Big Ernie's Rib Shack

News Flash!!!
Early reports indicate that a roving BBQ mobile is parking at the Vista Family Fun Fest....End of message.

Sir what should we do? We don't have any BBQ agents assigned to that territory! Relax kid, the Good Bros are already on it.

Yup, even BBQ on wheels can't escape detection by the Good Bros. In this case, we have Big Ernie's Rib Shack. This one has been on our radar for a long time. We were just waiting for it to come out into the open.

Before we even had a chance to taste the food, we stood in awe of the cool BBQ rig that Big Ernie had parked here. Imagine a log cabin with a huge BBQ pit out on the patio, then throw some wheels under it, and you've got yourself a nice setup for making BBQ. Big Ernie and family are here to show us what this rig can do.

As we looked over the menu and looked in our wallets, we found that we didn't have enough cash on hand to put Big Ernie's through a full test. We're gonna have to eat now, get money, and eat later. So we order up a rib combo plate with coleslaw and beans, and a hot link sandwich. The ribs were nicely done with a good smoky aroma and just a tad bit of char on the outside. The interior meat on the ribs was nice and tender, but not falling off the bone. Nice. The side dishes however didn't keep pace with the ribs. The coleslaw was mushy and the beans were just OK. The hot link was showing signs of aging with plenty of wrinkles and well passed retirement. The flavor of the hot link didn't seem to be outstanding either.

After eating, we told Ernie and family that we would be back for more. We reloaded at a nearby ATM and then there were, back at Big Ernie's to try out the beef sandwich. They were surprised to see us again. I guess they confused the Good Bros with ordinary customers.

The beef was good BBQ, with a nice smoke ring on the outer perimeter of the meat. The bun though really dragged down the quality of the sandwich. Yup, a BK bun again. Sad. The BBQ sauce was homemade, but the flavor didn't strike us as outstanding, it was sweet but one-dimensional. I preferred not using the BBQ sauce after just a few tastes of it.

All in all, Big Ernie's has got a good thing going, but still needs some work. Over and out.

C-

Mesquite Restaurant

9932 Mercy Road, Suite 108
San Diego, CA 92129
(858)693-6913

A light blue glow emanating from the neon sign above Mesquite beckons you to come in. Inside, a large mural of fish against a dark blue wall sit stark while the patrons sit on cush couches. This is no run of the mill bbq joint - it's hoidy toidy.

The main clientèle of Mesquite are the business class of people doing work in the Scripps Poway area. The prices show it - I would only approach this if I was on per diem. I was not on per diem and so I decided to take this food to go and avoid the tip. You can call me cheap but at least I know I'm poor.

The cooking technique here is straight forward but good. I'm hard pressed to call it barbecue. Their own description says "All entrees cooked over mesquite wood fire in our custom made rotisserie and cast iron grill." Grill I tell you!

With the Baby Back Ribs coming in at over $23 and me on my own, I figured that I should go for the Half Rotisserie Chicken at a meager $16, expecting good chicken, finally. Well, I can tell you that Costco sells just about the same chicken for $5. Really, the outer skin smelled great with that mesquite but the inside was just like Costco. The black beans were almost too healthy for my taste. The standout was the Green Chile Garlic sauce - it was a bright green sauce with a nice zing to it. The BBQ sauce actually didn't match the chicken at all. This might not be real bbq but it is okay if you like to pay for ambiance.

C

Crooms's Catering and BBQ

573 “H” Street
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(Across from the Chula Vista Mall)
(619) 585-7072 phone

Croom’s Catering & BBQ was established in 1993 as C&M Custom Party Planners. Since then they have been diversifying into a BBQ restaurant, cakes, and travel. I don't know how those got mixed together but I guess if you have the means and the know how, you do it!

Maybe the Good Bros. can work with them to put a BBQ tour that takes you all over So. Cal tasting BBQ? You can ask for the C grade tour or the B grade tour.

Croom's was voted "BEST RIBS" at the Barona Ribfest 2005 so we invited a few people with us who were all revved up to have some BBQ and then they found out we were taking them to... Chula Vista. The parking lot said much, the broken sign, the shoes on the power lines hung by the laces, a fascinating glue pattern on the wall.


Once you walk in, the Gospel music puts you in a festive mood and the Crooms welcome you with a smile - that is if you are from around there. When we walked in, they looked at us like we were lost. I guess we stick out of the crowd. There's a lot of love in this place and in the short time we were there they took the time to feed the hungry and give some food away - Thank you Jesus! It's nice to see that some people are bold enough to wear their belief on their sleeve in a society that goes out of their way to criticize and stereotype any believer. Interestingly enough the place also has lasagna - I stopped myself from asking if it was smoked.

The first look at the food and my heart stopped - this sure looks like Huffman's. That's a bad thing. It's said that they have an outdoor pit to smoke the meats but you wouldn't know it because of how much sauce is on it. The sauce was a sour flavor, very acidic, Good Bro 2 got his variety spicy and he paid for it - it was hot! The ribs were not what we expected considering a contest win but maybe that shows that the Good Bros have a chance. The chicken suffered much the same problem that the ribs had - too much sauce. The beef sandwich was the same too much sauce and the beef was really tough. It was very nice of the cook to come out and check on us and see how things were going. I couldn't resist smiling and saying everything's great. There's just an energy about the place. Actually, there were some highlights to the place: the cornbread and the beans.

The beans were the one thing that I would stop for if I was around the town. It's a bit of the drive from North County but man, those beans were good. Remember that when you are in Chula Vista selling off your used car, stop by say hello to the Crooms and get some beans and cornbread on your way home and get your spirits lifted.

D+