Listen up big eaters, pregnant women, hockey players and all you growing boys. This is a food review for you. A story about meat and potatoes topped with more meat and potatoes.
Welcome to the world of the Dimond Bar-B-Que Pit, (1160 W. Dimond Boulevard). The front banner calls the place JD's - a throwback to the original Old Seward Highway location that operated out of a Quonset hut in '60s. As the business grew, it relocated to Dimond in 1987 and opened an Eagle River location in 1988.
On my first visit I went for the ribs, food that leaves you fat and happy. You can get them ala carte ($14.95) or on different sized dinner plates with sides: a half rack ($16) or a full rack ($26.50).
The cashier suggested a full rack for me, commenting I looked, "All belly." The joys of pregnancy.
The meat was tender, but I found myself wishing there was more of the light and sweet sauce slathered on my half rack. Luckily the cashier tossed in an extra container for me. The ribs sat on top of a healthy handful of rather plain French fries. Dinners come with a side of coleslaw, baked beans, pickled beets and garlic bread.
The next time I stopped by for lunch with a co-worker and her husband. I highly recommend dining in. The staff was friendly and personable and made the experience even more pleasurable.
This time around I settled on a bacon cheeseburger ($8.45). My companions chose a side of ribs and a pit special sandwich ($8.45).
Both the sandwich and the burger are served on sesame seed buns and are larger than a fist. My burger came with a heaping portion of fries as well as crisp lettuce, a fat tomato slice and a handful of pickles.
The pit special was made with sliced beef and ham. The ham had slivers of fat running through it, but I found it added to the flavor instead of being chewy.
It had barbecue sauce ladled over it and the meats took a backseat to its spicy-sweet kick.
The ribs, once again, were gloriously full of meat and light on fat.
The servings aren't the only big things here, the menu is also large. Some of the highlights include a combination dinner called the Polar Bear Delight ($21.95).
It comes with barbecue beef, ham, spareribs and a relish plate. Not enough? Sides of coleslaw, fries, baked beans and garlic bread are also tossed in.
There are also sandwiches like the catfish ($9.45) and the cub ($8.45) - a combination of beef and pork.
If I ever visit with a larger party, I'd also like to try some of the appetizers. Okra is served in large ($5.95) or small portions ($4.95) and there are also corn fritters ($5.95).
Dimond Bar-B-Q is an old Anchorage establishment with a well-deserved loyal following and definitely worth a visit. If you're hungry, this is the place for you.
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Dimond Bar-B-Que Pit
**** $$
Location: 1160 W. Dimond Blvd.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Phone: 349-2450
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By Rebecca Palsha
Daily News correspondent