JKQ BBQ — Restaurant in Black Hawk

After catching the older kiddo and his MTB team compete, my beautiful Bride and teen swung by JKQ for a bite to eat. Upon walking in, we were greeted by the warm, smoky aroma of barbecue, usually that's a good sign. There was a guy in the corner of the bar playing live music. We did not have to wait for a table. As appatizers, we ordered loaded tots and cowboy bites. The tots were okay, not as loaded as we had hoped. The cowboy bites were better, creamy with a bit of corn and jalapenos. Definitely would order those over the tots. The meal we got a sampler platter with brisket and lamb with mac and cheese and cole slaw. The meat was good. Both had a slight smoke flavor, sort of underwhelming, not bold in flavor, maybe could have used a bit of added rub. The best part is it did not taste canned, in house for sure. And, both BBQ sauces were homemade. The mild one was on the vinegary side and the hot was not too hot, It had more like a chili powder kick and definitely more flavor than the mild. The Mac and cheese was good, cheesy enough in the middle with a little crisp on top. All three of us agreed the coleslaw was harder to pin down. It wasn't quite creamy like a typical mayo based. Almost had a yogurt slaw feel, but then again, not really. None of us were fans. The best part of this meal was hands down the dessert. We got a strawberry tres leches cake. It was super moist, perfectly sweet, and just flat-out delicious. We’d come back for that dessert alone. The historic building gives the place a lot of charm, and the staff was friendly, attentive, and quick with refills. Would we return? Probably, especially if dessert is on the agenda. JKQ has a cool vibe and some standout items, even if the main BBQ didn’t...

Decided to take in some sunshine and fresh air. So, I stepped out of the neon-lit black hole Tuesday afternoon, thinking I might get some tourism fodder to bring home to the fans. Notsomuch, the town seems to roll up the sidewalks Monday evening and keep them tucked away until Wednesday morning. As far as restaurants (other than the casinos) Tuesdays are, almost literally, a ghost town. Except for JKQ! I walked in through the side door, which is the only one open on a Tuesday because, Denise, tends the bar and the dining room. I walked across the almost empty dining room and into a beautiful saloon-style bar area separated by the age-old mirrored backyard. The saloon has a door that normally you would use as an entrance from the street and an outdoor patio with tables. But, again, those were locked... Because it was Tuesday.

I waited for a bit which I didn't mind because the bar has a really good liquor and beer selection and, being a mixologist, I don't like to jump right in to basic. Sitting at this bar pulled me into such a strong feeling of nostalgia that I could almost hear the ghosts tossing coins on the bar for another round.

Denise walked around into the bar and, looking startled, says "How did you sneak past me? That side door is very noisy when people open it." Which also made me feel like one of the coin-tossing ghosts.

I had my cocktail, which was reasonable priced for a topshelf tequila and paid (no coins). And a nice conversation with Denise. Mosied on out and, as I opened the door, the Door...

I would probably have given it a two star based on food alone, but overall I'd say everything was average. The bbq meats, specifically brisket and lamb were just ok. It was very oily with puddles in the plate and I'm not sure why... Never seen bbq like that. The brisket was little bits and pieces, nothing like the photos show of nice slices. The lamb was also just ok but honestly was probably more lean than that brisket was. I tried some chicken as well. While that looked not that appealing, it did actually taste ok. The bbq sauces were good, a little different than most places. I had the cheese bites and they were a hit, but hard to mess those up. Green beans were also just ok. We got bread pudding to go... Pretty bad. Dried out. I'd say when compared to other restaurants in town, it's about on par. There's not many places screaming with glory there. But if you're wanting bbq and don't want to drive, this is your spot. Otherwise I would recommend a little bit farther drive to Idaho Springs. I think this place just needs a restart or revamp and it could be good from a food standpoint. Live music was going, which was a nice touch maybe for...