FOOD: Shane's Rib Shack @The Avenue Viera

I received a postcard for the Grand Opening of Shane's Rib Shack at the Avenue nearby. It had a couple of really good coupons, and since I had to get out of the house today (bad neighbor's dogs barking again), I headed out that way to give Shane's a try.


I got a large combo, which I think means "larger drink" because my coleslaw portion wasn't as large as I imagined, but that's okay because it didn't have much of a taste.


Still, I would still consider it the healthy part of my meal, because the buttered Texas toast sandwich wasn't too healthy of a portion -- the name "Big Daddy" proved to be a misnomer.

And the bread was on the was-crispy-a-few-minutes-ago-but-not-anymore side; and the shredded pork meat had no flavor until I emptied a third of the squeeze bottle of "Shane's Original BBQ Sauce" on top of it, which I believe is a bad sign... it's like asking for ketchup at a French restaurant or telling an Asian that "all it needs is some extra soy sauce".

Needless to say, I was underwhelmed by the dining experience. The staff there were not particularly chipper, which could be due to it's being a Sunday afternoon and, the way the counter is directed, them having to face quite a nasty sun.

The mundane service does kinda reflects the mood of Melbourne. And once again, I realized that I seriously need a vacation... or at least something more exotic than this undersized and flavorless meal.

Too bad.