Why eat at a chain Wednesday: Jethro’s BBQ

Today’s Why eat at a chain Wednesday’s feature was not included in the list for the Restaurant Week, but there may still be time to reconsider. Granted, today’s restaurant is not as fancy as some of the restaurants featured with the weekly special, but I would argue the food is comparable, if not better in some cases.

Jethro’s BBQ has become one of the most talked about restaurants on Twitter, which is a great testament to the restaurant because the people talking about Jethro’s are not under their employ. Rather, the chatter is from the fans who enjoy eating their food. For instance:

@kellyclaire — @amyraelle Just catching your #dmhawkeyes tweetup plan. I would be in! Especially if it’s at @JethrosBBQDrake

@jasonsigal — Wish I was in #DesMoines tonight, to catch the filming of @ManvFood at @JethrosBBQDrake. Makes me crave Jethro’s just thinking about it!

I have had the opportunity to eat at Jethro’s for lunch a few times, each time I have been floored by the quality of the meal. The last couple times I have had their Texas Dip, which is a thin sliced beef brisket meal with swiss cheese, bourbon glazed onions, and a side of BBQ au-jus for dipping. It is similar in concept to a French Dip, but I haven’t had any French Dips that could come close to the flavors in this sandwich. For starters, the au-jus is much different than the powered version I have had at other restaurants. Plus, the meat is not comparable , as Jethro’s slow cooks their meats to perfection.

I have also had the opportunity to eat Jethro’s brunch, which is equally fantastic. I had the Breakfast Quesadilla, which I first saw on the bathroom wall –I believe it was a review from Brianne Sanchez of Juice. The Quesadilla had flowered tortillas, smoked corn pico, scrambled eggs, chicken, hickory smoked bacon, guac and sour cream. It’s hard to go wrong with a Quesadilla, but this is not just an average version, it was very good and highly recommended.

As mentioned above, Jethro’s was one of the restaurants the producers of Man v. Food chose to frequent while they were in Des Moines. The show pits food fanatic Adam Richman against many food challenges, in this case the Adam Emmenecker, who is a former Drake basketball star. The sandwich contains a “huge” pork tenderloin, an Angus steak burger, slabs of Texas brisket, apple wood bacon & fried cheese, and finished with chicken tenders. Wait, there is more, then top it off with cheddar and white cheddar cheeses melted on top. We’ll have to see what “Man” thought of the meal when the show is aired, I believe on October 6th on the Travel Channel.

After all, why would you want to eat at a chain when you can eat at Jethro’s, a place everyone is talking about?