Beach Pit BBQ

560 El Camino Real
(Old Town) Tustin, CA 92780
714.929.RIBS phone

A spin of the ol' Urbanspoon and twitch of an eye and out and on the road again to make sure that our fan, our one and only fan, would not be let down by the Good Bros. No we never give up! We will find BBQ wherever it may be hiding. Now this place here in Old Town Tustin wouldn't be called obscure. Never mind the fact that no one was in the joint. But hey, it was past lunch time when I walked into the joint so I won't blame them. Many people have lauded this place as THE BBQ spot so that's why I was here to inspect.

I gotta admit, it's cool lookin' with its fake grass lawn and chairs with a tin roof rusted and exposed rafters. And I will say the service was friendly. It's even the spot to bring your special carnivorous someone on Valentine's Day. Oh, to be so lucky...

Now this is the spot where the slashing and smashing begins and fans of this place will begin to type furious comments about how unfair we are and how little we know. But ye have little faith. You see, I actually like the place; its nice enough that you can bring friends here who don't like barbecue, there was an adequate amount of blues playing the entire time, the Chicken Tortilla Soup had real chicken pieces in it, the cornbread had blueberries at the bottom and it wasn't in the shape of a cup cake, the bread was even grilled. I inspected the pulled pork and it even had bark and signs of pink smoke ring, albeit it was chopped instead of pulled, and even slightly dry - signs that it may have actually sat in a smoker for some time.

Yes, I will say, this was passable BBQ. I didn't see smoke rising from the top of its' stacks but I will assume it from the cooking. I would go here again and those who haven't, should try it. Its still no Lucille's, Brett's, or West Coast but I will choose this over SOUTH in the mouth any day.

Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon

24231 Avenida de la Carlotta
Laguna Hills CA, 92653
949-951-8687

Okay so Good Bro 2 has been talking about this place... Lone Star. There are places in Texas that go by the name and he says he spotted one off the I-5 North. He also gets a gift of this one napkin of none other than Lone Star. Oooo like the stars are lining up or something. Well he's too busy this past weekend to do anything but I decide to do what I was born to do - eat barbeque. Since I'm going to go solo, I figure it's only appropriate that I go to Lone Star.


Well, lemmetellyuawat - I may have been heading north, but it was all SOUTH from there. No, it's not barbecue. No, there's no flavor in any of their food. It's kinda what I expect from an aunt or uncle who doesn't know how to cook but they want to shove food in your face. Yeah, that good. It think that its best competition is Roadhouse Grill. The chicken was tasteless, and gave my knife a fight. The chicken was splayed with that harder connective tissue or cartilage in the middle. The bread was undercooked, but I think they knew that and were trying to fix that problem.

However, it's not fair to say that everything was bad - because that's not true. If your server is Shannon, then you should be getting the best service in town. Always comes to you with a smile and even brought a second refill before I was done with the first, she was the best dinner help I've had since Tamara at Lucille's. So look out for that, there's always a gem.

Next time, I'm using my gut feeling - heck even Urbanspoon was telling me to go to Beach Pit Barbecue. So, stay tuned fellow Good Bro-ers

Rating: SOUTH

KC's BarBQ

Stowe Plaza
14077 Stowe Drive, Suite 107
Poway, CA 92064
(858) 391-1524

Now we haven't gone and started reviewing dim sum or french pastries just yet. Oh no, no, no... we're the Good Bros. dang it! So we were going incognito to a new place that opened up in San Diego. KC's in Poway is difficult to begin with because San Diego already has a KC and it's in downtown San Diego. Okay, so that one got grilled but they say they will be back - probably without the Top Gun memorabilia they once had. Hmm..... maybe they're gonna have to actually make good barbecue. Nah, you don't need good food to keep your doors open at all! Just take Lumpy's for instance...

Back on point, KC's in Poway was created to serve the many employees of the business park that surrounds it and the feeding frenzy that happens between 10:00 a.m. for slackers and 2:00 p.m. for workaholics. They are open longer Mon- Fri if you had any doubt.


From Brisket Salads to Chipotle Veggie Burgers and Smoked Ham Sandwiches, this place should satisfy a variety of needs so your coworkers who have to go to Chipotle EVERY day might even try it. But let me say, that if I brought my coworkers here... they better be good friends because they might not like you after. I certainly didn't like my Pulled Pork Sandwich! The pork had a sweet sauce on it that was reminiscent of a mango puree. Yes, it was orange. Did I mention that they had hot sauce too They did, and not like a hot barbecue sauce, but a hot sauce - like for rolled tacos! So bring your rolled taco here and enjoy them too!

Pork- texture resembling a mop, topped off with a soft, untoasted bun. After this incident I think I am no longer grading fries because all the fries in the San Diego area seem to come from the same location. Good Bro 2 had the Brisket and suffered the same consequences - this food sat in our stomachs for at least a day and a half. So if this is your idea of a good meal, have at it!

Bar-B-Que House

5025 Newport Ave
San Diego, CA 92107
(619) 222-4311


OK, it's not really a house, but they do serve BBQ. The great thing is that it's just a few flip-flop steps from the beach, which means that if your fishing trip out in the Pacific didn't turn up a worthwhile dinner catch, you can head over to the Bar-B-Que House and load up on some smoky beef, chicken, or pulled pork. Being so close to the beach, you might think that this store location would be better suited as a fish taco hut, surf shop, or a place selling unusual trinkets. You would change your mind about that pretty fast after seeing the constant flow of people coming in here craving another shot of that smoky beef and some good 'ole side dishes.

It's actually a pretty smart thing putting a BBQ place right in the center of crowds of people who have had enough smelling salty air and funky crustaceans. It's kind of like the time I decided to have some Chinese food when in Italy after eating Italian food all week. With BBQ being a tried and true food category, this was genius setting up shop here in OB.

The restaurant is what I would expect in a beachfront area, small and casual. They've got a see-through counter so you can actually watch them chopping, slicing, scooping and pouring when fixing your meal. OK, I'm ready to try this place out. Send some pulled pork my way bro.

Good Bro #1 decided to go with a beef sandwich with a side of onion rings. I went with the pulled pork sandwich with a side of BBQ beans. Usually I would have to try out the coleslaw, but they already piled that on my sandwich. When we got our food, I thought that Good Bro #1 made the right choice. The beef sandwich looked and smelled pretty good, and the onion rings were really making me hungry. I was happy to see that they had the better sense here of using real buns instead of BK buns like some places use. The BBQ beef sandwich here is pretty good. The pulled pork was OK, but was a little mushy and lacking a good smokiness to it. The onion rings are worth getting, but I was unsure of the beans. They were a little to sweet for me. It could be that my tongue was already being affected by the salty air and making things seem overly sweet. Maybe I'll have to try the beans again, but take it go and eat it up at Balboa Park.

So, when in OB and stomach calls for a food infusion, head on over to Bar-B-Que House and get in line. You won't have to wait too long before you hear "BBQ's ready!"

C

Baby Blues BBQ

444 Lincoln Bl.
Venice, CA
310 396-7675

Ah yes, BBQ has never been so hot. Here in this hipster, low key BBQ joint is one fun dining experience. Yes, the meat here is real and I've been here a few times now and I can say that when it's on - it's ON. Like anyplace, there are some off nights. But I'll tell you what's off the hizzay and that's the servers. Fit and beautiful they serve future beer-bellied patrons their portions of succulent smoked meats and prepared sides to everyone's delight. And by everyone, I just mean me, because I can only speak for myself on this.

Corn bread is present here, as are the collard greens and shrimp, ribs, mac and cheese, and what have you. The puled pork is a little too wet in my opinion although the flavor is good. Brisket is a little tough when I had some but again, good flavor. I had the Lasker Burger once and I respect them highly for using artisan bread for the bun. This place has some class and then it's got raunch - take the hot Porno Sauce for example.

If you make it here to Venice in the LA area, head over and check this out. There are plenty of barbecue places in LA but very few that are as fun as Baby Blues.

B-

Brett's BBQ: Revisited

10550 Craftsman Way #185
San Diego, Ca 92127

Back in July 2007 we reviewed a new place called: Brett's BBQ. We liked it, didn't like it, liked it, brought more people to it who liked it, and liked it a little more.

The bottom line is this: we gave them a C+ and B-, waffling back and forth. But here's the kicker, I find myself going back for more and that's saying something. So, to set the record straight we want to say this: These guys are the real deal. This is barbeque, people - and it's CERTIFIED.

Hogg's Beach BBQ

1158 West San Marcos Boulevard,Suite #104
San Marcos, CA. 92078
760-510-9254

One thing seemed completely wrong immediately when we heard of this place: it's called "Beach" BBQ and they are in San Marcos. To be completely honest, this location is actually the 2nd of 2 stores, the first one being in La Jolla - which is in fact a beach town. But I've done some due diligence and fount out that the restaurant formally known for BBQ is now known for pizza. Yes, apparently, someone took it over or this that and the other, and now the place is called Extreme Pizza or Z Pizza whatever - in any case, the guy on the phone says that they don't have BBQ anymore but the do carry BBQ pizza which is very good. I asked him that that was smoked and he said, "well, no."

So on to #2 and what we got was... well, #2. This review was the second of the day and the first had already done us in a little bit so we were a little queasy. We decided to take on a classic - the pulled pork sandwich. Yes, this little number will set you back about $6 and the guy behind the counter thought we were dumb for taking so long to decide but some things are worth the wait. I will let you know when I find out what that is. What the guy prepared for us was some toasted BK bun with some "meat" whose texture could be described as a wet mop with a touch of barbecue flavoring.

We trudged through this tragedy, downing some of the hot sauce that only provided heat but no comfort and walked outside to the car only to find that the sandwich had one more trick up it's sleeve. Yes, aftertaste. This was south in the mouth for sure and if I were to expound on my previous tirade, this sandwich would be succinctly described as a "DIRTY wet mop."

Franically looking for something tosave us from this torture I reached deep into the door pockets to find two old, hard pieces of peppermint gum - ah, salvation at last.

D+

Fat Ivor's

Valley Center Rd
Valley Center, CA 92082
(760) 749-0600

Sure, there's a restaurant called Fat's. There's even one called Ivor's. This one is both. Yup, we confirmed it does exist, it's doors are open, and they serve BBQ. Plug into GPS nav, aka "Magic Box", and let's hit the road Good Bros!

Magic Box was showing that we would find this place way out past fast food row. A sad site pretty common these days. Major streets littered with fast food restaurants and other unappetizing food fair. We don't want pre-cooked food served up in one minute or less. I have a microwave at home for that. We're looking for some low and slow, classic BBQ. Keep driving. Fat Ivor's ETA in 15 minutes.

We pulled into the parking lot and saw the BBQ smokers parked off to the side. Yup, this is the place. If you're a fan of nostalgic western artwork and photographs, this place will have you grinning from ear to ear. If you're a fan of "The Duke" - John Wayne, or maybe Ronald Reagan's cowboy adventures, you would probably enjoy coming here just to check out the pictures. Fat Ivor's apparently burned down in the past, but the owners strapped on their boots and rebuilt the place. We're ready to give it a shot.

We ordered up some BBQ chicken and a pulled pork sandwich with some coleslaw, beans, and steak fries. The pulled pork is a misnomer as it was actually "sliced Carl Budding luncheon meat pork" and didn't have a nice smoky aroma or flavor. The chicken was OK, but only because of the BBQ sauce. It didn't have much of a smoky flavor to it either. The steak fries were the best of the side dishes, but the coleslaw and beans were disappointing.

Fat Ivor's is an interesting little place and off the beaten path. The crew that works here are welcoming and the wall art worth a look. Just don't get your hopes up of having top notch BBQ.
Happy BBQ trails.

C-

Chris & Pitts No. 15

601 N Euclid St
Anaheim, CA92801
(714) 635-2601

Some people think that mad scientists build time machines out of Deloreans. I beg to differ, I say that they are made out of Chris and Pitts Bar-B-Q restaurants. Ask someone who grew up in Orange and LA County about barbecue and someone is guaranteed to mention Chris & Pitts. There are several that dot the landscape and the one that is graded here is the one in Anaheim. This way back machine took me back to a childhood I never had: one with brown, vinyl, buttoned crescent bench seats, faux-wood paneling, ceiling fans, fake green plants, sticky tables and a hint of “musty”.

As I glanced over the menu, it seemed like it went on and on, this was one large menu! However, for the literacy impaired it was also littered with a plethora of unflattering but realistic photographs of your lunchtime possibilities. Marge took my order (or her name could have been Marge) as I pondered over the Texas Hickory Smoked Bar-B-Q Ribs and the Bar-B-Q Brisket. But then I found the HAM! I asked Marge if the ham was smoked. It was so good of her to go the back and ask the cook. She returned with an affirmative and so it was done.

As the other patrons reprimanded their children for spilling their drinks, then reprimanded their spouse, while failing completely to reprimand themselves, I sat in my booth and tried to sit still. Every time I moved the seat creaked and made noises that sounded rude. Finally, Marge returned with my ham sandwich.

This was comfort food. Greasy, overly buttered bread, somewhat smoked ham and fries. I’m sure I walked out of there 10 lbs. heavier, I had begun the process of becoming like other guests. I started my car and quickly headed out to Disneyland to walk a few miles and burn some calories in a utopia of stressed, shouting parents and screaming children.

C-

Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill

El Paseo Plaza
22352 El Paseo
Rancho Santa Margarita

If you're ever unsure if a place serves up real BBQ, do what we did and call the place. "Hello. Yeah, we're really hungry for some good BBQ. Do you smoke the meat there? Answer: Yes, we have a two step process where we smoke the meat for hours overnight, then grill it before we serve it." Thanks, that's what we needed to know. Magic Box, take us there, Now!

Little did we know that this place was a real road trek from where were had called from. We headed north, through a valley of trailer parks, then up and over a couple of mountain ranges, clung to the single lane that was still in place since the other side crumbled into the wash below, up over another hill with sweeping views and multi-million dollar homes, then into some utopian suburban neighborhood filled with well-preened, well-to-do's with seemingly matching bleach-blond coiffures. Where the heck is this place! Finally, we found it, after about an hour and a half trek. This better be good!

The interior of this restaurant is of a modern architectural style with a combination of exposed wood, rock, and metallic surfaces. Although the service staff here are all dressed head to toe in black, slacks and collar shirts with ties. Is this really BBQ? As Good Bro #1 and I talk about our trek through the social-economic cross section of America to get here, our server appears. "Welcome to Wood Ranch. Can I start you off with something to drink?" I say, I'll have an ice tea. Unexpectedly, I got another question from our server, "Regular or passion?" Uh, what? I'll just stick with the regular, thanks. It was a bit noisy in the restaurant at the time, but did he say passion? Oh well. We've ordered up some thin fried onion strings, and a combination plate with beef ribs, pork ribs, and tri-tip with beans and coleslaw on the side.

Let the grading begin. The onion strings here were excellent. They were sliced very thin, were crispy, and not very oily. We would later find that the onion strings would reheat well and would be perfect to use for a good ol' fashioned green bean casserole. The ribs were tasty, with hints of spiciness, and not overcooked, but we both had a problem with the smothering sauce. Although I thought the sauce was pretty tasty, there was just too much of it coating the ribs - an unsettling common form of malpractice amongst the barbecue greats. The coleslaw was fresh and crunchy with peanuts and a tangy taste. The beans were also pretty good. The best on the dish was definitely the tri-tip. This was hands down the best tri-tip I have ever had with a nice smoky aroma and very tender. The Good Bros like cornbread, but we didn't see that option on the menu. : (

We left here with some leftovers in a bag that seemed worthy of treasures from Fashion Valley Mall and felt happy that the long trek here was at least worth it. Maybe we'll see a Wood Ranch open up in San Diego territory sometime. Time to drive home.

B+

Sweet Lumpy's BBQ

28464 Old Town Front St.
Temecula, CA 92590

There were big plans for this weekend and I'm not talking about partying. Partying is for college students who have not figured out yet that they have to make something of themselves before their student loans have to be paid back. No, these were plans for the focused type: the kind of effort that separates the weak from the strong, the bbq eaters from the aficionados. One free Saturday meant that it was time to head out to new territory. We were only sure of one target but we knew that Magic Box could take us to more options to fill the day.

A spirited ride to Old Town Front street took us to a thriving, pleasant, tourist trap known as Old Temecula. Temecula is known more for its wine country, a closer stopping off place for those who don't have the time or money for a Napa Valley tour. Little known to us, but if you wanted to get a dose of Wild West, this was the place to be. It looked like a new development versus the beautiful old wreck that you might find at Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Town.

Toward the north end of the street is a place called Sweet Lumpy's, winner of the best ribs in the Inland Empire 2005 and Best Barbecue Restaurant on the Inland Empire 2006. It also sports a Barona award for ribs. The shop's patio welcomes you with a pleasant slotted roof covering, wood deck, and a slew of clever bbq memorabilia on the inside with scent of smoke tickling your olfactory. I'm excited. Looking over the menu and I could not resist the choices, I decided to go for the sampler: a plate of brisket, hot link, pulled pork, and ribs - goodness. WE'RE ALL IN BABY! Beans and sweet potato were the sides of choice as cornbread was already included. At $25 or so it was pricey but worth it - it's the first time it seems like I could get everything I wanted in one order.

Our number was called several times I would guess, but I was busy talking up how cool the place was and didn't hear it. I picked up the order and took it back to the table. We divied up the spoils and started to dig in. There was a little bit of pinkish sauce over the soggy, stringy, pulled pork. "Plop!" as I put some on good bros 2 plate. The taste of the sauce could only be described as one thing: SWEET AND SOUR. You know, like the La Choy variety!?! The brisket was also moist, but moist in a steamed kind of way, much like how I was starting to feel. Hot links are some of my favorite and this one had a nice carbon crusted exterior with a little sauce caramelized on it. As the knife pierced the link, the hot-dog-esque interior was exposed and so were Lumpy's inadequacies. I put that link in my mouth and nearly lost my breakfast. The taste was repulsive. The gooeyness of the cooked on sauce was sickening and I fought my body's desire to rid itself of this offense. I can only imagine that this must be what "cheesy feet smell" must taste like - it was that BAD.

I stupidly found some inner strength to look civilized around the other diners, only to try the sweet potatoes next. As a lifted lump of the strangely iridescent, "Cheetos orange" colored potatoes (you can't see that in the picture), I was distracted by the stringiness. It seems almost as if they had murdered a sweet potato that was trying to set its next progeny of taters in process. I need a break from this, maybe the corn bread would be a haven from this hellishness. As I cut the bread in half i came to a sad realization, the bread was sticky. I know spoonbread variates of corn bread and I actually like those but this was not that, it was undercooked yellow cake.

What was going on here? This place is buzzing with people? There is no way I could even finish this meal! I put my fork down and realized that I had been duped, Sweet Lumpy's is like a siren attracting visitors with a sweet facade only to rob you of your hard earned money in trade for a plate of dog food. It could only mean one thing:

F

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+

Ramon's Smokehouse BBQ

1730 Alpine Blvd
Alpine, CA

Are we just gonna sit here like bumps on a pickle and wish we were back at Lucille's for some pulled pork and fried onion strings. No. There's work to be done. BBQ to be explored. Spin the wheel and let's see who's next. The wheel is spinning slower, and slower ....... and the winner is.... Ramon's Smokehouse.
Let's go!

This place was a little bit of a drive, but hey, the Good Bros have travelled farther than this to find good BBQ. We actually drove past this place because it's tucked away in the corner of a little shopping center, almost embarrassed to show itself. Eventually we double-backed and found it, not by our usual method of "follow your nose", but through the keen eyesight of Good Bro #1. He spotted the little sign out front.

Ramon's looks like a small town restaurant, with the seating capacity for a about a van-load of people. The restaurant is very "dog themed", specifically chihuahuas. There was a slight smell of smoke in the air, but is it going to be on the meat? Who knows? Let's order.

Dr. Q and his assistant were with us on this outing, which meant we could try just about everything on the menu. The list of food we ordered included beef ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, and hot links. To our disappointment, nothing was worth trying a second time. The brisket, pulled pork, and hot links had no apparent smokiness to them. Alright ribs, it's up to you. Can you save the day? Not today. The ribs did have a smokiness to them, but they were dry and fatty at the same time. The BBQ sauce here was another Wrangler version with quite a bit more vinegar taste. The coleslaw, looking wilted and worn out, was a big disappointment to me because I like coleslaw. The beans were OK, if you don't expect too much, but nowhere near the full, smoky flavor of a great bowl of beans. Good Bro #1 took the time to really enjoy the corn bread muffin, it was chewy and tough like something that would be reheated.

The one thing Ramon's has going for it is that it is original. It's not just another fast food BBQ joint like many others spouting up all over town. It also provides a place for people in Alpine to go get their BBQ fix, if they're within walking distance. If you are a hunter, you can smoke your bird for $1.25 per pound - what a deal! If you have the keys to the van though, load up and head out to one of the few good BBQ places we've reviewed. Have fun on the BBQ trail.

D+

Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ

7411 Carson St.
Long Beach, CA 90808
562-938-RIBS (7427)
www.lucillesbbq.com

You can call the Good Bros all kinds of things, but you can't call them quitters! Apparently, finding "A" grade BBQ in San Diego is as hard as getting the stock market to settle on the price of pork bellies. Out of necessity, it was time to expand our horizons and search for BBQ in unexplored lands. But where to go? No worry, we will use our handy Magic Box* to direct us to new northern frontiers. "Magic Box, we need BBQ in near Buena Park" So, we plugged in our destination - Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ.

"Destination, 5,3mi. Turn left in 500ft and prepare to merge right"

As amazing as Magic Box is, it can only tell us WHERE, not HOW GOOD. Once Magic Box told us we had arrived at our destination, squinting at a sea of neon glow. We drove through the maze of cookie cutter shops and restaurants looking frantically for our prize, and there it was: Lucille's. Smoke rises from the stack, and Tamara the White welcomes and invites us in.

To our disappointment, we couldn't be seated immediately at a table, so we were handed a branded pager and waited. This part was a little tough for the Good Bros. since we both were still on edge after several roller coaster rides and the BBQ debacle we refer to as Joe Cool's Big Mistake. Thankfully, the wait was actually good for us and helped us focus on the task at hand.

The waiting room at Lucille's, unlike many other restaurants, felt a lot like the back patio of a comfortable house. All rattan on the inside, and 50's diner seating in the bar called When Pigs Fly - this was our home for 20 minutes. After a long day, sitting on a comfy wicker couch almost made us forget that we came here to try the food. Buzzzzzzzzzz. Our table is ready!


Our table #1 was next to the Zagat survey plaques and the door. Seemed like Lucille was trying to say "like it or get out." Once seated, we were eager to look over the menus. Wow! Look at all the food options here. After several minutes of tossing around ideas of what to eat, and some helpful suggestions, we were set. I'll take an order of the pulled pork sandwich with the coleslaw and baked beans. Good Bro #1 is going with the beef brisket and sweet potatoes. Oh, the fried shoestring red onion appetizer looks too good to pass up. We'll take an order of that to keep us company in the meantime.

As Tamara approached, we were glad we didn't stay on the comfy couch in the waiting room. Our playfully, patient server brought the food just as we finished gorging ourselves on fresh bread and apple butter. The food looked really good, and the aroma of real BBQ told us was time to eat. One whiff of the pulled pork and you can smell that hickory smoke. It was good enough to put in your pocket or wear it as a mustache. The brisket looked good, but seemed a little tough and oily. Good Bro #1 claimed that it melts in your mouth if you kept it in the side like chewing tobacco. The sweet potatoes had good color and texture, good enough satisfy the craving of mashed potatoes and a dessert. This BBQ joint didn't have cornbread - don't know why. But they might as well not have coleslaw either. The coleslaw didn't have that slightly sweet tangy taste, but was really just a small stack of freshly grated cabbage and nuts better suited for fish tacos. We didn't think the BBQ sauces were much to brag about either. Twist off the sticky cap, one taste and it was confirmed - ketchup and corn syrup. Didn't bother us though since the pulled pork and brisket, with that great smoky aroma, tasted fine without the sauce.

The service here was great, although our server seemed scared of us. (We got excited about the scent of hickory that filled the restaurant when the smoker was being loaded.) She hung in there and made our dining experience here fun. Thanks Lucille for the great time, and the great food. As we say,
"See you next Saturday!"

B+

* a cell phone with navigation service, affectionately called "Magic Box"