My sweet Mama drilled into me as a child that if I didn't have anything nice to say ... then, well, I shouldn't say anything at all.
But when the best descriptions Shelley and I can give to a restaurant are "It was fine," and "It's OK. I don't crave it," then I think it's pretty safe to say that we won't be going back.
I really don't want to be mean, and once upon a time I thought about setting a standard for the "Finding Faith ... in" blog that my mama would be proud of: If I couldn't write something nice about the place, I wouldn't review it. But then I realized that that would be a bit disingenuous. So I decided a better focus for the food reviews would be to be truthful, but hold up all the positives I could. ... You know, all Midwestern passive-aggressive style! ;-)
And so I think I'll start there: First, off I am rooting for "Jay's Smokin' BBQ," a small little lunch stand that calls a former corner space in the food court of our small, municipally owned mall. The mom-and-pop shop -- literally as it's owned by the husband/wife combo of Jacey and Rochelle Henrichs -- since 2018 has brought some lunchtime traffic to a mall that desperately needed some foot traffic as retail space after retail space has emptied in this new era when online shopping is the norm and going to the mall is a quaint idea.
The fact that this "Little Engine That Could" business claimed a shuttered deli space in a struggling municipal mall and developed quite a following for itself is a terrific story for our small city. As Moorhead, Minn., sits directly across the river from our much larger sister city of Fargo, N.D., and nearly all of the restaurant news of note takes place on that side of the Red River of the North. (Note that the Henrichs announced this summer they were opening a second location for their restaurant over in Fargo, which I have to assume that eventually will mean the demise of the location in our city mall.) In line with our long running "Little Brother" syndrome with our neighboring city to the west, I'd hate to see this surprise gem abandoned their roots here in Moorhead.
So-o-o-o ... just what is "Jay's Smokin' BBQ?" ... Well, in their words: "While our tender, succulent, fall-off-the-bone smoked meats are the main event, when they’re paired with Jay’s mouthwatering sides, mealtime becomes an adventure!" ... Ultimately meaning, it's a tiny BBQ joint that specializes in only a handful of dishes featuring chicken, beef and pork.
I should be up front: Shelley and I did not eat there today together. I was there in the mall for a meeting and so made use of the fact that the BBQ shack was open early and I could beat the lunch crowd at 11 a.m. ... I exchanged my review of the place with Shelley after the place, and that is when she shared with me that she had eaten there before and came away with the same opinion as mine ... which was: Meh.
I ordered a new item to the menu, so new in fact that I don't even see it listed on its website. But Jay's did advertise the "Smoked Mash Bowl" today on their Facebook page, which much drive more audience then their own website.
And what is a "Smoked Mash Bowl?" ... Well exactly what it sounds like: It starts off with a foundation layer of smoked mashed potatoes; next comes your choice of meat (I went with the pork); and then comes southwest style corn and shredded cheese, and then it is topped off with a barbecue sour cream. I added on a side serving of potato salad.
Sounds delicious, no? ... The description alone makes it sound like it'd be the perfect comfort food as our temperatures become very autumn-ish this week, and so that's what caught my attention today. ... And I thought, "Bring. It. On."
But disappointedly with in the first few bites, I was more like, "Oh that's ... pretty average."
I admit that the smoked mashed potatoes were a tasty touch. They were a perfect consistency, and both cream and smoked flavors exploded from the first scoopful. But that's where the taste adventure ended, abruptly. The BBQ pork was ... fine. Nothing memorable, but was a perfectly suitable alternative to fast food. And the southwest corn, shredded cheese and BBQ mayo barely moved the taste meter.
And, unfortunately, tying up a bow on the average meal was the bland potato salad. Nothing more than your average grocery store packaged deli potato salad, which might have been my bigger disappointment, as I am a potato salad fanatic.
I must share that I'm not even sure what it was that Shelley had at Jay's Smokin' BBQ. I didn't think to ask, but by the text I received back, her meal wasn't any more memorable than mine.
OK, so that being said, when I left the mall today, it was 12:15 and there was a line about 10 deep at Jay's Smokin' BBQ. So, considering that and the fact that they are opening a second location, there are plenty of fans of Jay's Smokin' BBQ. ... The fact that today's meal didn't tantalize my taste buds, may just go to show that many Midwesterners like their BBQ and potato salad bland. We actually see that quite a bit in our local restaurants as the kitchen aim to please the folks who think ketchup is a bit tangy.
So the fact that I am not a fan is not going to sink Jay's Smokin' BBQ, and for that I am grateful. I want to see them make it. They are the American business success story, and I wish the Henrichs all the best. I truly do hope they keep their original small shop here in Moorhead as they expand into Fargo because I like having successful restaurants on our side of the river. And I know that I don't have to like a place for it to be successful.
So, there, Ma! ... I finished on a kind note! ;-)
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