LD's BBQ — Restaurant in East Troy

Restaurant: Two large banquet tables so people can sit and mingle and six small tables with three chairs at each. The decor is beautiful and rustic. The wood theme throughout the restaurant ties everything together. It is a very home place. There is a little cart for when you are done eating you can get anything you need to bring home. The bathrooms are beautiful. There are no stalls just little 2 to let rooms one family size one small and then a sink room connecting the two. (Female restroom) Over all the restaurant is a cozy and homey place where you can sit down and enjoy some nice food.

Service: All of the staff is super friendly, they all have a genuine smile and will answer any questions you may have. Decent speed of being served with how much food you order and how many people are in line.

Food: Chicken •8/10• It was a little too soft and moist for my taste, you would press it on the roof of your mouth and it would turn into mush. The seasoning was light but you are able to get more salt or pepper, or you can add one of their three BBQ sauces. Would probably order again. Ribs •9/10• The ribs were delicate, not tough to chew and and easily came off the bone but not falling off. You could see and taste the smokiness of them. There was no seasoning but it is supposed to be like that so you can add your BBQ sauce. If getting sauce with them, would definitely order again. Brisket •7• When warm the texture was perfect not to chewy or soft. But when it got cold it would get really tough and stuck in your teeth. The seasoning is nice a mix and salt and pepper nicely, where if you wanted sauce it would be great either way. The main problem was it got cold pretty quickly and that meant tough meat. Would not order again. Sausage •7/10• Texture was tiny bit softer then a normal sausage like no pop on the casing when you bite into it. The seasoning was over done, I would definitely not add anything to it. It contained a lot of pepper. If you like a lot of pepper then you would like this for a meal. Would not order again. Chilli •10/10• It was more of a liquid chilli than others, but still would be classified as normal. The seasoning was perfect, salt, pepper and all else was amazing. You could add some thyme to improve the taste but still a ten out of ten. Will be ordering again. Potato Salad •9/10• It was nice and creamy. Potato's were about 1/2 inch size, so a good size. Well seasoned, the salt amount perfect could have had a bit more pepper. A little much mayonnaise. Would maybe order again. Coleslaw •9/10• It was not finely diced but not long strands either was right in the middle. Was a bit on the sweeter side then savory, mainly from the mayonnaise. Did not need any salt added to it. Would maybe order again. Corn Bread •8/10• Very dry. If it had been cooked with a little bit of butter on top for the last minute or so, would have had a much better taste. It was like a plain cornbread boring and nothing special about it. Would probably order again. Ribs-n-bean •8/10• Just like normal beans and had a bit of ribs but was not as much as expected. Seasoning was great but overall ended up being very sweet. Would maybe order again. Banana pudding •10/10• Was a light pudding with a creamy texture. Even if there was no flavor I would have kept eating it for the texture. The flavor was amazing it tasted like true bananas not artificial. The best banana pudding I have ever had. Will be ordering again. Sauces: -Sweet and tangy •8/10• Strong taste of beer but is just vinegar. Some sweetness but over powered by the vinegar. Went well with ribs but not chicken or brisket. -Zippy •6/10• It was a weird combination of flavors that would have been better separate. It seems like someone took the other two sauces and mixed together while adding random spices. On it's own maybe a seven but with anything else a 5. -Original •10/10• It has the perfect amount of flavor had some sweetness and seasoning but nothing over powered each other. Went well with brisket, chicken and ribs. Probably will buy a...

I originally ate at LD’s back when they were out of the truck located in Big Bend and it was quite good from what I can remember. This was my second time dining at the location in East Troy. My first time I had a brisket and chicken sandwich which was fairly underwhelming as the brisket was lacking in smoke, seasoning and overall richness and the chicken was just chicken. However, I wanted to give it another shot to see if it was just a fluke.

Unfortunately, it was about the same result. Again, the brisket was lacking in smoke, bark and richness. The smoked sausage and pulled pork were about average, no significant complaints there. The Zippy barbecue sauce was very good as I do enjoy a bit of spice. The beans and ribs were pretty basic, likely a pan of beans in a smoker with chunks of rib/pork meat added, no peppers or onions that I could spot. I ordered a side of Mac and cheese and that was easily the most disappointing aspect of the meal. I watched an employee ladle cheese sauce onto a cup of noodles and throw a top on. I’m sorry but that is not the kind of mac and cheese I’d expect from a famed BBQ spot. Real mac and cheese should be a dish that is baked and reflect a semblance of complexity.

Overall, I was disappointed that the brisket could not redeem itself from my first experience. Perhaps, the quality of brisket would be different for a dinner rather than a sandwich as I seemed to only receive slices from the flat. But then again, brisket appeared to be taken from a steel pan with a watery juice rather than fresh sliced. Prices were a bit high but who can really judge in this economic climate. The service and atmosphere were fine, no complaints there. But in terms of food, particularly BBQ fare, I am not impressed, especially considering the reputation that it has garnered. As someone who is handy with grilling and smoking various meats, I know good BBQ and hold those in the business to high (possibly unfair) standards. Was it the worst BBQ I’ve had? Not by a long shot. But would I return? Not...

I am happy LD’s is doing so well, however it has become almost an inconvenience to do carry out or order to-go. Starting with the online ordering, the website does not have a complete menu to order from. I’m not sure if it has to do with item availability or what but not too big of a deal. I figured I would try and call the order in. Only problem there is the phone is never answered. I called multiple times during different hour periods and at different times during the hour. The majority of my calls were during typical non-busy hours as well.

After not being able to order what I needed online, or by phone, I had no choice but to stand in line and order. The wait time from when I entered to when I had my food was 25 minutes. Not too long, but when I’ve already been gone all day I would like to just get food and go. Most of the food is not made to order (impossible to do with BBQ) and there are items that required and all in all time spent with each customer is about 2-3 minutes which is actually great. The problem is it’s a very noisy restaurant and I do not do well in busy places that loud. I love the food that Leon makes, it is insanely consistent I love supporting local businesses. I just wish the carry out ordering was improved to ease the process. I think it is completely ridiculous that the phone is never answered. I didn’t leave a voicemail because they specifically ask you not to on their automated message. I have left voicemails in the past with no response and have tried messenger with no response.

LD’s front of the house staff is amazing, fluid and very pleasant! They handle the pressure of a never ending line with ease. Take some of the pressure off of them by making ordering...