Chews Wisely: Big Fatty’s BBQ

By Sam Forstner | 2/1/16 5:40am

I woke up a little late on Sunday. Okay, more than a little late. I woke up and it was lunchtime, the later end of lunchtime. But I woke up with a smile on my face because I knew I was about to order takeout from Big Fatty's BBQ. Ten minutes later I was on the phone, and I said something I thought I would never hear myself say: "I’d like a Fatty Daddy to go, please." Aside from my fear that someone overheard me asking for something called a Fatty Daddy, I knew it was going to be a good afternoon.

My drive to White River Junction went smoothly (except for almost hitting a Dartmouth student who decided that the best place for her to take a selfie was in the middle of the street). When I finally made it back to campus, white plastic to-go bag in hand, I was ready to sink my teeth into whatever was inside.

The Fatty Daddy is a behemoth of burger. A six-ounce Angus beef burger topped with pulled pork, macaroni and cheese, Cabot cheddar, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions and Big Fatty’s homemade barbecue sauce, the Fat Daddy was more of a challenge than a sandwich — a challenge that I was prepared to face head-on.

The burger was delicious from the get-go. After the first bite, I was stunned by the Fat Daddy’s richness of flavor, and I was sure that it would be a satisfying meal. But unlike a fine wine, the Big Fatty did not get better with time: Bite after bite, I found myself overwhelmed with flavor. There was just so much going on. I ended up wishing that I’d opted for slightly simpler fare.

The good news was that the Fatty Daddy came with a side of fries. When I finished my burger, I was excited to indulge in something that in my experience is almost always reliable. In this case, though, I was shocked. The fries were severely undercooked, and lacked any sort of real flavor.

I’m not one to write overly negative comments in my food reviews since I like writing, I like food, and I really like the fact that I get to write about food. But this week has been an exception: Though I enjoyed my meal from Big Daddy’s BBQ, there were some seriously unexpected letdowns. Maybe my choice of burger was partly to blame, but my trip to Big Fatty’s did not leave me wanting more.

2.5 out of 5 stars.


Sam Forstner