Jambones- Great BBQ

Mr Alderson has contacted me and informed me I am wrong about offering assistance for our handicapped friend. Since I don't remember exactly what transpired, I will take him at his word that assistance was offered and I apologize for my error. That having been said, I stand by the rest of my post.

thank you very much andy a for that and i still respect your opinion on your thoughts on your meal here. i hope very much to have you back as a guest to give us another try - i would love the opportunity to win you back as a jamboner loyalist.

scott

Just got back from jambone and I have to tell you, i can see myself hanging out there a lot more often. The atmosphere was very nice, sorta fun, relaxed, etc. The only thing i did not like is how the service of the "call up" type stuff. I was a little confused walking through the door and made it uncomfortable when people started piling in and i really didn't know what i need to do and I felt like I was holding everyone up trying to look at the menu. JMO though. On to the food:

Fried Pickles: They were perfect. they were thin, crunchy and just the right size. we LOVED those things!!! great job!

I had the 1/2 rack of ribs: they were excellent, PLENTY on the plate, don't know what i would do with a full rack. they pretty much fell off the rib. I added the fries and the coleslaw. The fries were really good, my wife couldn't keep her hands off of them. The cole slaw was "okay". not to die for but wasn't what i was there for.

Brisket plate: the brisket was pretty good. Wife really liked it. I must say, I was in El Paso for a week and we had brisket everyday of that week and I really don't have a taste for it anymore after that. But she liked it. I have to say, the ribs were much better than the brisket.

Top shelf margarita: it was okay.........wish I had a little more tequila in there. For $8.50 or something, wish it had a little teq. I should have gotten some beer anyway to go with the BBQ. The bartender was nice and service was okay.

Overall I would give you an A+. I will be back in about two weeks when the rest of the family is in town.

I would advise you guys to check it out.

Took the little lady there for lunch yesterday. Both had the Boston Butt and it was fantastic. Portions are huge. Lots of flavor. My eyelids were sweating by the time I finished. Had to get a doggy bag that covered a snack today at home. We'll be back to try other items for sure.
The service takes getting used to as Scott said, and I was able to follow it much easier this time around.

Went to Jambones on Saturday for lunch. We went to a counter to order 2 plates and a free promotional pork sandwich with one side. We ordered one tea, but had to go to the bar to get Bud Lite. Ordered another side. Cost of lunch $32.00, plus cost of beer $5 + $1. tip.

The food was excellent, pork sandwich and beef brisket. The jalapeno slaw was heaven, very creamy, crisp and full of surprises...like cucumber and tomato. The fries were perfectly crisp and seasoned. The beans have a unique flavor and very good. The BBQ sauces were excellent as well.

Total cost after tip left on the table for three people was $44.00 !!!! For BBQ! Remember there was also a freebie in there...so it actually was lunch for two. And....you do not get waited on, you have to walk up to the counter and order. I don't think I will be back, even though the BBQ was excellent.

hello seagrovegirl

just want to say that i am sorry that your jambone experience was unsatisfactory in your view of value. i would like to give a bit of an explanation in an attempt to save you as a loyal customer - because losing a customer is the worst possible case scenario that a restaurateur can face.

we consider our PLATES to be a dinner portion full meal consisting of 8 oz of cooked finished product meat along with two sides. our pork plate is 10.95, chicken 11.95 and brisket 12.95.
our sandwiches are smaller and come with one side and the bun of course and the pork is 7.95, chicken 8.95 and brisket 9.95. these seem like reasonable prices to feed a person for a meal period. these prices were less when i opened and i have since raised them to the level that they are now. as i am sure we all are so intimately aware - the economy is very volatile and the cost of almost everything has risen dramatically. just as the cost of gasoline has doubled, so to has the cost of food today and there is no other way to function as a restaurant and stay in business unless the rising cost are transferred to an increase in selling price. under these circumstances that i doubt will ever change or decrease, i feel that jambone represents and absolute incredible value in the dining marketplace. our pint of bud light draft are 2.50 and 3.00 for the bottles. all od our beer and liquor pricing is in line with or lower than our competition and that has been the philosophy from the onset. we also feature a three hour happy hour from 3-6 m-f where the bar and appetizers are all half off. you can go on our website jambone.net and view our many other nightly promotions like .25 draft on thursday and free wings on sunday among others.

the most important part of what i feel makes jambone a leader in dining value in our area is the fact that we only use steroid/hormone/antibiotic free meats that are raised in a sustainable way under humane growing, feeding, breeding and slaughtering conditions. i actually pay close to double and over double in some cases for these products. all of our packaging is also eco friendly, biodegradable and recycled - we pay nine times more for our plastic cups than what i could pay if i used styrofoam. the final piece of the value puzzle and this is my biased opinion is the quality of the food. i have taken good ol bbq and applied my 29 years of culinary training and experience in which i reached a level of accomplishment that i can only feel totally blessed to have achieved. in this i mean that we make every sauce and dressing from scratch, we grind our burger meat from brisket, chuck and sirloin in our refrigerated butcher room(burger 6.95 including fries!), we actually smoke our meat right out front in the highest tech bbq pit on the market, we drive a truck and trailer to south geargia every three weeks to pick out seasoned split pecan wood and have our lump oak charcoal freighted in each month from texas. it is what i call honest cooking and with that there is no compromise in the methods in which we prepare food. i can only hope that this shows through on the palate and the senses and when finished my guest feel like the got their 7.95 worth or their 12.95 worth. we left our specialty bbq prices the same so they are now the same price as the standard bbq so check out all the cool different sauces if you decide to come back.

our service method is intentional and it is built for super speed and efficiency because at such low price points for food i have to use volume sales to make up for that. we try to make the service fun and boisterous and kinda guest interactive and your gratuity is certainly appreciated by the small staff but it is not expected or required. i would say on average maybe 3 out of 10 guest actually leave a tip, some in cash and some on the credit receipt and that supplement really makes it nice for the crew.

i can only hope that this may clarify for you my pricing structure even though it is only bbq, and that you will return to jambone for another experience and then leave feeling like it was worth your hard earned dollars. or maybe try us for happy hour for sure and kick back and watch some sports on the plasmas or come late night for one of our live band nights.

i sincerely hope to earn back your business seagravegirl!!

scott alderson

Went to Jambones on Saturday for lunch. We went to a counter to order 2 plates and a free promotional pork sandwich with one side. We ordered one tea, but had to go to the bar to get Bud Lite. Ordered another side. Cost of lunch $32.00, plus cost of beer $5 + $1. tip.

The food was excellent, pork sandwich and beef brisket. The jalapeno slaw was heaven, very creamy, crisp and full of surprises...like cucumber and tomato. The fries were perfectly crisp and seasoned. The beans have a unique flavor and very good. The BBQ sauces were excellent as well.

Total cost after tip left on the table for three people was $44.00 !!!! For BBQ! Remember there was also a freebie in there...so it actually was lunch for two. And....you do not get waited on, you have to walk up to the counter and order. I don't think I will be back, even though the BBQ was excellent.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, Scott......I appreciate you! I have to admit, I did forget about the organic meat...I would pay more for that.....I did not know about the eco friendly to-go cups and I am sure they are pricey. Honestly didn't think about the cost of groceries either, even though I see it weekly when I shop........but compared to other BBQ joints, you are pricey....but you are not just a joint, you are a specialty...........and you are doing a good job of it.....and if anyone wants gourmet, organic BBQ, their going to pay for it.

Scott, I wish you loads of happy customers and a long and prosperous business in this community.......and if I get hungry for the best quality and tasting BBQ .....I'll be back with my piggy bank.

groovy sgg - i hope to see you soon!

I take it they don't have a kids menu huh?

yes we have a kids menu including children's sized bbq plates and fish/shrimp/chicken baskets all in the 5.95-6.95 range.

Scott,
Your restaurant sounds wonderful! I wish more restaurants would use more all natural/organic meats. I will definately be putting Jambones on our list of places to try. We love BBQ, especially our older boys. Thanks!

went to jambone tonight for the first time. it was AWESOME. wonderful pulled chicken sandwich and pulled pork. great sauces. compare to 30A prices - comparable, and delicious! we will be back for sure.

yes we have a kids menu including children's sized bbq plates and fish/shrimp/chicken baskets all in the 5.95-6.95 range.

Thanks! Good to know... I was starting to think it was more bar than would be kid friendly.

We finally made it to Jambone's yesterday - I can't believe we waited so long!

Let me just say that I loved the old CoCo's- the food wasn't great, but it was a great place to take the kids and they had killer margaritas. Jambone has taken it to the next level- the inside remodel looks great, there are couches and chairs for hanging out, shuffleboard, a huge bar, and lots of tables in different sizes. For us it will be a "multi-purpose" place- lunch & dinner with or without kids, takeout, bar time, and game watching (if we are out with people that watch games- we don't). A special thanks for the nicer restrooms!

We had pulled pork and chicken sandwiches- both easily at the top of the best barbecue lists. Awesome flavor, very moist, no "funky" pieces (gristle, bone, etc- my pet peeve with some barbecue). A $7.95 sandwich comes with a huge helping of meat and enough of a side for 2 people. I think I have a new french fry addiction- Jambone fries are skinny like Steak & Shake's, and seasoned with the Byron's Butt Rub. O.M.G. I couldn't get a big enough handful at a time! Bdarg's jalape?o slaw was crisp and fresh.

The best part? Kate went at her pulled pork like an animal. She made 2 sandwiches out of her kid's plate- I have never seen her go after food like this before. She said "Jambone's is my favorite restaurant!!

Thank you Scott- it was nice to meet you. It looks like you have a success on your hands!

My absolute favorite thing to order is the salad with beef brisket. The tortilla "croutons", bibb lettuce, and dressing are soo good. I try my hardest, but can never finish that salad.

Looks like a few 1/2 price offers for Jambones are still available here:

http://wncv.cumulus-deals.com/index.php?index_type=promo-detail&pid=46259

There was also a coupon for a BOGO lunch sandwich in the Sun either this week or last week.

did i hear right when i heard they have bbq tofu? anyone tried it?

A friend tried the tofu and wasn't impressed....but if you're looking for tofu, do that at home. This was one of the best pulled pork sandwiches in my career and I'm from Memphis.... where barbeque is considered to be on the list of toddler's finger foods. The quality of the product shines thru. After 28 years in SoWal, good barbeque was the only thing that I missed.... the wait is over!

I also want to heap praise on the hot dogs. I had a Chicago style dog the other night and it was delicious.

Thanks to this forum...

...my wife and I went to Jambones. Very glad we did. Probably the best smoked brisket I ever ate, and I've eaten plenty from places all over.

The staff was very friendly and helpful (explained all four sauces etc etc), and Scott (the owner) stopped by the table for a nice chat.

I'll be back...and I'm putting a note in my house here for future guests to be sure and take in Jambones.

Is that a "how to" guide for ordering with visual cues only?
1. Follow new "Order Food" sign.
2. Relax and peruse menu.
3. Order at register.
4. Move to drink fountain.
5. Retire to bar and wait for your number to be called.

We had take out tonight from Jambone's and must say the experience was not good. We ordered 4 half slabs of ribs, also bought about a pint size of pork and chicken with a pint of beans and a pint of slaw. We ordered 3 brisket plates and 1 shrimp basket. The cost was $174.00. The brisket was very good, tender and good flavor. The ribs, chicken and pork were all cold, (refrigerator cold). We had to come back and heat it up. Maybe this is normal for Florida but in TN when you order BBQ it is all ready to eat (not cold). I expect to pay more on vacation and the price is not the problem, but if I pay this much I do not expect to have to come back to the house and heat the majority of it up.

I like my ribs room temperature, pulled pork for that matter too. I don't eat barbecue chicken enough to say how I prefer it.

We had take out tonight from Jambone's and must say the experience was not good. We ordered 4 half slabs of ribs, also bought about a pint size of pork and chicken with a pint of beans and a pint of slaw. We ordered 3 brisket plates and 1 shrimp basket. The cost was $174.00. The brisket was very good, tender and good flavor. The ribs, chicken and pork were all cold, (refrigerator cold). We had to come back and heat it up. Maybe this is normal for Florida but in TN when you order BBQ it is all ready to eat (not cold). I expect to pay more on vacation and the price is not the problem, but if I pay this much I do not expect to have to come back to the house and heat the majority of it up.

I noticed that the deli case that had beans, chicken, and pork packaged up to go, so I guess I would not have expected it to be hot. Our 2 favorite places in Louisville would package the food up cold (to go in the fridge) and we would re-heat.

FYI- a good way to re-heat ribs is to sprinkle a bit of apple juice on them, wrap tightly in tin foil, and pop 'em in the warm oven.