, chop.
Bubba's is a one man operation. I'll just call him Bubba (not his name), because Bubba is just such a fun, stupid name to say. Bubba cooks, serves, hopefully cleans, and whatever else is involved in a mobile BBQ operation. As a result, the service is quite slow. People line up in the dust of a gravel parking lot and as was on the day we went, fry their asses off in the sun. I am sure the winter is much more comfortable, not having to deal with the sun… oh wait, I forgot, there is a little problem with the cold. That could be a tad uncomfortable whilst you wait for Bubba to slop up his ware. I do not like waiting. Waiting is bullshit. There are a million restaurants that will take my money without making me stand in line in the heat (or the cold, for that matter). If I am going to wait, it have better be FUCKING GOOD! We arrived right at 11:30, MDW not having the pathological time thing going like 'moi'. The line was about fifteen people long and the temperature was about 30 degrees. GREAAAAAAAT!
It took about twenty-five minutes to get our food, and it wasn't too bad. There is really nothing I like more than making small talk with strangers waiting in line, or worse yet, listening to some twenty-two year old girls discussing their latest 'tweet' about having toast for breakfast. I just love that. As the boy used to say, "do we KNOW these people?
The day we went was a Wednesday and Bubba's only serves one thing per day, and that day it was pulled pork on a bun, with slaw and baked beans. Bubba seemed like a reasonable guy. I have met him once before when I went to the south side location, and brilliantly, thinking I would come later to avoid the rush, I arrived to an empty parking lot, with Bubba cleaning up after selling out. Lesson one: come early or go home hungry. I had a little chat with Bubba and he told me about his operation and gave me a menu and told me to come early next time. Duh.. thanks Bubba.
The food, I must admit was a little disappointing. There was nothing wrong with it. It was good. But it did not knock my socks off and remember what I said previously about if I was going to stand in line …. I liked the slaw with a honey mustard dressing (which is quickly becoming my favorite dressing), and the beans were a mix of what looked like regular pork 'n beans with some kidney beans included, was ok, not great. The pulled pork on a bun did not have any smoked taste as far as I, or MDW could tell. There was very little sauce, although the portion was certainly large. The bun was fresh. Nothing spectacular at all. Again, disappointing. I expected more. I don't want to compare but MDW makes much better pulled pork and there is no comparison of her beans and Bubba's. And we don't have to wait in line in the 'Fat Man's' kitchen. The price was very reasonable: $11.00 each, plus a tip.
When you take into account the parking situation, the lining up, having to endure the blah, blah, blah around you, limited daily menu, no place to sit and eat, and the threat of sever weather whilst waiting, and just good food (not great), I would rate Bubba's only a six or seven out of ten. I would go again for the ribs perhaps, but like MDW said, that the smokey taste and sauce is what makes BBQ and Bubba didn't really have anything special going on in those areas; so…
Edmonton needs a really good BBQ restaurant. And as Kornheiser says, "End of story".
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