 FOODFat Guys know how to eat
KELLY HOUSEN | SPARK 08/10/2005
The very homey home of the 1-pound burger: 2 Fat Guys American Grill in Hockessin. Not-so-fat guys: owners Tom Craft and Jeff Cook.
You should have a pretty good idea of what to expect when the restaurant is called 2 Fat Guys. Do not go in looking for pitas or lowfat turkey breast. But it's still easy to miss it when you're driving by. My dining buddy and I were not paying close enough attention and realized we missed the restaurant when we saw the "Welcome to Pennsylvania " sign. Be aware. After we backtracked and walked inside, we were greeted right away and chose to sit in main dining room instead of the tables near the bar. The yellow walls offset the black and white checkered tablecloths, giving it a casual and homey atmosphere. Though the jumbo loaded cheese fries ($9.99) looked appealing, we decided to go with an order of their wings ($7.99) to start. The menu said the wings were "award-winning." I would be the judge of that. Not feeling brave enough to try the nuclear wings, we decided to just stick with "hot." And they did come out of the kitchen piping hot. The wings were huge -- representing the sacrifice of some well-fed chickens -- and the hot sauce was spicy enough to give it a good kick, but not so hot that it overwhelmed the flavor. These wings were deserving of whatever award they received. Slightly overwhelmed by the number of choices on the menu, I asked our server what she recommended. The fallin' off the bone ribs ($17.99) topped her list. She also recommended the burgers, but warned me that if I ordered one, I'd better be hungry. My first thought was to go with the fajita chicken sandwich ($7.99), but I decided that was too healthy-sounding in this place. And, warning in mind, I wasn't prepared to tackle the 2 Fat Guys burger ($10.99), which contains a full pound of beef, but decided to go with the fajita burger ($8.49). The words "falling off the bone," sold my dining buddy on a full rack of ribs. (You can also get a half rack of ribs for $13.99, if you're not that hungry.) The food came out fast and hot. My burger was a little spicy and very juicy. It was piled with sauteed peppers and a ton of jack cheese. (It comes with onions too, but I got mine without them, due to a neurological disorder that prevents me from ordering something exactly the way it appears on the menu. My server was very accommodating about my special requests.) The plate was piled high with french fries that were crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. My dining buddy's rack of ribs was so big that it wouldn't fit on the plate, so they had to break a piece off and pile it on top of the other ribs. They really were falling off the bone, and the poached pear and molasses barbecue sauce made them a little sweeter than regular ribs. I stole a rib from my dining buddy, and when I took a bite, the meat was juicy, tender and then just melted in my mouth. I didn't even make it halfway through my huge burger because I was saving room for dessert, the grilled marinated pineapple ($4.99). They marinate the pineapple in brown sugar and banana liquor and serve it with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Delish. Fat guys, it would seem, know what they're doing when it comes to food.
2 FAT GUYS AMERICAN GRILL
Wellington Plaza
701 Ace Memorial Drive, Hockessin
235-0333
www.2fatguys.net Hours: 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Monday-Thursday
11 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday
12 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday Cuisine: American
Dress code: Casual
What you need to know:
Lunch
Dinner
Late-night eats
Dine at the bar
Good for kids
Good for groups
Open seven days
Jeans are OK
Outdoor seating
Accessible
Dessert menu
Takeout
INSIDER TIPS
Save room for dessert
The dessert menu is not huge, but what they do, they do right. Especially when grilled pineapple is involved. Dont' be afraid to ask
The menu is large, so if you're not sure what you want, ask your server what they think looks good. They see all the food coming out of the kitchen, so they know what looks good on any given day. (We had a server who really knew what she was talking about.)
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