Jack's Bar-B-Q Rib Shack

Jack's is a lesser known barbecue joint that serves decent food.

I had seen Jack's Bar-B-Q Rib Shack a number of times over the years, primarily while in route to Pancho's as it is hidden away on Old Summer. To be honest, though, it wasn't much to look at and so I never bothered to check it out. After the second person in as many weeks mentioned the incredible coconut cake at Jack's, I decided it might be worth a shot. So one Friday evening, my husband and I, along with our toddler son, wandered into Jack's for dinner. A worker behind the counter called across the restaurant to us to let us know that we could seat ourselves. So we did, all the while taking in the rustic decor of the place.

Our waitress was friendly enough but was more interested in taking our order than in making conversation. That was fine. I appreciate people who get the job done. Anyway, it took a while, but we finally got our meals. I had a plain old barbecue sandwich plate while my husband had the ribs. Both were pretty good, but nothing spectacular. The meat was tender (a definite plus) but the sauce was a bit too sweet and just mediocre.

After our meal, I was eager to try the coconut cake that I had been hearing so much about. When our waitress finally returned to check on us, we ordered a slice. That's when she informed us that they were out of coconut cake. She then offered up that they had wonderful homemade chocolate cake and strawberry cake. So we decided to try those instead. I ordered the chocolate and my husband ordered the strawberry. Moments later, the waitress returned with more bad news -- no chocolate. I settled for the strawberry (not that I had much choice!). I must admit, however, that the strawberry cake was very good and moist with fresh strawberries between the layers.

I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to eat at Jack's but if you're in the area, it might be worth it to give the place a shot.