Wildwood Smokehouse & Salon

This review has been a long time coming but I didn't want to belt it out too soon, maybe as an excuse to keep eating there or perhaps I selfishly wanted to keep this fabulous BBQ joint to myself. Wildwood is located rather out of the way for most IC people, it's up off Hoover Highway on Walleye Drive but if you can find a way to get up there I very much recommend it.

Score (based on 5 stars):

Friendliness: *****

Cleanliness: ****

Tastiness: *****

Affordable: *****

Overall: ****1/2

Friendliness:

Part of their slogan seems to bring Texas hospitality up here to Iowa. I've heard a lot of awful things about Texas but if this place is an example of their friendliness then maybe I should drive down for a visit! The servers are all very friendly, very upbeat and very helpful. I won't lie, I have a favorite server already, but I haven't been disappointed yet by any of the others. Unless they're busy, the 'seat-yourself' atmosphere seems a bit scary but they rarely leave you hanging or without refills.

Cleanliness:

I had to dock a star because while the place is great, it gets a bit messy at times and the tables have this odd grimy feeling to them. I watch the bus boys wipe them down so I'm fairly sure they're clean, but they just don't 'feel' clean. It's also really dark inside so it'd be hard to tell if they truly are clean or not. At least it's just the tables, I've yet to have an incident of dirty cutlery or glasses.

Tastiness:

Amazing! I've tried just about everything save the burgers (though the people I eat with attest to their greatness) and can say that there aren't many things on the menu that I don't love. All the meats have a delicious smokey flavor that works both with the sauce provided as well as being tasty enough to go plain. Their house made buttermilk ranch dressing is good enough to go on just about anything and their house made sauces are good with a nice kick to them. If you're a first timer, it's absolutely necessary to grab up a side of their corn bread. It's big, sweet and delicious. There in-house special cocktails are worth trying too, the Big Green Tractor is a personal favorite but the Watermelon Crawl is equally addicting. It's hard to focus on one thing to advertise trying there because I have yet to run across anything I haven't really loved.

Affordable:

While Wildwood is pretty affordable (8.99-10.99 per regular entree) and they do have weekly specials (Wednesday is 15.99 Rib Night), however rarely am I able to go there without tacking on extras. While this isn't necessarily Wildwood's fault, it's something to be mindful of. The appetizers will really get you at about 6.99 a pop but that isn't too terrible considering they're a good treat for two-three people. My average bill here is usually around 12-15 dollars with one alcoholic beverage and added bacon (don't dare fault me for not saying 'no' to adding bacon onto anything!) If you still think that's pricey, consider splitting with another person as the portions are generous and easy to share.

Overall:

You really can't go wrong with anything you order at Wildwood**. On top of great food and large portions, they usually have some entertainment up and running with everything from mechanical bull-riding, to open mic night and country dancing. The good food allows country music haters to easily tune out the ambiance and enjoy the delicious smokey flavor of their meats and you can hit up your sweet tooth as well and enjoy a few drinks with friends. I could literally go on and on about all the things I love about this place and even nit-pick minutely on the things that could change but it's definitely a place to keep going back to and enjoying time and again.

**With exception to the 'Ghost Dance' a dine-in special of ridiculously hot peppers. I'm told it's a favorite of men trying to impress one another while their mouth melts and their throats disintegrate.