Terri Wickett knows that Famous Dave's is famous for its ribs, but it's the beef brisket that keeps her coming back.
Brisket doesn't start out tender, but tenderizes nicely when treated to low, slow heat. Famous Dave's process makes it "melt in your mouth," Wickett said. "I keep coming back to this because it's the best thing I've ever had."
Wickett and I met at Famous Dave's in Canal Park about 5 p.m. on a rainy Sunday. There was a crowd standing outside under the awning, but it turned out they were leaving. Inside we found the large dining room about a third full.
We had just settled ourselves when our waiter, Gloria, brought us menus and asked for our beverage orders. "Do you have Coke or Pepsi products?" Wickett asked.
"Pepsi," Gloria said, and Wickett made a face. "In that case I'll take lemonade," she said. We ordered our entrees and chose two of the seven available side dishes: coleslaw and garlic baby red mashed potatoes.
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In my short time with Wickett, I learned a lot about her. She has 25 years' experience as a server ("and I'm good at it, too," she added). She dines out fairly frequently -- about twice a week, on average. She knows just what kind of restaurant she likes -- casual places such as Grandma's, Blackwoods and Pizza Luce, where she worked for a while.
"I'm not into the hoity-toity stuff," she said. "I like to relax when I go out."
And she knows what kind of service she likes: prompt, friendly, attentive. "Service is huge for me," she said. (She gave our server bonus points for checking back promptly after our food came out.)
Our meals arrived within five minutes of our arrival, no doubt a testament to our server's efficiency and the small dining crowd. Wickett tasted her brisket and gave this report: "It's amazing. It just falls apart. The taste is so bold, and it's got that smoky flavor that stays with you."
TOM'S TAKE
Famous Dave's serves entrees on a platter lined with red-checkered paper along with a short ear of sweet corn, corn muffin and other sides, recalling a colorful, down-home barbecue.
At the center of the platter is a half-dozen slices of beef brisket strips laid over a thick slice of bread. I like to think I'm a pretty good cook, and I can whip up a mean pot roast. But the barbecue brisket thing is tricky. I tried it once and it tasted like, well, pot roast with barbecue sauce on top. Famous Dave's beef brisket is infused with smoky flavor throughout, and it has a juiciness that's sometimes hard to get with a beef roast. The sauce, a toned-down version of Famous Dave's Sweet and Sassy sauce, is perfectly balanced with the smoke flavor.
The coleslaw avoided one of my 'slaw sins, which is too much creamy dressing, while adding an interesting, sharp bite that I couldn't identify (I found out later it was horseradish). Nice. The mashed potatoes had that lovely sweet roasted garlic flavor, but the portion seemed to be on the small side. The sweet corn looks good on the plate, but one bite tells you it's pretty much the same frozen product you can buy at the supermarket. My favorite sides were the coleslaw and the Wilbur Beans, which have a nice spicy, smoky flavor. But of course, you don't go to Famous Dave's for the sides. You go for the meat: succulent, sweet and smoky.
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ABOUT THE DISH AND RESTAURANT
Famous Dave's beef brisket is cooked for several hours in a low-heat smoker using hickory wood, according to Adam Johannes, assistant supervisor at the Duluth restaurant. "It's cold-smoked to keep the moisture in," he said.
When an order comes in, a cook slices from the roast. The recipe comes from restaurant founder and Hayward, Wis., native Dave Anderson, who researched his passion of barbecue for 25 years before opening the first Famous Dave's Barbecue Shack in Hayward in 1994.
Tom Wilkowske is a food reviewer and copy editor for the Wave. Reach him Sunday through Thursday at 723-5396 or e-mail twilkowske@duluthnews.com or atablefor two@duluthnews.com . To read previous columns, go to duluthnewstribune.com.
