BBQ Review: Brushfire BBQ Co. Tucson, Arizona

Brushfire BBQ Co 6.1 out of 10
7080 East 22nd Street
Tucson
(520) 867-6050

The Front of Brushfire BBQ Co.

So This week I am in Tucson Arizona working and everyone I asked about where a good Que joint was mentioned Brushfire BBQ Company on 22nd St. So after work Mr. Febus and I headed that way to sample their goods. It is located in a strip mall and has excellent lighting, walking up it looked very promising and when we got inside it was halfway full of people. We get in line to give out order and gawk and the enormous menu board. Mr. Febus orders the Prime Rib special, and I order a 2 meat platter and add 1 Beef Rib and 2 Pork Spare Ribs, along with my Brisket and Pulled Pork.  We went and sat down and waited for our food, Mr. Febus' Prime Rib was dropped off first and served in a wax paper lined basket with plastic utensils...HAHAHA, in my opinion, if you are gonna serve a great piece of meat like that do it right, way paper and plastic fork is just a mess, a hot mess at that. Needless to say Mr. Febus was disappointed in the size of his Prime Rib but said the flavor was good, he was not too pleased about the basket and wax paper either.

My Food Came and it LOOKED amazing(see pic below) my meal was fairly inexpensive, only $16.95 and i got to sample 4 meats, I must say, i am torn on the Review as they do a lot of the things i like, for example, Warm sauce is served on the side, BBQ rub is dusted over the meat and sides before served, wait staff was super friendly, however, i was disappointed in the Brisket and Pulled Pork, the pork seemed flavorless and no smoke and horribly dry, the brisket has good smoke and flavor but way over done, the Beef Rib had great flavor and smoke but the silver skin hadn't been peeled off and was like trying to chew through a car tire, the Pork Ribs were the highlight of the meal, they had won an award recently i heard for best ribs in the area, it had to be the pork ribs, they were tender, smokey, moist and done to perfection, the sauce I sampled was called ":Bold and Sweet" it was just that, though too much of it kinda overpowered the meat and the deliscous Rub Seasoning they used. I just wish everything else was as good as the spare ribs. I may give them one more chance before I leave Tucson this week, who knows though, Mr. Febus is obsessed with Mexican food this week so who knows if I will get more BBQ let alone Sushi one night...lol

All in All I would say if you are in Tucson and you crave Pork Spare Ribs, this place is Excellent, anything else I can't really give 2 thumbs up on except the staff. But hey, we all have our bad days so maybe another chance is deserved...til next time.

Eat Well My Friends, 
Deldon

Review: Nori Nori Sushi, Sandy Springs GA

Nori Nori  5.1 out of 10
6690 Roswell Road 
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
(404) 257-1288

I have been to Nori Nori a couple times, both times I was on first dates and it was the woman's choice.  The restaurant is huge and it is set up buffet style, kind of like a Japanese version of Old Country Buffet.  The decor is nice with a large salt water fish tank in the foyer area and tables are a good distance apart from one another, the staff seems to be very distant, not very helpful other then refilling drinks. I begrudgingly had some sushi here as I am NOT a fan of sushi that is not prepared to order and just sits out in the open until some grubby hands come by and snatch it up...that said, they do also offer all u can eat crab legs and mussels, be it they are all chilled and not hot at all, but none the less it is all u can eat crab, so that is what I eat when i am there.  Their dessert bar is your standard Chinese buffet pre-made pastries and mandarin orange slices along with lychee and cookies, nothing spectacular at all and for the price of $32.95 per person it is so not worth it.  So that said, take it for what its worth, if you are craving all u can eat mediocre sushi and don't mind bleeding out the ass for it price wise, then by all means, Enjoy...me personally, i will drive across town to Maru Sushi if I want quality...and I do.

Eat Well My Friends,
Deldon

Review Part Deaux: Tucanos Brazilian Grill

Ok, so I decided the other night that I was going to go back to Tucanos in Colorado Springs, simply because I couldn't help but fall in love with the place.  I thought maybe Mr. Febus and I were a bit over the top with our opinions, and we tried everything on Thursday night and literally gorged ourselves to the point of near rupture...lol. So It was now Saturday night and Mr Febus flew out earlier in the afternoon and my flight didn't leave until the crack of dawn on Sunday, so I figured I got one more meal to eat in Colorado Springs....where is it gonna be at?...yeah i didn't have to think long at all...Tucanos it is. SO about 8:30 i headed across town to my new favorite spot in Colorado Springs, walked in and asked to be sat in Camila's section....there was a 15 minute wait, but that did not matter one bit. I was eventually seated and Camila seemed happy and glad to see me back and quickly went and brought me a surprise flavored lemonade (Strawberry Guava..AMAZING!). I have to say I had a game plan on this visit, on Thursday we sampled everything Tucanos had to offer, which is a feat to truly accomplish, but on this night, I was A) going to not gorge myself so as I could have dessert later and B)eat only my favorite selections of deliciously fire roasted meats. So that said, I believe Mike my meat deliver guy or whatever they call the guys with the giant skewers of meat came by and asked what I would like, I told him, BEEF and make it as Rare as possible...Oh and that Glazed Pineapple too, he chuckled and said, hey your the Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon guy from the other night aren't you?.."Yes Mike, yes I am..now go get me some meat", I laughed. So that said, Mike ran back and forth a dozen or so times with my favorite meat selections and I sat there quietly enjoying my feast. Camila stopped by to check on me every so often and brought me out a couple different flavors of the flavored lemonade concoctions that were truly heavenly.

This place really does set a standard that all restaurants should abide by, food quality is superb. price is MORE then affordable and the Customer service from the staff is Amazing!  So here is a trick, go there the first time and gorge yourself...lol try everything, then on future visits, you will know exactly what it is you want to eat...I could live on the Pineapple, Top Round and Bacon Wrapped Filet, just sayin!!! Anyway, I'm babbling now and have made it clear this is one of my favorite restaurants in the world, I would move to Colorado Springs just for Tucanos..lol, I know I am pathetic.  However If i do ever open another Restaurant of my own, I will fly back to Colorado Springs and hire Camila away from Tucanos...lol, fair warning has been served..hahahaha I love this place.

Eat Well My Friends,
Deldon

Review: Tucanos Brazilian Grill Colorado Springs, CO.

TUCANOS BRAZILIAN GRILL 9.7 out of 10
3294 Cinema Point
Colorado Springs, CO 80922
(719) 597-3800

I know I know, your are thinking "what the hell Deldon, why are you doing a review on your Sushi/BBQ blog about a Brazilian Steakhouse?"...Well my answer is in two parts, 1) The meats are prepared over an open flame and are technically "Barbecued" and 2) This place was AWESOME and I think it deserves any Attention I can get it.

So after work yesterday Mr. Angel Febus and I went to go get him a jacket as he is from Orange County California and evidently he doesn't own any winter clothing and it got to 58 degrees so he was freezing...lol we went exploring to find a TJ MAXX(Angel's favorite store) and across the parkway from the TJ MAXX was a new shopping center with lots of Restaurants,  Angel was in the mood for Mexican so we drove around for about an hour and from a distance and at the angle we were at "Brazilian" looked like "Mexican" so we drove over and the parking lot was insanely pack, so we thought what the hell, Brazilian it is. We were a little worried at how much dinner was gonna cost since the Brazilian Steakhouse I had been to were all $48/plate+ and Angel said the ones in California were $75+, but we through caution to the wind as we knew the next day was payday..lol, when we walked up to the building the smell of fire roasted meat was intoxicating we started to get giddy like school children.  When we got inside the hostesses greeted us and informed us there was and 75 minute wait...we both looked at each other and were on the verge of saying lets just go somewhere else but the smell kept us there...we waited patiently and it only took an hour, there were hundreds of recent grads from the Air force base all out celebrating their graduation from AIT school i think and getting their first real assignments so that is why it took so long to get seated, but well worth the wait.

We were seated and our waitress Camila came over and introduced herself and explained how it works and such, my first question to her was, "How much is this gonna cost us?" her reply was "the all you can eat is $20.95"...WHAT!?!?!?!?! did i hear you correctly, and this feast is ONLY going to cost me $20.95 are you kidding me..I think I have found a new home...lol she laughed and said she had heard people complain that it was too expensive. I quickly pointed out that anyone who thought that had clearly never left Colorado Springs EVER!! So I ordered a drink to celebrate tonight's feast, i think it was called the Copacabana a Giant Pineapple fruity concoction of sheer alcohol and magic(see picture below). So we went to salad bar and got a few side dishes (Angel can't eat a meal without Rice and Beans, he says it's cuz he is a "Brownie" his words not mine...lol) then the procession of GLORIOUS MEATS (16 different skewers) started coming to the table non stop and OH MY GOD! you have to try the fire roasted brown sugar glazed pineapple , it was to die for.  the meats ranged from bacon wrapped filet mignon to BBQ'd chicken thigh, to flank steak and marinated and roasted chicken hearts(don't cringe these too were amazing)spiced salmon...this was all so delicious and we literally gorged ourselves to the point we could hardly move, We both wanted a dessert but there was just no way we were ever gonna be able to get it.  At the end of our meal Camila came back over and we chatted for a bit, she is originally from Brazil and her accent is cute and sexy all at the same time and she was amazing.  She told us that Tucanos is even open for lunch and the all you can eat at lunch is ONLY $14.95!!! this place is unreal, if ever you are in Colorado Spring, you HAVE to check this place out..you just have too. They also have locations in Provo, Utah - Albuquerque New Mexico - Salt Lake City Utah - Boise Idaho

my tasty beverage the "Copacabana"

Eat Well My Friends,
Deldon

Sushi Review: Sushi Ring Colorado Spring Colorado

Sushi Ring 9.2 of 10
1861 South Nevada Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
(719) 635-5550

Takashi "Elvis" Kishimoto on the right making a roll for a lucky guest

So this week I have been working in Colorado Springs and happened upon a nondescript strip mall and discovered "SUSHI RING" from the outside it didn't look like much, but the parking lot was packed(this is generally a good sign) I was a little hesitant to go in at first because the name made me think "sushi train" and I hate those types of sushi restaurants where your sushi sits on a conveyor belt un-refrigerated for who know how long..but anyway,  I digress.  I peaked in the window and no sushi train, so I went in, the place was packed, it is a small restaurant with a giant U shaped sushi bar in the middle, 3 Sushi Chefs applying their trade, each taking a side of the "U" with Owner Takashi "Elvis" Kishimoto running the show, making sure everyone was happy and full. I sat down and wasn't quite sure what was happening to me, was I in an episode of Twilight Zone, this place had a few pieces of Japanese decor, but mostly, the walls were covered in ELVIS PRESLEY collectibles, I was confused..Why Elvis? then I learned that Kishimoto was once an Elvis impersonator  but luckily for us making Sushi pays the bills, cuz this stuff was AMAZING, hands down this place has bumped into my Top 5 All-Time Favorites,  after I came out of my fog of Elvis, my Sushi host started just making rolls at lightning speed and setting them in front of me...I hadn't ordered yet so I was like what the hell? The lady next to me was more then eager to help me out and explain that Sushi Ring is an ALL-U-CAN EAT joint, I was in heaven, this place rocked my world, the quality and freshness of the fish was excellent, the staff was fun and friendly, and the food was delicious. Another amazing thing is while I was there a customer came in with "Ciliacs Disease" and needed "glueten free" sushi and they were more then able to accomodate, rather then use the Nori(seaweed paper) for the rolls they offer a Gluten Free Soy Paper to use in the rolls, this I had not seen other then in big cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, etc etc.  I am in town until Sunday and am looking to go back Saturday night as I have not been able to find a BBQ joint to review..then again, maybe I should do a review on another sushi place here in town..ahh who knows, I hate to try another place and it suck and kick myself in the ass the whole time wishing I had gone back to Sushi Ring...lol

Below are some pictures of the Rolls I had for Dinner

Eat Well My Friends, 

Deldon

My first Roll the "7 Falls" roll

the "Pikes Peak"

the "Double Crunch"(left) "Garden of the Gods"(right)

Do-It Yourself Award Winning BBQ Sauce Recipe

So recently I have received about 8 emails asking for tips and tricks to doing home BBQ and sauces, so that said, I will give you my Award Winning Chambord Sauce(fair warning this recipe is NOT cheap to make). Also all the spiced and ingredients EXCEPT the Chambord can be purchased at GFS(Gordon Food Stores).

This Recipe will make about 2 gallons, I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND using a double boiler so as not to scorch the sauce and makes for easier clean up as well

32 oz-Honey(you can also use Corn Syrup) but i would use a full gallon of that

2x #10 cans of Derosa 6 in 1 Tomatoes (blend these first)

8 oz - Black Strap Molasses

2 cups Western BBQ Spice

2 cups Mesquite Seasoning

1/2 cup Ground Mustard

1 cup Black Pepper

1 1/2 cup Spanish Paprika

1 cup Liquid Smoke

2 Bottles of Chambord premium black raspberry liqueur

First thing I do is take my 2 cans of 6 in 1 tomatoes and blend them to a fine puree, then add all my liquid ingredients into the double boiler on low heat for 2 hours or until the sauce starts to bubble, then one at a time i slowly fold in the dry ingredients and turn up the heat to medium for 2 hours and let simmer. this sauce is AMAZING! 

I highly recommend breaking out some mason jars and canning it that way what you don't use immedietly won't go bad

Eat Well My Friends,

Deldon

P.S please check us out on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/SushiQueblogspotcom?ref=hl

Sushi-Que a blog for the BBQ and Sushi Aficionado Across the Globe: So Many Choices, What Should I Pick?

Sushi-Que a blog for the BBQ and Sushi Aficionado Across the Globe: So Many Choices, What Should I Pick?: This seems to be a question I hear a lot from family and friends when we go out to eat, be it Barbeque or Sushi.  Everyone who knows me , kn...

So Many Choices, What Should I Pick?

This seems to be a question I hear a lot from family and friends when we go out to eat, be it Barbeque or Sushi.  Everyone who knows me , knows I am passionate about both cuisines and will try and steer people to what I think they will like best.  Personally, my roots are a Texas style, where the wood and smoke flavor the meat, but sometimes I like a sauce, or the BBQ is so dry it requires sauce...lol, my Grandfather always told me, "Boy, sauce just covers up bad cookin",  and I gotta say that that is true a lot of times, but any good Que Master worth his salt has a couple sauce recipes up his/her sleeve. But I digress, back to my point...When you go out for BBQ and it is a new place you haven't tried before feel free to ask questions before you order...after all it's your money and you wanna spend it on food you are going to find appealing. Below are some of the questions I ask when I go to a place the first time.

1. What kind of Smoker do you use?(I prefer a wood fired Smoker)
2. What Kind of wood do you use to smoke with?
3. Is your "House" sauce sweet or spicy?
4. Is your sauce Vinegar based?(if yes, i will ask for my food to not be sauced as I am not a fan of Vinegar sauces)
5. Do your baked beans have onions in them?(I asked this because I have an Onion allergy, has nothing to do with BBQ...lol I am just going down my list of questions)
6. Do you have Sweet Tea?( if a BBQ joint doesn't have Sweet Tea, 99.9% of the time their BBQ Sucks! not sure what the correlation is, but it just is...lol)
7. Is your Mac N' Cheese homemade? (if not then neither is anything else, Mac N' Cheese is the most inexpensive BBQ side dish to make, if it isn't homemade then the owners are cheap and more then likely all their stuff comes from a can or frozen or pre-made and they get it from their Vendor)

I know you are thinking, "Holy Hell Deldon, could you be anymore of a BBQ Snob?...Yes, I could be...lol.  But I like what I like, and I have Trophies for my BBQ, so somewhere somebody likes what I like, right?  The Point I am trying to make is don't be scared to ask questions, and eat what you like....



In my next post I am going to go over the regions of the Unites States and what Kind of BBQ you can expect and where. Please by all means leave comments or email me at uncletykie@gmail.com with comments and suggestions. I am but one man trying to educate and entertain the masses all help is appreciated. Also if you would like to contribute as a guest writer please send me your topics and stories and I will post them.

Eat well my friends, 
Deldon

Sushi... Proving Provenance is the Key to Quality

Truth be told, I probably wont write as much about Sushi as I will BBQ, reason being, if a Sushi restaurant cant prove the provenance of the freshness and or origination of it's fish, I probably won't eat there, what I mean by this is that most places especially in the Midwestern part of the United States(not near an Ocean) have to buy their fish in bulk that to make it affordable then once they break down their fish it is frozen...the quality of fresh fish to frozen fish is like apples to watermelons, there is no contest..NONE. so if a Restaurant can't or won't provide you with a manifest or show you when the fish was caught and delivered, odds are it has been frozen. This is also why most Sushi houses don't offer the really Grade A+++ Top of the line fish like Bluefin Tuna, when I ran Ginza in Indianapolis we had Bluefin for brief periods here and there, reason being it is ridiculously expensive, I remember the first time I ordered it I literally choked when i got the bill,  the one we received was classified as "small to medium" it weighed 179 pounds and at $635 per pound, it gets a bit INSANE..yes you read those number correctly, keep in mind that was the price back in 2000 it is somewhere near $1000-$1200 per pound now. So anyway back to my point, most sushi houses that order such expensive fish will break it down and either sell it to other sushi houses near by but most will freeze it so as not to waste it.

Another thing I ask is where does your Uni(Sea Urchin Roe) come from? I will eat it if it comes from anywhere EXCEPT if it comes from Southern California more specifically San Diego...now you asking yourself what the Hell do I have against Southern California, and San Diego?...lol well it has nothing to do with their politics, I assure you.  One of the Largest Naval yards in the world is in San Diego...Now your wondering what do I have against the US Navy...Nothing I LOVE our Armed Forces and Service Men and Women, BUT... if you have ever ordered Uni and it had a mild, odd and peculiar aftertaste that you couldn't quite put your finger on....well that my fellow reader was the tiniest tinge of diesel fuel...yup, with all those old diesel ships in the area the local Sea Urchin have taken on the slightest petroleum flavor..I kid you not. So that is why I prefer not to eat Uni(Sea Urchin Roe) that is harvested from the San Diego area. Now 99.5% of sushi eaters in the United States don't really have a refined enough pallet to really distinguish this, but order it next time you are out and cleanse your pallet real well then try to focus and concentrate on all the flavors, you may be surprised.

Eat well my friends,
Deldon

Suggestions? Places to Go, People to See?

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!!

Leave a Comment and make suggestions of places to try out PLEASE I BEG OF YOU...some of the best places are little hole in the wall joints that not everyone knows about and if they are awesome, lets let the cat out of the bag...if nothing else it's good for the economy...lol

What do I look for in a BBQ Restaurant? front of the house and back of the house?

The first thing I look at when I pull up is the parking lot, if it's full, that is generally a good thing, unless of course you are in Central Pennsylvania, they wouldn't know good BBQ if it bit them in the Ass!(a review on this place later...lol), I also kinda like to drive around the building and scope out their "stash" this is where all good Que joints stack their smoke wood, if there is no wood outside odds are they may use smoke pellets in an electric smoker, now that is not ALL bad, but not MY preferred method. If i can see their wood i personally enjoy a combination of woods like Pecan, Apple, Cherry, Alder, Mesquite and believe it or not Mulberry. I steer clear of any joint that has Walnut, Ash or Elm(to me and many others these ruin meat and smell like cat piss when smoked. Now I didn't mention Hickory but it is ok, not my favorite, but the most commonly used wood back in the Midwest where I grew up.

The next thing I'm looking for is the smoker unit itself, is it built into the wall or even outside of the restaurant itself(these most often times are real wood fired smokers and my favorite), if it is a giant shiny silver box it is more then likely a "Southern Pride" electric or gas fed smoker

Once I'm inside the decor doesn't mean too much too me unless the place is filthy, but if I'm greeted warmly and with a smile that's a damn good start. Another thing I don't particularly care for is the all too common Cafeteria style ordering in BBQ joint, I dunno why it bugs me but I prefer to be seated and have my order taken by a friendly member of the wait staff, I also don't like having to get my own refills and clean my own table...whats the point of going out to eat if I have to do half the damn work? Another thing I look for is the available sauces, are the readily available on the table or a "Hot Well" near by(my favorite) nothing worse then putting cold sauce on hot Que...well maybe there are a few worse things...lol.  I also look around and watch how the food comes out, I prefer it dry or lightly mopped then i can put my own amount of sauce on, another bad thing is if you order some que and it comes out drenched in a sauce you don't car for...

These are just a few of my "hot buttons" i am sure to follow up with more as this blog progresses

C'yas & thanks, for reading
Deldon

Top 5 Sushi & BBQ joints I have discovered so far

SUSHI

1.Oyshi Sushi 9.8 of 10

7775 S Rainbow Blvd, #145, Las Vegas, NV

(702) 646-9744

2. Yoko's 9.2 of 10

2878 SE Gladstone St Portland, OR

503-736-9228

3. Maru Sushi 8.8 of 10

4454 South Cobb Drive, Smyrna, GA

(770) 434-7799

4. Rain Premier Sushi Bar and Lounge 8.4 of 10

817 S Polk St, Amarillo, TX

(806) 331-1155

5. Osaka Sushi 8.2 of 10

11851 Bandera Rd, #101, Helotes, TX 78023

(210) 576-4333

BBQ

1. Sticky Lips BBQ 9.8 of 10

830 Jefferson Rd Henrietta, NY

(585)-292-5544

2. Salt Lick 9.4 of 10

3350 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX

(512) 386-1044

3. City Barbeque 9.2 of 10

8026 Burlington Pike, Florence, KY 41042

(859) 818-0003

4. Colter's BBQ 8.4 of 10

1322 N. Collins Arlington, TX

(817)261-1444 

5. Rudy's Barbeque 8.3 of 10

24152 W Ih 10, San Antonio, TX

(210) 698-2141

An Introduction!

Greetings and Salutations fellow Sushi and BBQ lovers. Thank you for stopping by and checking out my blog.  I will be posting A LOT, I will WARN YOU, I am sometimes Loud, Obnoxious & Brutally Honest...if your food rocks but your service sucks, I will praise the kitchen staff and blast your wait staff, i will also try and throw in some of my twisted whit and humor as well. so please check back often.

I feel i should introduce myself properly and give you some credentials before I just start making random post and giving out scores on how I rate both Sushi & BBQ joints.  I am Deldon Krueger or on the BBQ Circuit I am known as Uncle Tykie, I am an 8 time BBQ grand champion and have owned a BBQ concession shack and 2 BBQ Restaurants, and I am Lead Que Master of KCBS registered BBQ team of Uncle Tykie & the Mesquite-Oh's. I also was General Manager of Ginza Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar in Indianapolis back in 2000 and have been a die-hard sushi lover for 20 years.  I am currently not in the restaurant business but my career has me flying all over the United States twice a week and I recently moved to Atlanta, GA, I eat BBQ or Sushi at least 3 times a week while traveling and almost everyday I am home in Atlanta...still trying to get the lay of the land and locate as many good local joints as possible, unfortunately that is not going so well...lol

So please follow me and my adventure's across this great land as I discover the what good vittles America's Fine Eateries has to offer.

Deldon Krueger
"Uncle Tykie"