The tasty mile - on JETHRO!

3100 Forest Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311

Welcome to the best BBQ that Des Moines has to offer!

Mrs. Red: "Hello everyone! Back with another review, and I'm going to be really honest with you - I'm super excited for this one. Mr. Red and I have been visiting some really unique types of restaurants lately. From Greek/Bosnian to the less rare Italian, we've had some really great experiences. This time around though, we wanted to bring it home, BBQ style. There was only one place I could think to go: Jethro's BBQ.

Mr. Red: "American food as always been dear to my heart since, well, I'm an American. I kind of grew up  on the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken sorts of eats. I have had Jethro's before, when some good friends of ours brought it to their house carry out style. We liked it there, but taking it home is just NOT the same thing as eating it AT Jethro's. 

Mrs. Red: "While I'm sure it's not new news that Jethro's has multiple locations, featuring a variety of cuisine from Jambalaya to Steaks, we wanted to go back to where Jethro's began because that is really where the attention started. This place has kept the locals coming back religiously, and has even attracted some television highlights for their featured GIANORMOUS SAMMICH - "The Adam Emmenecker." If you're interested in seeing it for yourself - since we weren't brave enough to conquer this monstrous mountain of mouthwatering madness - feel free to visit here for a look at Man vs. Food's visit to the good old Drake Area."

Mr. Red: "Enough of a history lesson! Let's get to the MEAT of this review!"

What We Ordered:

Mr. and Mrs. Red: 

Appetizer: Boneless Chicken Wings - BBQ Rub

Half Slab & Two Meat Dinner

Our Take:

Mrs. Red: "In the past, Mr. Red and I haven't usually ordered appetizers, because realistically we know that chances are we aren't going to be able to finish them with our meal. This time, however, we made an exception because our waitress advised how good their wings are. Before ordering, I like to ask the wait staff what they like about their restaurant. It helps me to find the hidden secrets. Am I glad we did."

Mr. Red: "I wasn't too thrilled when the concept of getting the appetizer came in. I knwo anytime I eat an appetizer, I never eat my entire main dish and I wind up having to pay extra for it anyways-"

Mrs. Red: "-coughcheapcough..."

Mr. Red: "I may be cheap, but a lot of people out there would agree with me that an appetizer tends to be a waste of money. In this case, I could have made this appetizer the main course.  They reminded me more of chicken fingers than wings, but with the sauce it was INCREDIBLY delicious."

Mrs. Red: "When I looked over the kinds of sauces that they had available for the winds, I didn't see any kind of honey BBQ flavor, since neither Mr. Red nor I are big fans of big and spicy things. Our waitress expertly suggested the BBQ rub. She brought us the rub on the side to be sure we were going to like it, and wow did we ever. It was sweet! Which really surprised me. I was expecting a very savory herb sauce, and this just blew my mind with how much flavor it had in there. If you like your wings sweet - BBQ rub is the way to go hands down."

                                              Mr. Red: "It made no sense that they called it a rub considering it was a wet sauce. Into the main dish! First we'll start off with the ribs- delicious. They were perfectly cooked, not dry, and peeled right off the bone."

Mrs. Red: "I don't pretend to be a rib expert, but I've watched enough Food Network to be dangerous when it comes to how the end product should be. A nice moisty, meaty center with a flavorful crunchy bark - these were perfect!

  

"Bark? Like a dog?"

"RUFF RUFF!

Mrs. Red: "Not that kind of bark!"

                                                       Mr. Red: "By bark, I assume you mean the char on the outside, which does just lock in the juice that's closer to the bone."

Mrs. Red: "We also ordered the pulled chicken for Mr. Red and the brisket for me. Everything turned out great where I was concerned and as if the three choices of meat weren't enough, we were given four sides on which we chose green beans, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and macaroni and cheese. Yummy! I don't even like coleslaw and theirs was fantastic. As far as food is concerned, I can see why this place is causing such a riot." 

                    Mr. Red: "I want to talk about the pulled chicken. This was quite tasty, especially with the BBQ sauce that we were provided on the table. Another A+ for the chefs."

Mrs. Red: "I agree. I stole some of the chicken for myself since the portion\ sizes were quite impressive. It was really nice and juicy, and very flavorful. I am a huge brisket fan, which made ordering it absolutely necessary. I've eaten tons of the stuff, but this put everything else to shame. It was cut very thin, which I really enjoyed, and we were given several long strips of it. Brisket tends to be really dry, but this wasn't so much. It was still holding all of that wonderful juice, likely from a brine of some kind and was coated in their signature spices. Nothing that they seasoned their food with covered up the flavor of the meat, as can often happen when enjoying BBQ. Thank you, Jethros for keeping it simple and completely delicious!" 

                               Mr. Red: "I don't eat brisket, and I thought it was dry, but that doesn't change the fact that it was very good. It's just not one of my favorite things to eat."

Waiter/Waitress:

Mrs. Red: "Our waitress was Alisha, and something should be said about the fact that I am calling her by name. I really liked Alisha, not just because she brought me great volumes of wonderful delicious Mimosa and BBQ goodness. Alicia was really helpful and to the point. Not only did she help give me some really great suggestions for our meal since we hadn't ever been at the restaurant for ourselves, but she paid attention."

                                               Mr. Red: "That is one thing I have to say I really wish more people in the service industry did. If it's one thing that I've learned in the sales field is that the most important thing you can do for a customer is to listen to them."

Mrs. Red: "We arrived around 5:47PM to a full house of patrons already enjoying dinner. Alisha was at our table within five minutes of us sitting down and was ready to take our drink orders. Every time I looked up, I could see Alisha visiting tables, ours included to be sure that everything was running smoothly. Despite the fact that there wasn't an empty seat in the house, we were in and out in just over an hour. Their wait staff was on it, friendly and fast!"

Observations:

Mr. Red: "As those of you who have been following up may have caught on, I don't like big crowds. This happened to be a really crowded place that had more people in it than they probably have room for. Which on one side is saying they are doing great business, but on the other it says they might want to look into expansion. The floors really needed to be swept but it was really busy, so I understand why there was some delay."

Mrs. Red: "That and the tables were so close together that it was tough for customers and the wait staff to really move around. On the upside though, since it was so nice out, people were able to take advantage of the patio and not bake in the 100 degree weather we've had recently. Jethro's has a very relaxed atmosphere and features a number of flat screens to watch the game and chill with your friends and family. I personally loved the little fun details that might not be noticed unless you're really looking around."

Hanging out!

Mr. Red: "Thaaaanks for noticing me."

Mrs. Red: *Facepalm*

Overall:

                                          Mr. Red:  "Really great, really fun. Service was great, atmosphere was crowded but great.  Food was -"

Mrs. Red: "Let me guess, great?"

Mr. Red: "No...superb!"

Mrs. Red: "What he said. If you want some of the best BBQ that Des Moines has to offer, get over to Jethro's. You won't be disappointed."

Review:

On a scale of 1-10

Food: 9

Service: 10

Cleanliness: 7
Atmosphere: 8

Until next time! Happy Eating!

-Pocket Redheads