Pendleton, Indiana. I've been driving past it for years on my way to Indy. It's just a little roadside restaurant with a walk-up window, a drive-thru, and a few indoor seating booths. Oh, and a sign out front that reads, "Jimmie's Dairy Bar, Best Bar-B-Q in Indiana." Well curiosity finally got the best of me (and my kids were complaining of dying from hunger and thirst).
So we go in and take a look at the menu. We asked a few questions like, "Is the fish a sandwich or a plate of fish? What comes with the BBQ?" The fish is a sandwich and all their sandwiches come plain. Nothing comes with any of them unless you add the basket for about $3 more. My first impression was that the prices were quite high for the type of food being offered. Most items were $3 to $4 each, including the hot dog. But I figured if it turned out to be really good, maybe it's worth it. But, alas, it was NOT. We ordered 1 hot dog, 1 BBQ sandwich, 1 fish sandwich, 1 tenderloin sandwich, 1 order of fries, 1 cole slaw, 1 order of mushrooms and one coke. The total was about $25.
The fish was the worst. It was so fishy tasting that we were afraid to actually let my daughter eat it for fear it would make her sick. It was a basic bread crumb breading on a hogie bun and it was quite dry (and did I mention too fishy tasting?). The tenderloin was nothing special either. Just your basic frozen breaded tenderloin dropped in the deep fryer and placed on a hamburger bun. I asked for tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle and mayo to be added. Otherwise, it also would come dry and plain. That made it somewhat tolerable.
Believe it or not, the hot dog was probably the best item we ordered. It was very large and split down the middle. My son actually didn't care much for it, but my daughter chose to help him eat it in lieu of the extra fishy fish. Our sides of french fries and mushrooms were a real rip-off. For almost $3 each, the quantity was ridiculously small. The fries came in a small paper sleeve with about as many as you would expect to get from the dollar menu at McDonald's. There were only 5 or 6 mushrooms in the entire order and they were nothing special.
Finally, did the BBQ live up to its claim? Well, I will say it was not bad. But "the best in Indiana" is a pretty big claim. I've made better in my crock pot at home and for about the same price as one of their sandwiches. It was just a little pulled pork on a hamburger bun. The flavor was good, not too sweet or vinegary with a very mild warmth to it. Is it worth stopping there just to get the BBQ? Definitely NOT. The coleslaw came in a little cup and was average at best. My husband added it to his BBQ sandwich after we had all had a taste of the sandwich.
I noticed that almost everyone else coming in only order ice cream. Maybe it is better than their food. I don't know because we didn't get any. We felt so cheated by our experience with their food that we decided to spend our money elsewhere for desert on that hot summer day. If you're looking for something good to eat, SAVE YOUR MONEY. Go elsewhere.
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