Big Guy's Ranch & Saloon

Big Guy's Ranch & Saloon
16 – 200 Meadowood Dr
204-253-6569
http://bigguys.org/




November, 2010

Saloon is the perfect descriptor for Big Guy’s. Walk through the door and a stereotypical, wood-dominated cowboy bar sits to the right of the entranceway, complete with vintage signs and old licence plates; plastic cacti round out the décor. From the movies, you expect a rough and tough kind of bar that’s packed to the rafters—and that’s just what Big Guy’s saloon looks like. I’m sure the clientele consists of people like you and me, but this is the impression you get.

Many years ago, lounges all over Winnipeg carried an interactive video game called NTN (National Trivia Network), where you answer questions broadcast over TV screens. You played against others in the bar, as well as against locations through the continent. NTN is now virtually extinct, although Big Guy continues to carry it in the bar. If nostalgia hits you to answer some trivia questions, this is the place to go.

For a quieter meal, wander into the restaurant where the décor looks the same, minus the din level. The laminated menu (I have a thing against laminated menus) offers the usual pub-grub fares, as well as the typical “cowboy” kinds of food. In keeping with the cacti-laden, South-western theme, the menu also offers Tex-Mex items, including enchiladas and stuffed jalapenos. As expected, the beverage menu has little outside of the ordinary. They only serve Entre-lac and Donini (red and white) wines and neither look very appealing—stick with one of the pedestrian beers.

We start with the soup special, which is a chicken vegetable, jazzed up to be “Texan” with a little bit of spicy zest. Although you taste a bit of the Tex-Mex edge, the spiciness level is a bit lacking. Lots of hearty vegetables and some small chunks of chicken swim in the broth, which itself tastes quite flavourful.

If you order a main, the dish comes with your choice of the usual starches—try the Texas fried rice. This dirty rice has a nice earthy flavour that complements all kinds of meats very nicely.

Travelling through the barbecue belt (Kansas, Missouri, the Carolinas and Texas), you can’t help but fall in love with smoked foods. Several Winnipeg restaurants purport to serve genuine barbecue belt smoked meats (Montana’s, Muddy Waters, etc), but so far, only Lovey’s (see earlier review) has replicated the unique taste of the low-heat, slow smoked, fall-off-the-bone goodness of authentic barbecue. Alas Big Guy’s, while claiming to serve authentic Texas grub, comes short of Texas flavour; however, that doesn’t mean that the meals don’t taste good. They do (they just don’t taste like Texas).

I order the pork rib and beef combo, which comes with slices of smoked beef and a quarter slab of smoked, pork side-ribs. Many people prefer baby back ribs because the back ribs have a little bit more meat between the bones, and the meat tastes more tender. I often opt for the side ribs because the ribs are longer (thus equalling out the amount of meat you get per portion. Also, if you prepare your ribs properly, there’s no issue regarding meat tenderness; it should fall off the bone. Oh, and side ribs usually come at half the price of baby back ribs. Big Guy’s side ribs tastes tender, but are not quite falling off the bone. The subtle barbecue sauce adds a dimension of flavour without masking the inherent flavour of the meat. There are lots of delicious barbecue sauces out there, and I know lots of people who love to drown their meats with those sauces. Personally, I think it’s a shame to inundate your food with too much sauce (unless of course, you INTEND to mask the food, for whatever reason). I think the Big Guy adds just enough sauce to enhance the flavour without overdoing it. If you must drown your food, you’ll have to ask the server for extra sauce, as none sits on the table (unlike most barbecue places).

Normally, smoked beef comes in the form of thinly sliced brisket, ready for sauce if you choose. Big Guy fulfills the provision of thinly sliced brisket; unfortunately, the mere three pieces of beef barely gives enough for a taste test. The slices come covering the slab of rib so you can easily miss them if you don’t pay attention. The remainder of the plate hosts an average coleslaw and plain bread (not toasted or buttered). Frankly, I don’t know why they bother with the bread.

If you’re not a fan of smoked meats, Big Guy also offers a selection of the regular, carnivorous options. The steak sandwich sits on the same bread, which works here since the bread sops up the wonderful steak juices. I can’t make out what cut of meat this steak comes from, but it tastes acceptable and it comes cooked exactly as ordered. The steak isn’t well charred on the outside and the portion is small. I expect a restaurant called Big Guy’s to deliver monster portions to its customers but this steak is downright tiny. On the good side, the prices are proportionally diminutive. The steak sandwich comes to $11 and the ribs with beef run $15—good prices and good value. Living in a society of excess, I expect excessive amounts of food; I guess getting a sane amount of food isn’t enough anymore!

The service is attentive throughout, but we waited quite a while at the door to pay our cheque. Overall, we enjoyed a good dining experience.

**** / 5

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