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.

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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!

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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.

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

As big of a barbecue fan as I am, I'm ashamed to admit that I have just recently ate at Voodoo BBQ for the first time.  Even though you can now pretty much find a Voodoo BBQ anywhere in the area now days, I was finally compelled enough to give it a try.

My original perception of Voodoo BBQ, before ever stepping in the place, had always been that it was expensive. Boy was I wrong! Voodoo offers very competitive prices with any other barbecue joint in the area with each plate averaging under $10.

Since this was my first trip, I made sure to try as many items as possible, and that usually means one thing: I'm gonna be sampling my company's food as well as my own. I guess its obvious I've never been to dinner etiquette school.

I decided on the pulled pork and brisket platter with a side of potato salad and Rattlesnake Beans. My company ordered the spicy chicken tenders with macaroni and cheese and potato salad (damn, I couldn't talk them into getting the cole slaw instead of the potato salad. I want to try the cole slaw too!).

Now, once the feast was brought out to our table, it is very important at Voodoo BBQ to decide whether to sauce or not to sauce and which of three sauces will you be using. Voodoo offers a traditional tangy cane sugar vinegar-based sauce called Cane Vinegar, a spicy sauce called Mango Crystal, and a unique yet traditional sauce called Mojo (Moe-Joe) sauce. After trying all three, I decided on the their most popular Mojo sauce. It is has very original taste that causes an explosion of the palette. Its sweet, tangy, smoky and spicy which causes the brain cells to go completely comatose.

Now I was ready to dive into the delicious looking barbecue and already eyeing my companies plate as well. The brisket had the honor of being the first thing I tried on my plate. It was delicious! Very tender and seasoned nicely. The only thing I thought it was missing was smoke. I would have loved a more smoky flavor in the brisket, but all around, nicely done.

Next I tried the pulled pork. The pork is very moist and not overly seasoned, allowing the sauce to be the perfect compliment. When it comes down to it, if you like your pork dry, I would say it was a little on the bland side, but add the sauce and you have a very decent meal.

Now after seeing the size of my companies plate, I knew I wouldn't even have to ask for a bite. I new she wouldn'nt finish and offer me a nibble. The spicy chicken tenders came with four gigantic strips that dwarf any other tenders you can find.  After a few minutes passed by, my prediction came true: she offered me a tender because she couldn't eat another bite.

The spicy chicken tenders were great! It was juicy and had a nice kick, though it not really hot, it was just perfect. Excellent choice for those not not looking to eat barbecue while at a barbecue joint (I like to call those people weirdos).

Now lets talk about the sides. The mac and cheese was thick, creamy and delicious. The rattlesnake beans were very typical. Nothing special about them and reminded me of canned beans. Just my opinion, but if you give your beans the special name "Rattlesnake", I want to experience something new and exciting. Otherwise, just call them beans.

Now I guess you could say I saved the best for last. The potato salad is amazing! It may be the best potato salad I have ever eaten. It's an extremely thick and meaty mayonnaise-based potato salad that seems to put me in a euphoric state with each bite. From now on I will be ordering two sides of potato salad!

In conclusion, if you are looking for good-solid barbecue, then Voodoo BBQ is the place. Though the barbecue is not the best I have ever had (and I've pretty much tried them all at this point), it is definitely way above average and worth the visit. Because I want to try the ribs next time, I will be coming back to this place again.

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Service
Voodoo has very concerned and friendly service. The line to order moves quickly and the food prep time is quick. The one thing that stood out was how seemingly every member of the staff (from bus-boy to manager) seemed to ask us how our meal was and i there was anything we needed. Excellent service!

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Atmosphere
I went to the newly opened Denham Springs location for this review. The atmosphere is nice, yet nothing exciting. The place is very clean and had a modern restaurant atmosphere. I guess to the normal person (yeah, I'm a weirdo too), Voodoo has a nice family atmosphere featuring a full service bar and televisions everywhere. It's definitely a nice place, however I'm just used to walking into hole-in-the-wall barbecue joints.

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Voodoo BBQ & Grill
Denham Springs, LA 70726
(225) 667-3334
www.voodoobbqandgrill.com

When I visit a barbecue restaurant, I like to sample a little bit of everything. This gives me an idea of what their specialty really is. We decided to order the spare ribs, pulled pork and brisket with cole slaw and baked beans on the side.

The spare were delicious, although not the most tender ribs I've eaten. They however had a great smoky flavor with a nice rub. Cou-Yons barbecue sauce is also killer if you like your barbecue wet like I do.

The brisket was very tender and juicy which is hard to find at most places, but tasted more like a pot roast to me than a smoked brisket. This could be because it is sliced very thick instead of thin sliced like everyone else does.

The pulled pork didn't seem to live up to its previous trial however. While at the Taste of Tiger Gating, the pulled pork was very flavorful with a nice seasoned/smoky taste. I was disappointed on this trip to find that it was rather bland.

If you are looking for good barbecue, I do recommend this place. It is still one of the better places I have been to in the area and I would rate their ribs as the second best I have eaten in the area thus far.

What really separates this place for other barbecue restaurants has to be the side dishes. The baked beans are the best I have eaten in the area. They are very thick and spicy, and loaded with pork, bacon, and so many other things I couldn't figure out. The cole slaw is also amazing as it caries the same spicy flavor as the beans did. The cole slaw also has raisins in it (not anything new, but something you don't see everyday) which really complements the spice with a nice sweet flavor.

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Service
The service was excellent and quick. They helped us decide and got our food out before we could fill up our drinks.

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Atmosphere
Yes it is inside of a gas station, but this place has character. It feels like a barbecue restaurant when you walk inside. The only problem I had was with the disgusting bathrooms I had to go into before we ate which are located inside the gas station part of the building and not in the restaurant itself. Im sure they are not in charge of cleaning them, but they are for Cou-Yons customers. Maybe something should be done about keeping them a little cleaner. I've got an idea! Take a fire hose to it.

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Cou-Yons BBQ
9320 Burbank Dr
Baton Rouge, LA 70820-8603
(225) 767-8766‎

Hidden on Washington St. off of Dalrymple lies a little hole in the wall called Snowflake Barbecue. This place has no seating (to go orders only) and makes BJ's Smokehouse look like fine dining.

Snowflake Barbecue offers all kinds of food, from burgers to chicken to barbecue. I ordered the 3 ribs plate with baked beans and a piece of white bread on the side. The spare ribs were a nice size and came wet with a thick, ketchup based barbecue sauce. The ribs seemed to be baked, which gives the ribs a nice homemade flavor like mom used to cook. As do most barbecue enthusiast, I like my ribs smoked, however these had a unique sweet and tender flavor.

The baked beans were decent as well. Not sure if they were from a can or made from scratch, but it tasted as if they added the barbecue sauce to the beans as well which added a sweet flavor. 

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Service
The service was friendly but a little slow. We waited about 15 minutes to get our orders.

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Atmosphere
Atmosphere? Ha! The place is in a horrible part of town where homes and businesses feature bars on the windows and doors. The old building is not the cleanest place by far and there is no place to eat your food, not even a picnic table.

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UPDATE: Not long after our visit to Snowflake, the hair salon next door had a situation occur.  A man chased his wife into the salon and shot her and the building up.  Good thing we didn't return at that time.

Today I stumbled across Baton Rouge's worst barbecue joint, Deep South Barbecue. I went with the brisket and rib plate. To start with, this was by far the worst brisket I have ever had. It was dry, tough, and just plain tasted horrible. I would imagine that canned brisket in water (I've seen it before) would have to taste better than this.

Next I started on the ribs. I’m not going to downplay the taste that much. It was just alright, but not the worst I've ever had. The bad part was the poor quality of the meat. It too was tough and very fatty.

On the side I ordered the spaghetti and cheese and baked beans (AKA Bush's Baked Beans). Well we all love us some Bush's, but where is the creativity here guys. The Spaghetti and cheese here is just another classic spin off of every other barbecue restaurants and it was bland and pretty boring. I'll be staying away from this place for a while.

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Service
The service was pretty slow, especially for it being the usual assembly line barbecue restaurant. They made about four other plates before getting to ours.

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Atmosphere
I guess there is really nothing good to say about my experience at Deep South barbecue. The food was bad, the service was slow and now I get to talk about the dinginess of the building. the place is a total dive. It is a very old building, missing a ceiling with sub-par dining furniture. On top of that, it's really not in the greatest neighborhood either.

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As you first set eyes on Wayne's, the first thing that comes to mind is "Prepare to Dive". This small dive has all the visual characteristics of what could be the making of great hole-in-the-wall restaurant. As I walked in obvious regulars filled the room, munching down on the usual and the aroma of smoky barbecue filled my nostrils. As with any barbecue place I go to, Ribs are what’s always on my mind. I went for the rib lunch and decided I would steal a few bites of my colleagues brisket (what this place is supposedly known for) once we sat down.

I opened my styrofoam box (nothing fancy here) and dove straight into the ribs. At first the taste was very good. Sweet and Smoky, a lot of meat, and probably some on the most tender ribs I have had in the area. But of course being me, I had to find something wrong with it. My only complaint was the quality of the meat. It was very fatty on parts and the tips were too hard for me to chew. Now I know tips are supposed to be nice and toasty, but these things could kill if flung across a room. On the side I had mac & cheese and green beans. It was good, nothing unusual or different about it. After cleaning my plate, it was time to sneak a few pieces of brisket from my friends plate.

"Look over there, its Wayne!!!" I shouted to him. As he turned his head, I grabbed the brisket and carefully hid it under my napkin. He turned back never noticing.

After settling down from all the excitement, i proceeded to try my first piece of brisket. It was delicious. It was tender, juicy & flavorful. I really recommend it to anyone looking for quality brisket, just make sure you order it and not something else so you don’t have to steal it from a friend later.

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Service
The service was as good as it could be. They take your order, hand you the plate of food and then you are on your own from there. Good luck!

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Atmosphere
Some people like dives and I am one of those people. There is however one question I keep pondering over and over again. "Is Wayne’s supposed to be a dive?" It seems to me that it was at one time a clean, nice restaurant but the years have not been kind to it. Either the owner is a genius (and a little old) or its time for some major remodeling. I can't decide, so I'll go middle of the road on this one.

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Well, Im gonna be the spoiler on this one. I was not impressed with the Baby Back Ribs at all! My dogs chew toy is more tender! Along with that, there was little meat on each bone and you had to work hard to get it off.

Im not gonna knock the entire meal however. The Mac and Cheese was the bomb! Definatley not something poored out of a box and into a pot of boiling water. It was rich, it was creamy, well, it was just plain awesome. By the way, the pork and beans wasnt that bad either.

I know its a shame I went to a BBQ restaurant and all I'm yappin about is the mac and cheese, but thats really all there is to talk about from this visit. Now, I've had better experiences with past visits, and really recommend the Smokin Ribs, but of course come review time, its just not gonna turn out the way it has in previous visits.

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Service
Service? Im not even going there, even though she did say one thing to us the entire time I was there, "What do you want?"!

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Atmosphere
This place has the kind of country BBQ atmosphere you would expect to find in most Pitt BBQ places. It had the twangy country music, the cheap antique country decor, and lots of wood paneling. It looked as many BBQ restaurants do, but one thing really matters to me and that is cleanliness. It had that, so it was just fine for me.

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