[vj1213]

We also went today, it was about 2:30 as everyone said it has only been open 3 days so there are a lot of kinks to be worked out. When we first went in I heard them say they had ribs and sausage only, by the time we got to the front of the line there was also pulled pork. I had the pulled pork, my husband got the ribs. Unlike, VG's ribs that were fall off the bone tender...ours were a bit undercooked and tough. (As a matter of fact I saw 2 people who returned theirs while we were there) The pulled pork was alright, not great. The sides were pretty good. Personally I thought it was a little overpriced. My husband got the ribs which was 4 ribs, with 2 sides..I got a pulled pork sandwich with one side and 2 teas and it was $29. I do wish them the very best. I do like good barbecue, so I will probably try them again in the distant future when they have had the time to work thru all the kinks.
I just have to say VG's description certainly didn't describe the quality of food that we consumed.

[Virtual Geezer]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Virtual looks like he is 25 but he is from Ohio and has all those nice genes.

He really shouldn't be hanging out near 466a with all of those children who live south of there, but I would NEVER call him OLD. He IS old enough to live in a 55 community, I am pretty sure.

Just teasin' John. ...and just teasin' folks who live south of 466a, I know there are some grown ups there too.

Excellent review!

Ohio folks recognize good cookin'.

25, I wish. Old enough to be on Medicare because of age. Ohio people know the business of the knife, fork and soup spoon. But then again I don't know of any pure BBQ's restaurants in my corner of Ohio.

Burke's has a good product as far as I am concerned but others may not agree as their taste buds don't agree with mine. I am betting Burke's have learned a lot in the past few days and now have to get the bugs worked out.

VG

[mayBavillager]

Originally Posted by Virtual Geezer

I stopped by Burke's this afternoon about 3:45 to give them a try. I was looking for one thing and that was ribs. When I got there they were out of a few other items such as pulled pork and were waiting for it from the kitchen (no time frame was given) but they did have what I came for. The one gentleman placed a nice rack on the cutting board and my first thought was "man I would love to give that entire rack a try" but I thought better of that. I am not sure they even sell it that way.

The rack had a nice baked on crust that took some time to prepare. They must have used a nice rub on the meat as it looked delicious. There was lot of meat and very little fat. Once cut you could see that the meat close to the bone was cooked well and ready to fall off the bone.

As others have mentioned in another thread the sauce is added later and there are a few options. I chose to try the sweet and the other spicy. To tell you the truth I could not taste any sweetness in the sauce but it was spicy (not HOT) and had an excellent flavor.

The meat fell off the bone and there was a lot of meat. A touch of fat but totally unnoticeable. I think it added a little flavor while in the smoker. I do like things spicy and this hit the spot right on.

Regarding the sauce I felt it could have been a little thicker. I think it could have rendered down just a bit but still excellent. I used a spoon and garlic bread to dub up the excess that I had put on the ribs. It was that good. The sauce also had me licking my lips as the taste stayed with you for a while just like a sip of a good single malt scotch.

As far as sides I had the coleslaw, baked beans and macaroni and cheese. The coleslaw can be compared to that of KFC and was ok as I kind of like that type of slaw. Have had better at such places as Lighthouse. I did not find the baked beans spicy at all but then again I tried then after eating the spicy ribs. As for the macaroni and cheese all I can say is forget it. I think that was the worst thing I had. Little taste and very dry and not even sure if that was cheese I was eating. I have never had mac and cheese like that and next time I will look again at it closely to see if it was just soft opening blues or the way things are. But for now I would pass on the mac and cheese.

I sat outside and over all the ribs and sauce were great. That is what I stopped in for so I was satisfied. Side dishes may need some improvement but all in all I am sure to be back.

One side note and I did see a number of people coming in and leave without ordering. I think being out of so many items on the menu is a definitive negative at this time. Being that they have only been open for a day or so things behind the counter were not running smoothly but I am sure that will improve in time. I think the owner will need sometime to figure what items sell out faster than others and act accordingly.

All in all I was pleased and will be back but will give it some time to work it's way down the learning curve.

VG

We were there around 5:30 tonight. There was a long line, but we decided to wait anyway. I decided to get the ribs, even though I read in their paper menu that was on a bookcase when you walked in the door, that they did not serve baby back ribs. Those are my favorite. Once we got up to the line to order I thought the ribs looked good so I tried them, along with 2 sides. Got the potato salad and cole slaw. Both were okay.... just okay, nothing exceptional. The ribs I got were also just okay. They were not the fall off the bone ribs that I wanted. Also, there was fat on them..... not too much though. When you order ribs you get 4 of them. They also seemed a little pink inside. Hope they were cooked well enough so I don't get sick. My husband got the 1/2 chicken and he was also not too thrilled with it. I tried it and it again was okay. Now after reading your comments, I wonder if I just got a bad batch of ribs that were not the fall off the bone good like yours were. Maybe I will try again... but not sure yet.

[Indydealmaker]

Four of us just returned from Burke's BBQ very satisfied.

Three had the spare ribs with no complaints. My beef sandwich was tender and flavorful. Baked beans were very good as were the fresh cut french fries. The baked apples were also a good decision.

I think the prices were very reasonable: two retro sodas, one order of ribs with two sides and my sandwich with two sides was $24.45.

There was a long line, but what the heck! This is a retirement community.

There are many improvements on the way which will include better signage and beer and wine. Patience is a virtue. It will all work out just fine for Burke's.

[doug11]

I was Talking to Tim the owner of Burkes and the reason they are running out of some items is that every meat is slow cooked in their oak fired smoker and it takes hours to get it right...to my knowledge no other BBQ cooks this way...i'm sure that they get the volume right in the near future...
BTW take home some of their Kettle Korn...it is really good and it is made on site. they also have vintage soda pop made with real cane sugar...

[mac9]

what are their hours of operation?

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by mac9

what are their hours of operation?

Couldn't find their hours noted anywhere.............so I gave them a ring a few days ago. (352) 787-4227

Monday - Thursday 10:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Friday - Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday closed

They're going to see how the "staying open til 9:30" on Sat. and Sun. goes. The young lady on the phone said they're going to try it to see how it works out. Might wind up being just til 8:30.

Bill

[Trish Crocker]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Virtual looks like he is 25 but he is from Ohio and has all those nice genes.

He really shouldn't be hanging out near 466a with all of those children who live south of there, but I would NEVER call him OLD. He IS old enough to live in a 55 community, I am pretty sure.

Just teasin' John. ...and just teasin' folks who live south of 466a, I know there are some grown ups there too.

Excellent review!

Ohio folks recognize good cookin'.

I don't wanna be a grown-up!!

[jebartle]

Ribs good $10.00 (I'm posting price because you won't know until check out), Chicken (they were out at 4:00pm), pulled pork sandwich (good) w/drink and side $8.50, $6.00 sandwich and 2.50 for drink and side), drinks $2.00...I still like Oakwood the best.

[travelguy]

I think that we will wait until the snow-birds leave. Then there will be enough food to go around.

[donnar216]

We didn't find anything to recommend Burkes.

We first encountered a gentleman who was serving sausage samples, I asked "What is especially good". Reply, "I don't eat this stuff." End of conversation.

No menus, no signs and no customer service. We didn't know pricing until we got to the register. $10 for meat, 2 sides and bread. Sodas were extra. No liquor license.

Ribs were ok, a little fatty. Sweet potato had chunks of brown sugar, cole slaw was ok, Texas Toast awful.

[buzzy]

It sounds as though, despite their efforts, maybe they misjudged their target market. I still want to try them out, but waiting for the opening kinks to smooth out.

[rockaway]

Went to Burkes yesterday. Not good. At 3pm they only had ribs and sausage.

Worse than Speckled Butter Bean and thats saying a lot. The ribs were ok but everything else was really bad. Just to explain one thing the corn bread was so dry I don't no what held it together. The bottom of the wedge had a black coating that could not be cut or bitten through. It was as if the coating of the baking pan had transferred to the bread.

Never again!!

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by donnar216

We didn't find anything to recommend Burkes.

No menus, no signs and no customer service. We didn't know pricing until we got to the register..

How can they stay in business through the summer? Looks like they will charge you based on what they think the traffic will bear. We were going to try them but after hearing that they constantly run out of food, have no menu and prices, I think we'll wait until I hear better reviews.

[Indydealmaker]

Burke's is a small family owned restaurant. Give them time to get their stuff together. I expect it to be up and down for a while. . . kind of like most of The Villages country club restaurants are 100% of the time.

Prices are very AFFORDABLE. Surely a meal of spare ribs, and two sides and a drink for $12 is not too high.

Food we ate was quite good.

Staff was friendly and went out of their way to please. But, then again, we smiled and left our senior grumpy faces at home.