Fat Jack's

In a word: We liked these ribs a lot.

The specs: #0174
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Ruppert Food Blog, Madison Magazine, Madison Fish Fry, collected at del.icio.us;

JM ate the shrimp dinner.
John ate the beef dinner with rice and beans.
Nichole ate the 1/2 rack of spare ribs with baked beans.
Samantha ate the 1/2 rack back ribs with rice and beans.
The bill was $62, or $15.50/person, plus tip (thanks, Dad!).
JM, Nichole, and Samantha gave Fat Jack's an A-; John gave Fat Jack's an A (see our grading rubric).

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Fat Jack's turned out to be a great place to take a couple of hungry folks, ravenous after a day of driving and moving crap and appliances up and down stairs.

JM's shrimp (not pictured) was very good and came with some pretty lovely garlic toast.  Barbecue shrimp can frequently eliminate the shrimp flavor through overcooking or oversaucing, but not at Fat Jack's.  The flavor was nicely balanced.

Behold the back ribs. Sam said they were very tender, with a smoky, spicy sauce packed with flavor.

John opined that the beef dinner was moist & flavorful, and the rice & beans were spicy but not too hot.

Even the spare ribs, a none-too-tender cut of meat, went down easy. Nichole had to take a couple home, but they made a good lunch.

The sauce was a masterpiece! Notes of cinnamon and cardamom were genius & will have us coming back.

Not pictured are the salads we fixed ourselves from the short, somewhat pedestrian salad bar, as a nod to a balanced meal. So far, we'd have to say Fat Jack's is the best place we've been for ribs in Madison (well, technically, Monona).

Comments

[Robin Marohn]

I remember back in the day when Fat Jack's did the "All You Can Eat Chicken & Ribs" on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thank god they moved away from that or I'd be dead by now...

They're good -- but wait until you get to "S" and get a rack of Smoky Jon's. That guy's the King.

We still do the AYCE Ribs and Chicken....thanks for the good comments....
we appreciate them.
Fat Jacks staff.
(a customer drew my attention to this website....you should review for a living.)

[Megan]

Fat Jack's also catters for American Players Theatre in Spring Green,WI. They serve the same excellent ribs and chicken.

[Ed Stoll]

Fat Jacks has the best spare ribs on the planet. There is nothing in KCMO that tops these. Plus their wait staff are top notch.

[Eric]

Fat Jack's is awesome. We've been going there since 1992. The ribs are awesome. Dry rub is the way to go. They also have an awesome salad bar.

[Randy]

Second trip to Fat Jack's was a little better. Went on Tuesday to the all-you-can eat chicken and ribs. The ribs smokey flavor reminds me of smoked sausages and is a bit overwhelming. Must be just a preference thing. Fries, slaw, beans, and bread were good. Chicken was okay. Nothing grabbed me here though and doubt I'd return for a third time. Service was great. Give it "C+".
Looking forward to trying Smokey Jon's!