By Derek Morris
A favorite pastime of mine is driving down river road and enjoying the historical scenery. I do pretty often, driving up and down both sides of the river and often discover new places. One of my recent discoveries was Big Jake's BBQ while passing through Saint Gabriel, just west of Gonzales.

We all know that theres not many barbecue joints in the Baton Rouge area. So whenever I come across a new one, I have to stop and give it a try.

After careful consideration, I decided on the rib plate with baked beans and mac and cheese. I wanted potato salad, but thery were out. I was hoping this wasnt an omen of bad things to come.

It didnt take long at all for my food to come out. No frills here, just barbecue slapped on top of a hefty styrofoam plate. I grabbed my fork and the house barbecue sauce and dove in.

The ribs were excellent! The meat pulled from the bone perfectly and the meat was smoky and tender. The ribs were also quality-selected cuts (not much fat at all). Big Jake's homeade rub wasn't bad at all as well. It complimented the pork nicely, but was not over powering by far.

After scarfing down the first rib or two, I was lead to one conclusion. Whoever is smoking the ribs at Big Jake's, knows what he's doing!

Next I decided to go ahead and try the sides. The baked beans were decent. Nothing too special, but did'nt taste like they were poured out of a can and heated in the microwave.

The homemade mac and cheese was another story. It had obviously been sitting out a little too long. We all know that once homeade mac and cheese cools down, it becomes rubbery and the cheese seems to separate from the noodles. Not a huge deal, since it's really about the barbecue, but after all, all restaurants should serve there customers fresh food no matter what it is.

Food Rating:

Service
Although they served the food quickly, they failed on having potato salad still available. In my opinion it is a huge sin for any restaurant to run out of a menu item. Also I found the person taking our order behind the counter to not be too friendly. She seemed a little short with us and in a hurry. Definitely wasn't service with a smile!

Service Rating:

Atmosphere
I like the atmosphere of this restaurant a lot. It really feels like a barbecue joint, even from the parking lot. Once you walk it, you find that the counter and kitchen area has been made to look like and old shack with tin roofing and wooden walls. The decor on the walls is nice and one large tv constantly plays a pre-recorded blues concert.

Atmosphere Rating:

Big jake's BBQ
40 Highway 74
St Gabriel, LA 70776
(225) 642-4129