CLOSED: Making the grade: D-Boys BBQ and Grill earns high marks
A cowboy salad, featuring pulled pork, at D Boys Barbecue in Orem on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
A half rack of ribs with cole slaw and beans at D Boys Barbecue in Orem on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
D Boys Barbecue's signature "Nasty BBQ Sauce" for sale at D Boys Barbecue in Orem on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
The D Boys po' boy, with chopped beef, spicy sausage and barbecue sauce, at D Boys Barbecue in Orem on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. SPENSER HEAPS/Daily Herald
Whoever named D-Boys BBQ & Grill in Orem must be real tough to please, because if we were handing out grades based on our recent visit we would probably suggest A-Boys.
What’s that you say? The D- reference doesn’t have anything to do with a rating? On further review, we think it probably refers to the diamond featured prominently in the restaurant’s logo, and understand that the Diamond family owns it. Whatever the case, what we do know is that D-Boys BBQ & Grill, which opened in January, is no carbon copy of other local BBQ joints and it has very few rough edges.
We visited D-Boys later on a Friday evening, after the dinner rush was clearly over. We were struck with the interior and its friendly, inviting vibe. The restaurant was bigger than we’d anticipated, and there was plenty of seating. Booths line the outside walls of the dining room and tables fill the middle floor. There was a muted Western motif — and by that we mean that it wasn’t overbearing or patently obvious, but only became apparent when you really paid attention. A lot of the mood was set in the subtle colors — and there was a roll of barbed wire hanging on the wall near our table.
There were a couple flat-screen TVs showing sports programming, but we were mostly fixated on the menu off to the side of the main counter, where all orders are placed.
The customer service at D-Boys was exceptional. The man behind the counter, who we later learned was one of the owners, was very helpful and patient in answering our questions regarding all the menu offerings and in helping us decide what to try on our first, er, rodeo at the restaurant.
Of course, when in doubt, we’ve adopted the credo of trying as many things as possible — which at a BBQ place translates into meat, meat and more meat. D-Boys has the perfect menu item for that, and it’s called the Stampede. The Stampede checks in at $21.99, but it features portions of six different kinds of meat as well as two sides. Well, we should say it usually includes six different meats. The timing of our visit was such that there was no chicken available, so we were allowed to double up on another meat of our choice. We opted for an extra portion of ribs — great choice! — and it also came with smoked turkey, pulled pork, beef brisket and spicy sausage.
The Stampede is more than one person can probably handle — but who are we to set limits on how much great-tasting fare a single hungry person can devour? Suffice it to say that we shared this plate around the table with our family, and still had extra to take home. We liked everything in this sampler plate. We’re not usually the biggest brisket fans, but it was a highlight here, along with the ribs — which came with no shortage of meat on them. The smoked turkey was excellent, and we really liked the sausage as well. It was a tad spicy, as advertised, but not overbearing, and a slight dip in the house BBQ sauce — called Nasty Sauce here — helped take a bit of the edge off. The pulled pork was solid as well.
To offset all the meat, we sampled the Pilgrim Salad — one of four different salads available. The Pilgrim does come with smoked turkey so you’re not getting completely away from meat, but the spring lettuce mix is also loaded with grape tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, dried cranberries, candied walnuts and your choice of cheddar or bleu cheese. It’s all topped with a savory poppyseed vinaigrette. This proved a welcome diversion, albeit temporarily, for our inner carnivore.
The Smothered Baked Potato was our next delight. It comes with your choice of meat (chopped beef, Carolina pork or grilled chicken) and is topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, butter and scallions. What’s not to like here?
We really loved the Turkey Club as well. It features smoked turkey, bacon, cheddar cheese, avocado, tomato and lettuce and a good-sized round bun.
As for our side samplers, let’s just say they rivaled the main courses. The sweet potato fries were simply outstanding. We loved the regular french fries as well — which were augmented nicely with a dip in Campfire Sauce, which is the house fry sauce. Instead of mixing ketchup and mayo, the Campfire Sauce blends the house BBQ sauce with mayo, giving it a nice pick-me-up. On top of that, the BBQ beans and garlic Texas toast were both above board as well.
We also recommend the house lemonade, preferring that over the standard soft drink choices.
In our humble opinion, D-Boys really makes the grade when it comes barbecue goodness.
D-Boys BBQ & Grill
Where: 294 N. State St., Orem
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Prices: $5.99-$21.99, with cheaper kids meal items also available
Info: (801) 221-2606