Good Wood Barbeque Company-Orem

Good Wood Barbeque-Orem

After being pushed and prodded by a coworker to try out the Good Wood Barbeque I decided to go there for my hubby's birthday. 

It was a Tuesday night but surprisingly the restaurant was busier than we expected.  The atmosphere is far from a barbeque place, and more like a mid range restaurant, which raised my expectations of the menu.  The prices were mid range as well, so I really had high hopes and after the raving my coworker did I was prepared for a treat.  Sadly, that was not my experience.

We started with the Spinach Artichoke dip appetizer, which was described as being served with Pico De Gallo, but, it was not.  That was a disappointment and things didn't get much better after that.

I ordered the two meat platter, brisket and pulled pork with mac and cheese and vegetables.  At $15.00 I was expecting something very tasty, but, the pork was a pile of sloppy shredded pork covered in a sweet sticky sauce, and yet it was still dry.  The brisket was also very dry, and rather than fall apart tender it was sliced, clearly not slow cooked the way it should be.  The sauce was non existent, so, I used what was provided at the table, and that was again so sweet it was not even pleasant.  The mac and cheese tasted like a pre-made bland frozen dinner.  Very disappointing, and in the end I didn't eat much, took it home, but, couldn't even muster up the appetite the next day for a re-heat.  I tossed it out, easily ten dollars worth of food in the garbage.

My daughter ordered the ribeye steak, and she was happy with it.  She felt it was nicely seasoned, and done the way she ordered it.  So, score one for whoever cooks the steaks there.  The price though was pretty high at $16.00 and if you want onions or mushrooms on it that will cost you extra.

The husband ordered the ribs, West Texas half rack.  He thought the taste was bland and the sauce didn't help.  He also had ribs left over and not because there are so many on the plate.  The one thing he ordered that he liked was the Key Lime Pie.  I doubt that they prepare their own pies, so, props to whichever bakery or supplier they got it from.

Because it was his birthday the restaurant said he could have a slice of their Sheet Cake for free, which my daughter and I shared, well, tried to share.  It was heavy, syrupy, and so sickeningly sweet.  Thankfully it was free.

Overall I give this restaurant a passing grade for anyone who likes highly sweet food, but doesn't care much about the quality of the barbeque itself.  I go back to my previous review of the Smokehouse Barbeque just west of the Good Wood Barbeque.  So much better, perfection in barbeque, and the prices are so much better.  No, you won't get the somewhat fancy decor or the hard working waitresses, but, what you will get is real barbeque.

As for Good Wood, well, it may be good wood but it's poor barbeque.  I am giving them 3 points for ambiance, 4 points for service, 4 points for menu selection, and 2 points for food.  My suggestions for scoring higher points- re-work the way you are preparing the meats to make them tender and juicy, perhaps chat with the guy that owns the Smokehouse to get his advice.  Also, instead of slathering everything with a sweet sauce, consider offering your guests a choice of several sauces on the side, not everyone wants all that sugar and it doesn't help your barbeque taste.  True barbeque is served without sauce.  If it's truly good and tender it doesn't need it.