So, here I am at a Chamber of Commerce event at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield when the smell of barbecued ribs comes wafting over the crowd. Eschewing the tables of insurance companies, banks and local businesses that populate these affairs, I make my way toward the smell of ‘que. Famous Dave’s, the sign proudly proclaims. I load up on some ribs and cole slaw and dig in. The ribs have been sitting in hotel pans and aren’t hot-off-the-fire sizzling, but they are meaty, flavored with a nice rub, and have that rosy ring of deep pink that says “wood smoke.” Under the guise of testing the sauces arranged in squeeze bottles at the side of the table, I grab a couple of additional orders. The cole slaw isn’t bad, either.
Famous Dave, the server tells me, has won over 400 awards at various barbecue competitions in the last 25 years. The story is that Dave Anderson’s father used to bring home ribs from Chicago street vendors, inspiring a love of barbecue in young Dave, who then set out to create the best barbecue ever. Dave is a Native American whose biography lists an improbable Horatio Alger-like rise to his current status as creator of the Famous Dave’s franchise (200-plus restaurants and counting), Oprah-certified adviser to presidents, philanthropist, Harvard grad, Olympic torch carrier, and all-around superstar. FAMOUS DAVE’S has a local site at 1750 Boston Road, Springfield (382-7100, www.famousdaves.com/SpringfieldMA).
The proof, however, is in the eating. Based on my initial research, Dave’s warranted another look. My wife and two of our friends made the trip to Boston Road to check things out. The place has a large dining room as well as an eat-in bar, both with a manufactured down-home look. The giant menu lists two kinds of pork ribs – St. Louis style (sauced) and Memphis style (dry rub only) – beef brisket, chicken, sausages, baby-back ribs, plus a plethora of sandwiches, smoked meat loaf, and salmon and catfish platters with the usual sides, available as plates or in combos. We settled on the Dave’s Famous Feast, a combination platter for four to six people, and ordered a few extras to round out the meal.
The table is set with large squeeze bottles of sauces, plus an ingenious pipe-mounted roll of paper towels. The server brought a wooden tripod to hold the feast, which was served on a garbage-can lid draped with a red-checked napkin. The arrangement reminded me of a rustic version of the plat de fruits de mer you get in Paris.
The St. Louis ribs, slathered in sauce, were as toothsome as I remembered. They were falling-off-the-bone tender, and clearly cooked in a dry smoky heat. The pulled pork was tender as well and, like the ribs, bore no traces of preboiling. The beef brisket had a pleasing Texas-style taste thanks to the rub. Only the chicken was disappointing: nicely cooked and still juicy, it had been kept under wrap in the oven and the skin was no longer crisp.
The Wilbur beans were shot with sauce and pork pieces. The cole slaw had a touch of chopped pineapple for sweetness and cut the heaviness of the meat just as it is supposed to. The accompanying corn, though, had been held too long in water. The corn muffins were sweet and flavorful. The jalapeno mac ‘n’ cheese was terrific, with a nice peppery taste that had some heat. Not as rich and runny as the mac ‘n’ cheese from the late, lamented Holy Smokes in Hatfield, perhaps, but as Old Man Sykes said in “The Wild Bunch,” “It’ll do.”
The sauces include Rich & Sassy, Georgia Mustard, Texas Pit, Sweet & Zesty and Devil’s Spit. We all had our favorites – that’s the point, after all. I liked Texas Pit best. Devil’s Spit is not as hot as you might fear. Georgia Mustard showcases the yellow mustard-style sauce favored in some parts of the South.
There is a full bar as well as sweet and unsweetened iced tea. Draft beers are served in large and larger sizes. The margarita was oversized as well.
There is dessert, but we were too full to have any.
I try to avoid chain restaurants as a rule, mostly because the food tastes more like a manufactured product than something animal or vegetable. However, Dave’s does try to rise above the standard chain offering. The meats are cooked on the premises in a smoker that uses gas flame to fire hickory logs. It would never fly in the backwoods, but it is a good compromise in getting authentic flavor without liquid smoke. In the summer, Dave’s serves local vegetables.
The Springfield Famous Dave’s opened last January, but had a management shake-up several weeks ago. Certainly the new staff is trying hard: Our server, the host and the manager each stopped by to see if things were OK.
Famous Dave’s is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (or the end of whatever game is showing on the bar’s TVs) on Friday and Saturday.
Ribs are $12.99 for a half slab and $22.99 for a full 12-bone slab. Meat dishes range from $11.99 to $13.99, fish from $11.99 for fried cod to $16.49 for salmon, and sandwiches hover around $8.99. Dinners come with a choice of two sides. For a buffet with unlimited sides, visit at lunchtime.
Originally published Daily Hampshire Gazette, Nov 20, 2009.
