[Virtual Geezer]

Originally Posted by donnar216

No menus, ..............

??????????????

Gee, they had a box full of them right next to the door before you walked in. Once inside they had another box on a shelve to the left. I have on right in front of me now.

VG

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Virtual Geezer

??????????????

Gee, they had a box full of them right next to the door before you walked in. Once inside they had another box on a shelve to the left. I have on right in front of me now.

VG

They must hide them somewhere because TODAY there were no menus, posted, printed or otherwise. It's Mystery Cafe.

Skip

[Janet & Carl]

My husband and I went to Burkes today for lunch. Where do I begin??
The outside eating area is very nice, covered picnic tables and clean.
Read the outside menu and remember your order (no prices posted)
Inside of the restaurant was clean
No menu posted on the inside or prices
I ordered ribs, collard greens, baked sweet potato and corn bread
Hubby ordered pulled pork, cole slaw, apples and corn bread
You may take a chair pad with you outside to place on the picnic bench
I'm ready to enjoy my ribs when I noticed the layer of fat and the ribs could have cooked longer. I decided to return the ribs since we just paid $26.00 for lunch and I really wanted ribs. The manager exchanged the ribs for the pulled pork. The collard greens tasted like they had vinegar on them. The corn bread weighed a ton and did not have a good taste. My baked potato was wonderful.
This is only my opinion.
Janet

[gmcneill]

Our lunch experience yesterday was ok overall.

Best: pulled pork; iced tea; and EVERY ONE of their staff!!

Worst: corn bread (dry&hard; couldn't eat most of it)

Palatable: ribs; collards; baked beans

Funniest: my wife asked if they had a vegetable only platter with bread. The answer was no, but they could throw together 4 selections for her for $6.50, wi no bread. The thing is, their vegetable side dishes are $1.50 each. (vegetable portions seem to be a bit on the smallish side for the price)

Rating: it is not a "I have to go back soon!!" restaurant.
(We will eat there again but, disappointingly, are in no rush to do so.)

[JohnFromMaine]

On their second day open my neighbor got a pulled pork sandwich for lunch and complained as there was next to no meat on it. They begrudgingly added a tiny bit more. A good pulled pork sandwich should have 4 ounces of meat on it. He also mentioned that the sides were very skimpy.

I went for ribs the third night they were open at 4:50 p.m. and was unapologetically told that there would be no ribs until 6:00 p.m. I left.

From what I've read here I wont try them again for another couple weeks. They clearly have to get their act together. Oakwood Smokehouse is still the best bet.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by JohnFromMaine

On their second day open my neighbor got a pulled pork sandwich for lunch and complained as there was next to no meat on it. They begrudgingly added a tiny bit more. A good pulled pork sandwich should have 4 ounces of meat on it. He also mentioned that the sides were very skimpy.

I went for ribs the third night they were open at 4:50 p.m. and was unapologetically told that there would be no ribs until 6:00 p.m. I left.

From what I've read here I wont try them again for another couple weeks. They clearly have to get their act together. Oakwood Smokehouse is still the best bet.

Really? Really??
BTW How do you think Oakwood was on their second day open?

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Really? Really??
BTW How do you think Oakwood was on their second day open?

I was at Oakwood on their FIRST day and everything worked fine. They even had menus AND prices. What a novel idea!

Can't wait for T. Weston's to open.

Skip

[travelguy]

what is t. weston's?

[justjim]

When Oakwood opened on 441/27 near or in Lady Lake they had been in business for several years in Leesburg. Burke's obviously does not have the experience and it shows. They are using the wood fired pit method. "What folks do not realize is that to gain speed or VOLUME you lose something else----it seems everyone wants high volume, faster production.". This is message is right on the front of their menu. This explains to some degree their "start up" problems and why they have been unable to handle the large volume of customers. We have been there twice and both times they were out of pulled pork. I see others have had the same issue of no food prepared. Staff are really trying....... But if you dont have the advertised product when a customer is there to purchase-----you have unhappy customers. Most are willing to overlook the "bugs" of a start up restaurant but not for long.

[renielarson]

As we watched Burke's being built we thought perhaps they got their design idea from 4Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Garden. Menu | 4 Rivers

The set up is similar with the outdoor eating area and picnic tables. Hoping that 4Rivers was Burke's inspiration, we also hoped the food would be of the same caliber.

4Rivers's prices are cheaper than Burke's and the amount of food is at least double if not triple that of Burke's. At 4Rivers you get enough food to fill up on then take the leftovers home for another meal. At 4Rivers, the meat is cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious plus the sides are so good, too.

My ribs at Burke's were overcooked, dry, and had little meat on them. My husband's sausage was good but bbq flavor wasn't there. Our sides were so-so with the apples and sweet potato casserole being the best. The collards had an odd flavor to us and the baked beans were too saucy for our liking.

4Rivers has been in business 4 years and now has 2 other locations. Burke's has been in business just a short while. I haven't lost hope with Burke's yet because they are in their infancy. But it would be in Burke's best interest to take a trip to Winter Garden and give 4Rivers a try. It would be a good learning experience for them and hopefully would improve their business.

[keithwand]

4 Rivers; Mmmm.
We lived in Winter Park/ Orlando before moving here last June.
They are the best and have long waits to prove it.
They would be an addition here so email them and tell them to come to Brownwood.

[JohnFromMaine]

Originally Posted by justjim

When Oakwood opened on 441/27 near or in Lady Lake they had been in business for several years in Leesburg. Burke's obviously does not have the experience and it shows. They are using the wood fired pit method. "What folks do not realize is that to gain speed or VOLUME you lose something else----it seems everyone wants high volume, faster production.". This is message is right on the front of their menu. This explains to some degree their "start up" problems and why they have been unable to handle the large volume of customers. We have been there twice and both times they were out of pulled pork. I see others have had the same issue of no food prepared. Staff are really trying....... But if you dont have the advertised product when a customer is there to purchase-----you have unhappy customers. Most are willing to overlook the "bugs" of a start up restaurant but not for long.

This is why I'm waiting a few weeks before giving them a second chance. I happen to love pork ribs and look forward to trying them.

[coffeebean]

I've read here on TOTV that Burke's does not offer pork baby back ribs. Has anyone asked them why? For me...BBQ is all about baby backs.

[salferg]

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

If you want really good ribs and delicious brisket, try Texas Stockyards.

[Shimpy]

I can't understand why someone would invest lots of money into a restaurant without enough knowledge of how to run that restaurant. Running out of food is completely unacceptable. I mean, a BBQ place that doesn't have ribs???? That's like Kentucky Fried Chicken running out of chicken. I also question mainly outdoor seating which is great now but forget it during most of the year when the temps and humidity will chase most people indoors for A/C.