A few weeks ago, as I was walking through downtown Flagstaff, I was trying to find a particular taco restaurant. I only remembered that it was next to a barbecue place, so I looked for a nearby barbecue place. Instead of finding what I was looking for, I found a restaurant I had never heard of, but immediately wanted to try.
Tucked away off Fourth Avenue on the east side of town is a small barbecue joint known as . Satchmo”s. This hidden gem serves a wide selection of classic barbecue and Cajun dishes.
The restaurant opened in 2009 in a 250 square foot building and is staffed by two employees. Today, Satchmo's operates in a slightly larger space and is continued to be run by a group of individuals known as “The Fam.”
I love quality BBQ so of course I went to try it myself. I was determined to get the full experience, so I ordered a little more food and stayed in the restaurant a little too long, trying to make up my mind about everything.
I review restaurants based on three overall factors: atmosphere, service, and most importantly, food quality.
Inside, you'll find red and gold decor, brass instruments on the walls, and Louis Armstrong references all over the place. Menus are provided near the door to help customers decide what they want to order. Once I decided what I wanted, I ordered at the counter, took my order number to an open table in the dining room, and waited for an employee to bring my food to me when it was ready.
We arrived at the restaurant just after 5pm, so the dining room quickly filled up with people during the dinner rush. This restaurant is located in a small building, so it's no surprise that the tables and chairs are crowded together. It was a little too small for my taste, but that's what you get when you combine popular food with a small dining room.
After ordering our food, it was fun to look around the walls and admire the decoration of the restaurant. The 22 minute wait gave us enough time to look up the history behind the name Satch Moz, and found out it was the nickname of the late Louis Armstrong.
Coming into this restaurant, I knew exactly what the tasting I was most looking forward to. It's beef brisket. To be honest, two years ago I had no idea what brisket was, but after going to a lot of BBQ restaurants with my boyfriend, I realized that brisket is my favorite cut of meat. I learned that.
Half a pound of beef brisket cost $21.99, which was a bit pricey for me as a frugal person. This dish comes with six long slices of brisket, pickle slices, and four Hawaiian roll buns.
For me, heaven is biting into brisket sliders. The moment I took my first bite, I knew I was glad I came to Satchmoz.
After a few more bites and tasting only brisket, I realized I was expecting juicer meat. Don't get me wrong. It was delicious. I had set my expectations so high that I was left wanting more. When I drizzled it with homemade barbecue sauce, I fell in love with barbecue sauce all over again.
Another entree I tried was the $9.99 Creole Jambalaya. This dish, which is a charred mixture of the “vegetable trinity” of onions, bell peppers, and celery, was something I had never tasted before, but I was eager to try.
After taking the first bite, my boyfriend commented that it wasn't spicy at all. Being a sissy when it comes to spices, I ended up putting some smoked sausage on my fork, so I grimaced and reached for the water.
Besides the spice, I really love jambalaya and would definitely come back to the restaurant again for this.
I couldn't resist and ordered three side dishes: coleslaw for $3.99, smoked beans for $4.99, and sweet potato fries for $8.99.
The beans were perfectly smoked and almost addictive. The sweet potato fries were average tasting like you'd get anywhere else, and the coleslaw was below average in my book, so I wish it had a little more seasoning. I'm a big fan of Raising Cane's creamy coleslaw, so this seemed like it lacked dressing.
The service I experienced was excellent. All of the employees I spoke to had very positive attitudes and were responsive to any questions or concerns I had.
What I witnessed that really gave this service a 10 was the way the employee calmly dealt with a qualified older woman. She cursed him for not refilling her missing drink. She talked to him further and shoved an empty basket in front of his face and made him take it away while he helped my boyfriend and I.
The website states, “When you walk into Satchmo's, you are treated like family,” and despite being disrespected, the employees treat women with respect and consideration while offering them alternative drinks. I responded accordingly.
Overall I have to rate this restaurant an 8/10. The service was great, the food was really good, and the atmosphere was cozy, if a little tight. I wish the location was a little more central to Flagstaff, but I still thought it wasn't too bad for a drive.
The reason this restaurant is not a 10 in my book is because I felt a little claustrophobic during the meal and would have enjoyed the brisket with a little more juice and the coleslaw with a little more flavor.
Satchmo's is a restaurant I would like to return to and eventually sample all the other menu items on offer. As much as this restaurant is a hidden gem, there are also overlooked items on the menu, like smoked beans and jambalaya.
We already knew there was some great BBQ around Flagstaff, but we were happy to add another restaurant to our list of favorites.
As Arnold Schwarzenegger said in “The Terminator,” I'll be back.