Famous Dave’s Barbecue, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, UAE
The other day we had the pleasure of meeting the famous brand chef from Famous Dave’s, Jean Strauss. I will always remember what he had said – “if it’s anything less than 5 hours, then it is NOT B-B-Q.”
Welcome
Barbecuing requires consistency and is meant for low and slow smoking. We were able to tour the Famous Dave’s kitchen and learn more about the art of meat smoking. It’s not just about lighting up a fire but it boils down to so many details like the type of wood, the temperature, the meat quality, the smoker capacity, preparation work etc. I had so much more appreciation for smoked meats after the tour with him as he mentioned the length of time it takes to make the brisket or even the muffins. 12 hours to cook the brisket thoroughly, 12 hours for baked beans, 12 hours to even make the corn muffins!
For a limited time, Enjoy Iftar Family Feast @ 399 dhs from sunset till 9:00pm,
Friends Feast @ 299 dhs , or Pit masters 2-meat combo @129 dhs
Famous Dave’s at Al Wahda Mall was only 1 month new from opening and we were delighted to be invited. I love the Southern theme and décor they have in the restaurant. There were so many quirky photographs on the wall and they use a famous red/white checkered pattern paper when serving all their dishes. Oh and be sure to ask each server what they are famous for!
Appetizers
For the appetizers, we had a variety of Famous Wings, Onion Strings, Burnt Ends, Sizzling Chicken Tacos. The wings were one of my favorites of the night. It was actually my first time having the onion strings and burnt ends. All the guests at Famous Dave’s love the burnt ends, its so soft and tender and oozing with flavor. I would definitely order this one again.
My friends and I really loved the presentation of each of the dishes. We had an order of grilled shrimp skewers and they came nicely presented with 2 sides (we picked mac and cheese and mash potatoes) with 2 veggie/fruit skewers. Mac and Cheese was my favorite side of the night. I devoured that dish myself hands down. The shrimps were cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the pineapples on the fruit skewers.
Famous Feast
Our Legendary Feast came on top of what they call the trash can lid. I love that concept and love that they kept that from the original Famous Dave. Displayed on the lid was a generous helpings of beef ribs, country roasted chicken, texas beef brisket, creamy coleslaw, baked beans, famous fries, sweet corn and bread muffins. Now this is a feast! From this amazing variety, we had a unanimous vote on the beef brisket as our favorite of the night. The legendary Feast was suggested for 2-3 people (although we had loads leftover), there is a Grand Feast option for 5-6 people with same variety but more helpings.
Their meats paired with any of the Famous Dave sauces made it scrumptious! We each had a personal favorite sauce. Mine was the Rich and Sassy, my friend Winnie enjoyed the Texas Pit and Serah liked the Sweet and Zesty. We even got a bottle to take home courtesy of Famous Dave’s to enjoy all year round.
Desserts
Finally for their dessert, we had a taste of the Dave’s Dessert Sampler – Walnut Coffee Brownie, Dave’s Famous Bread Pudding, Down Home Banana Pudding. The sampler was such a great idea for groups (ideal for 2-3 people). We each had a different favorite dessert from the sampler. I really enjoyed the walnut coffee brownie especially with the scoop of ice cream on top! It was a sweet way to end the night.
