Big D' s Smokehouse

One Sunday, while the cats were away, the mice went out to play.  Kidding!  The parents were out of the country, so the kids decided to eat somewhere different - Big D's Smokehouse.  Word on the street was, this place has some of the best ribs in town, so we're out to find out if this is true.  And since all three of us (Brother, Hubby and Me) are all rib-monsters, everyone was excited to try them out.  Bring on the ribs!

Dirty Fries

French fries topped with pulled pork, cheese sauce, salsa and more pulled pork.

Nothing special with this one.  It was basically fries topped with a lot of cheese and then some meat.

Start Up Nachos

Light and crispy chips topped with beef or pulled pork, salsa and cheese sauce.

Now this, was way better than the fries.  The chips were light and crispy alright.  The toppings were actually the same with the dirty fries, but somehow this one works and the other one doesn't.  Go figure.  Only comment was that the cheese was cold, probably pulled out from the fridge.  Would have loved it more if entire thing was warm.

Hush Puppies

Combination of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan with roasted pimientos for that smokin' kick, deep fried and served with garlic ranch dip

As for the hush puppies, we really couldn't figure out what we were eating.  I was half expecting cheese oozing out from these mini nuggets, but nope.  None of that.  Doesn't taste like cheese either.  Fail.

Monster Tacos

Full 9-inch monster goodness with shredded lettuce, cheese, salsa and more cheese

Basically the tacos version of the nachos.  LOL!  I can't believe we ordered three dishes that more or less comprises of the same ingredients!

Smoked Soft Bone Ribs

Famous classic slow cooked BBQ ribs.  Tender slab of ribs, dry rubbed and basted in signature BBQ sauce.

And for the main event, our full slab of ribs.  This was my first time trying out the soft-bone version of the ribs, and I must say, I was really impressed.  The meat was tender and the sauce was full-on BBQ goodness.  Those who do not appreciate ribs because of the number of bones in it will find Big D's version to be the answer to their prayers.  There was zero hard bones in it, and the best part?  You can actually eat the soft bone!  Yum!

And the verdict?  There was definitely a couple of hits and misses, but I'd have to give the ribs a 4 out of 5 stars.  Absolutely finger-lickin' good.  Value for money too!  Will definitely go back for them and also for the nachos.  

Big D's Smokehouse is at 2/F, POS Bldg., Sct. Madrinan, Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City

Murray's New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks and Oysters

Hubby and I were meeting some friends for drinks last Friday night at the Fort area.  We'll be drinking and can't afford to do so on an empty stomach so we looked for a place nearby and found ourselves standing in front of Murray's New Orleans Bonifacio High Street.  I had the chance to try this place a few years back (it was so-so),  but Hubby has yet to try it so we gave it a go. 

Here's what we had:

Death by Gumbo.  The soup looked weird from the very beginning.  Why put rice in the soup?  But the server insisted that it was their bestseller (aka most expensive soup on the menu), so we tried it.  Did. Not. Like. It. 

Fried Calamari.  The calamari was ok, but the serving size was pretty small.  The picture above is all the calamari that was served to us.  I didn't take any before taking the pictures.  Promise! 

New Orlean's Famous Baby Back Ribs.  And now to their pride and joy... the ribs.  While the serving size is huge, the taste itself was... underwhelming.  Some parts are nice and juicy while other parts are dry and tough.  They did not provide us with the sauce either, and the sauce smothered over the ribs were too little (see photo of dry ribs above).  We did enjoy the mashed potatoes though, but that's not the point!  Side dishes are supposed to accompany the main course, but most definitely not overshadow it.  The onion rings weren't good either... I think there's more batter than the actual onions.

Overall I would rate Murray's New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks and Oysters a 1 out of 5.  Probably never going back again.  For the price we paid, we could have gone somewhere else and enjoyed it more.  Can't help but agonize over the wasted calories.  

Murray's New Orleans Bourbon Street Steaks and Oysters is at B6 Bonifacio High Street, 5th Ave. Fort Bonifacio, Taguig