5835 Lamar Ave.
Mission, KS 66062
Last week, the KC BBQ team was looking for some relief from the heat and some good barbeque. We found it over in Mission, KS at R.J.’s Bob-Be-Que Shack. Chef, Bob Palmgren (a French-trained pro), is where R.J.’s gets the “Bob” in barbeque. Overall, R.J.’s rated pretty highly, falling in fourth place so far.
There were highs and lows for our meal. Service was definitely a high. Although no one at our table took advantage of it, PBR bottles were $1.99, which is also a plus. R.J.’s French fries and cheesy corn were top notch. Several people at our table ordered pulled pork sandwiches and enjoyed them thoroughly; the ribs were also rated pretty highly. I’m not sure if this is more a plus or a minus (I’m thinking kind of both), but Jeff had the following to say about his ribs:
“Great baby backs, but I wish there was a little more meat. I like my baby backs like I like my Shue, with a little more meat on the bone.” Unfortunately, Shuler did not have anything to say, so Jeff came to this conclusion on his own.
On the other hand, the burnt ends did not fare as well, with complaints of the meat being dry. I thought the sauce was entirely too sweet; even the spicy sauce was sweet at the beginning making the spiciness seem a little strange, but if you like a sweet sauce, you will probably like the sauce at R.J.’s.
Here’s how the group rated R.J.’s:
Meat
Flavor 3.8
Consistency 3.4
Quality 3.7
Sauce
Flavor 2.8
Consistency 3.3
Sides
Distinctiveness 3.3
Variety 3.6
Flavor 4.1
Restaurant
Service 4.6
Atmosphere 4.1
Value 3.4
Overall Experience 3.8
R.J.’s overall average came out at 3.7/5. We all enjoyed our meals, and R.J.’s is a good spot. There is an outdoor patio featuring live music—which is great, but if you’re reading this down the road, keep in mind we came to R.J.’s during the heat wave of summer 2011, and we were sweating after walking from the car into the building. I would definitely recommend R.J.’s, but would caution you to stay away from the burnt ends—there are too many other great items on the menu to risk dry meat.
