To Dine or Not to Dine

This weeks featured restaurant - Griff's BBQ, Copperopolis

No need for a 'stroll' to work up an appetite for Griff's BBQ. With a menu both expansive yet streamlined, Griff's offers up a plethora of choices to tempt, tease and please any palate.

Unfortunately (said with sarcasm) to properly gauge the menu and all its benefits I had to dine at Griff's numerous times. We (being hubby n me) started with the pulled pork nachos - chips smothered in bbq'd pulled pork and cheese served with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo - a great idea, only the serving size was definitely made for two, or one with a hearty appetite. Apparently I have a hearty appetite...and I guess I eat like a slob for napkins miraculously showed up on our table while I dined. Very subtle hint, but taken, and thankful for if they had not showed up the sleeve of my husbands jacket was looking mighty tempting and utilitarian as a potential 'clean the bbq sauce of the face' wipe. From there we headed on to the three meat combo with your choice of chicken, pork, brisket or pork ribs. While I firmly hold to the "I can cook chicken at home" theory...my husband doesn't, and subsequently ordered the chicken, pulled pork and ribs. Suffice it to say I cannot cook chicken at home like Griff's. No way. Though I was stuffed from the pulled pork nachos I found just enough room for a fork-full of each fall-off-the-bone-lip-smacking meat.  Leftovers, if there are any - are almost just as good.


So, with my appetite whetted, a few days later I felt the need to try some more of the items on the menu and quickly discovered Griff's fried pickles...I was hooked. If you have not tried them, do! Tangy pickle slices, dipped in a light breaded batter and deep fried to perfection  served with a ranch dipping sauce...need I say more? I have converted many a pickle hatin' people with these deep fried pickles.

Now the owner Griff, not one to let someone just gorge on only one of his menu items convinced me to try the deep fried artichoke hearts. I was converted from a pickle loving freak to a fried artichoke heart lover. Suffice it to say, I find it much easier to get people to try these than the pickles. But if you ever see me dining on either of these southern type delicacies, don't expect me to readily share...though I'm working on that.

While we sampled only a few of the items on the menu, if the caliber of those items is any reflection on the rest of the menu, I look forward to trying the rest, working my way from the top of the menu to the bottom...not all in one sitting of course:)

The wait staff has always been more than pleasant, though it seems to change rather regularly with the exception of Chris, the always smiling waiter extraordinaire and Griff standing sentry behind the bar ready to serve whatever drink you desire (no hard alcohol). The atmosphere has a 'come sit down and enjoy yourself' feeling to it; music just at the right volume, temperature perfect and staff not pushy or hurried, but definitely efficient.

Trying to find a down side to my dining experience at Griff's is near to impossible with the one exception that when dining at a BBQ restaurant its a good thing to keep in mind that salads are not their specialty. Go in with an appetite for meat, and meat BBQ'd to perfection.


By, Charity Maness

Note: Griff's proudly carries a line a USDA Longhorn meat dishes from Longhorn beef raised right here in Copperopolis.

For more information on Griff visit  http://www.griffsbbqngrill.com/index2.php#/home/

 (My little disclaimer:  'To dine or not to dine' is meant to be a helpful - and humorous - informational piece only. I receive no monetary compensation for this column nor do I endorse any one eatery. This is simply my opinion. My tastes will be different from others and I readily admit that I have no culinary background, but I am pretty confident I know when food is cooked correctly or not, whether a drink is poured well or not and especially whether wait staff is first-rate or in need of a career change.)

To read previous 'To Dine of Not to Dine' columns click HERE