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Goodwood Barbecue Company is a small chain of four restaurants, equally divided between Utah and Idaho, which specilizes on barbecue, hence the name. While visiting my friend of 50+ years, Cindy, in the Boise, Idaho area, we decided to enjoy a dinner at the Meridian location of Goodwood, as we're fans of great barbecue. As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's late afternoon on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, and we've arrived at Goodwood Barbecue Company to enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner. Goodwood is located in a small shopping center, on Eagle Road, which is one of the main north-south arteries in the Meridian area.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, a sign will remind you that we're still dealing with COVID-19, and "social distancing" is in effect. The staff wear masks, but guest aren't required to. I've never figured out how to enjoy dinner while donning a face mask. The full-service bar is to the left of the photo.
Photo: The dining room is large, spacious, and the furniture is booths. The dining room is separated into three sections, divided by partitions, and if you're in the mood to watch news or sports, there are many active television monitors. The dining room is beautiful and comfortable, as this isn't my idea of barbecue. I'm "old school" when it comes to barbecue, and in my opinion a lovely dining room just doesn't work with barbecue. Alright, that's just "me," as my friends loved it.
Photo: The "Deluxe Sandwiches and Burgers" section of the dinner menu. What's not to like?
Photo: The second page of the menu really grabbed my interest, as it featured "Barbecue Platters." On the suggestion of my friend, I went with a "Two Meat Combination Platter" and I didn't regret my choice.
Photo: Our server, but who turned out to be our "order taker, Amy B. takes Katie's order, as Cindy is still pondering the menu. Too bad Amy didn't deliver our meal to us, as she was very friendly, while the gentleman who brought or dinner to us proved to lack any personality.
Photo: The choice of beer and wine is posted on the wall, near the kitchen. Shiner Bock definitely catches my interest... Photo: Hostess Amy takes a large plate of dinner to other diners, as she leaves the kitchen. The stainless steel, commercial barbecue "pit" can be seen to the left of the photo. Call me "old school," but I like barbecue cooked in a smokehouse, a pit in the ground, or one of those smokers that looks like a old-time steam locomotive. I will "guess" since it's 2020, state laws must regulate how barbecue is cooked, but to me, the essence of barbecue is lost when it's prepared in an industrial, stainless steel "smoker," inside the restaurant.
Photo: You can actually get a peek inside the kitchen, and watch the chefs at work, as there is a large window from the dining room that offers a splendid view.
Photo: Our server - I didn't get his name as he sort of mumbled it behind his mask - brought our dinner to us efficiently, but he seemed to be in a hurry to get "the job done" and was not a man of many words. Our order arrived about 30 minutes after we placed it, which is quite speedy considering that it's barbecue, which is slow, "laid back," cuisine anyway you look at it.
Photo: Our server seemed to be in a hurry, and I had to request that he pause for a few seconds, so I could take a photo of our dinners. My friend Cindy ordered the "Barbecue Chicken," dinner, from the "Barbecue Platters" section of the menu. The menu describes the chicken as, "A half chicken, slow-smoked to perfection - our unique smoking process renders a perfect pink color." So true! She ordered "Steak Fries," and "Fresh Seasonal Vegetables" as a side. My friend Cindy is a lover of steak fries just as much as I am! After we were finished, she took nearly half of her dinner home in a box to enjoy at a later date. From the "Homemade Salads and Soups" section of the dinner menu, Katie went with "Strawberry/Apple/Pecan/Spinach" salad, along with a "side" of a grilled chicken breast, as she's mostly "green" when it comes to eating. The menu describes the salad as, "Fresh spinach, fresh and candied nuts, with raspberry-walnut with vinaigrette dressing. Topped with bleu cheese crumbles." She loved her salad, and like her mom, she took much of it home in a box to enjoy at a later date. My "Two Meat Combination Platter" is at the lower right of the gigantic round plate, presented by us to our server. Move down the page for a complete description of my dinner...
Photo: My friend of 50+ years, Cindy, her daughter Katie, and I pose for the photo, before enjoying a delicious dinner at Goodwood Barbecue Company, located in Meridian, Idaho. Thank you, Mr. Server, for snapping our photo.
Photo: From the "Barbecue Platters" section of the dinner menu, on Cindy's recommendation, I went with the "Combination Platter," and ordered "Two Meats," as I couldn't enjoy a "third meat," thanks to the amazing breakfast I enjoyed earlier today at Coffee Mug Restaurant, located in Elko, NV. My sides of choice were "Steak Fries," along with "Potato Salad," I truly believe that I chose the best sides from the menu! As for the "two meats," which were the "star" of my dinner, after pondering the menu, I went with sausage and pulled pork. All the meat choices seemed amazing, but that is where I ended up, which seemed to put me in a great place. The sausage was juicy and tender, with just a hint of smoke, and almost... well... almost reminded me of Texas "hill country sausage," but then I had to look around and realize that I was dining in an upscale dining room. The pulled pork was tender, juicy, full of flavor, and topped with house-made, tangy barbecue sauce.. The barbecue was very good, almost "delicious," but lacked the "edge" that you get from a smokehouse, and I would simply describe the barbecue as "chain-restaurant-commercial" barbecue." Not a bad description! The meat was very good, but the sides were exceptional. The "Steak Fries" were thick cut, just the way I love them, and fried to a light, golden brown. As you bit into them, you'd note the outside was on the crunchy side, and the inside was juicy and tender. These steak fries are as good as steak fries can get, and will put a smile on the face of anybody who loves steak fries. "Mom's Potato Salad..." Goodwood Barbecue Company's "mom" has "bragging rights," as she knows how to make potato salad! When it comes to potato salad, I love it all, and "mom's" potato salad is excellent! It arrived COLD... the way potato salad should be served, and had the right combination of potato, mayonnaise, pickle, onion and whatever else makes a delicious potato salad. This potato salad was simply amazing! A cup of in-house-made barbecue sauce rounded out this great barbecue dinner. The barbecue served at Goodwood Barbecue Company is certainly delicious, but, like other "chain" barbecue restaurants, Goodwood produces "commercial" barbecue, and lacks the "down-home" atmosphere of a Texas, roadhouse barbecue restaurant. It's a "sit-down," "full service" restaurant, which, to me, takes away from the informal, "grass roots" essence of barbecue. I was less than impressed with the "industrial," non-personal service that Goodwood offers, as our server seemed in a hurry to "get the job done," with a minimum amount of personality.. The barbecue is very good... may I say delicious? ...but I imagine there are other barbecue restaurants more to my liking in the greater Boise area... Goodwood Barbecue Company Copyright(c) 2020 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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