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-

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"

Geno's West Coast BBQ

291 W. Main Street
El Cajon

Hmmm. Getting hungry for some barbeque again. Let's try that place over there called "Geno's" that looks like an old Taco Bell restaurant. Might be good.

Actually, I didn't just stroll into Geno's on a whim, but I was hungry. I've heard that this place is pretty good, so in we go. Actually Good Bro #1 beat me to it. He visited here earlier in the day and saved some corn bread for us to analyze back at the cave. I'm gonna have to keep watch on Good Bro #1 trying to get a head start on a review. Man, he's on the BBQ fast track!

I'm sure they don't have a dress code at Geno's, but I think you might feel a little out place if you're not in beachwear. The look here is definitely Pacific Island, maybe Hawaiian? The poor panda bears at the zoo must have been on low food rations for a few days after Geno used up all the bamboo in the county to decorate the restaurant. Hey, don't forget the tiki torches and the artwork on the walls to remind you of your last trip to Hawaii. OK, come on, you're really in El Cajon, see the green cafeteria chairs and the tables. See the little sign on the wall that encourages patience to get your food? OK, let's order.

Whoa! Hey wait a minute. I don't see anything on the menu that looks familiar. That's because most of the food items have been given a name. Kind of cool, but that means you can't just grunt, "gimme pulled pork". No, that one is called the "Wipe Out". "Gimme ribs". Oh, you mean one of the "Shortboards". There are others too like Rip Curl= hot dog, Hang Ten= BLT. For all the "I'm tired of burgers", people out there, rejoice because you can get the "Un-Burger" here. It's a tri-tip sandwich.

So I went with the Wipe Out and a combo rib, chicken dinner with two sides (coleslaw and cornbread). The Wipe Out, pulled pork sandwich with slaw on top, was right up the barrel. I had to give up after eating part of the chicken and ribs though. Not sure if I was just full, they didn't impress me all that much, or I got tired of the soy flavored BBQ sauce. The three sauces are all the same here, only they vary in heat factor. I wouldn't call them teriyaki sauce because to me teriyaki has a more fruity taste. This one has a more sweet molasis and soy sauce flavor. I have to say, the best part of the meal were the side dishes. The block of corn bread was large, had good texture, grilled on both sides, and tasted good. The coleslaw was just the right texture and flavor for me. The garlic bread strips were also good stuff. I smelled them even before I pulled them out of the bag.

Good thing I got in here right before they locked down the place. If you want to drop by to pickup some food, get here before 8:00pm because that's when the doors close and lock for the day. We found that out the hard way last week when we got there at 8:15pm. I'll be back for another Wipe Out and some cornbread. See you there.

C+

Original Roadhouse Grill

9816 Mission Gorge Rd
Santee, CA 92071

Well, to our loyal fan, I want you to know that the Good Bros are not getting soft on our quest to find barbeque. We were on our way to Geno’s but much to our dismay, they decided to close at 8pm. Just our luck, after a hard day’s work we thought that we deserved some good barbeque. So we had to regroup and think fast: A friend said that we should try some ribs at this one place. it wasn’t really known for barbeque but the ribs we worth trying.

The place was Roadhouse Grill - I can think of one thing that was wrong with the name, “grill” that’s not really what we are about. At 8:30pm with not lunch or dinner so far, these are desperate times, and we have to take extreme measures to make sure that we get our nutritional BBQ requirements, so we decided to walk in. The Doors were rocking throughout the place, one of those 15 minute songs hearkening back to an era when musicians could hold a drug-induced trance and still make good music.

“Two for the bar,” the hostess asked. “No, we need a table.” I guess she might be used to the droves of people walking in off of work to have a couple of hours of down time. But we’re the Good Bros. and we mean business. Now if you haven’t been to Roadhouse make sure that you don’t wear your best clothes. As we were told, the place is a sty because of all the peanuts that you can eat and throw on the ground, or at each other. This definitely came in handy as we waited for our St. Louis Ribs and Grilled Shrimp.

Well folks, we gave it a shot. Butlemmetellyawut - the sauce was actually pretty good, a nice tomato-based flavor with some sweet and spicy tones, and a good thick consistency. (Reminiscent of what the Wrangler offered.) One needs as much of this as they can get because the ribs were as dry as a desert and the meat did not have any flavor at all. The chili didn’t seem like they came out of a can but they did have a weird aftertaste. The fresh rolls were warm and sweet, and went well with the even sweeter whipped margarine that they served it with. Yeah, margarine. That’s not the worst of it, the grilled shrimp had a strong pungent gun-powdery smell, like it was shot out of a shotgun to be flash cooked. The dipping sauce wasn’t butter either, it was some kind of lubricant like WD-40.

I guess this all goes with the Americana chain restaurant’s theme. There were classic gas pump replica’s and all kinds of old signage on the wall mixed in with the glowing , neon beer signs. I thought about the poor chaps that sacrificed themselves to make the tables at the joint, what a waste. As we pushed through the doors, Lynard Skynard poured out the speakers and onto the parking out. Our job was done, check this one off the list.

D-

Tyler's Taste of Texas

576 N. 2nd Street
El Cajon

On a mission to fill up the fuel tank for my grill, I was in the neighborhood of Taste of Texas. It was about lunch time, so I decided to drop in and order something to go. If you want to instantly transport yourself to a truck stop somewhere on a lonely Texas highway, this is the place to go. It's full of stuff that says "I'm in Texas". There is a lot of variety on the menu here trying to serve up breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Texas style. They even have a bakery.

I've usually ordered up some version of a combination plate at a lot of the other BBQ places the Good Brothers have reviewed, but I guess I just wasn't hungry enough to try that this time. I ordered a bbq beef sandwich with some coleslaw to go. The sandwich was pretty darn big for the money, unfortunately, the taste was not so big. The filling on this sandwich was chopped bits of yesterday's beef swimming in a dark, sweet BBQ sauce. I was happy to see that I didn't get a BK bun on this one, instead it was a large onion sub roll. The coleslaw was not what I would call good. It was like it had been rinsed a few times then clumped up into my styrofoam container.

Texas is legendary for great BBQ, but I guess you'll have to pack up the wagon and go there to get it because I don't think you'll find it at Taste of Texas. If you make it to the real Texas, can you order up some BBQ for me too?

D

Joey's Smokin' BBQ

4645 Carmel Mtn Rd
San Diego, CA 92130

Did I take a wrong turn and end up at Lightning Jack’s again? No, it’s right, Joey’s Smokin’ BBQ is set in a strip mall between Starbuck’s and Daphne’s with a fountain feature just like Lightning Jack’s, go back and check the review yourself. This place, however, is not set in the Clairemont hood but the much more affluent neighborhood of Torrey Hills in the Carmel Valley area.

Too late for lunch, and too early for dinner, I walked towards an empty store. Luckily, they had something called the Southern Sampler which could give me a taste of their Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, and brisket in one order. The chaps behind the counter recommended the cornbread and beans highly so I took their advice.

As I listened to the bluesy music playing in the background, I looked around my environment and could honestly say that this place didn’t really scream BBQ. In a few more minutes, there they were: my Southern Sliders. I took them to a table outside to catch some of the last hours of light. My, there they were: the plain white bread rolls filled with meat. A small cup of beans, and a birthday “cornbread” cupcake that was too sweet and soggy. How underwhelming. Let’s get back to the chase. The brisket was the most edible, probably because it was still moist. The pulled pork comes in next, and then the chicken was basically inedible because it was dry and tasteless. The spices that were dusted on the meat after cooking was all over the place and it was likely a mix of chili, paprika, and garlic. Sounds better than it tastes. The sauce was used sparingly but tasted artificial. (And this Joey’s Smokin BBQ place is going to be popping up all over San Diego and Orange County over the next year???)

As I trudged through my meal I watched a troupe of teenage girls on their cell phones calling their parents to be picked up. In a few minutes a parade of Mercedes, Volvos, Hummers, and BMW SUVs pickup their corresponding princesses and finally the air is cleared of their celluar-ly intended hormonal banter. I looked out in the distance where a hideous yellow Bently was parked and thought to myself, “Gosh, all that money and you don’t have any taste selecting a proper color for such a car” and then I thought again, “All the money around Torrey Hills and they can’t buy decent BBQ that has any taste.” So there you have it, NO TASTE coming to a strip mall near you. Yay : (

C-

West Coast BBQ

6126 Lake Murray Blvd.
La Mesa, CA 92942

Like a couple of determined gold miners, we hit the BBQ trail again looking for good BBQ. Up to this point we had encountered a lot of setbacks and disappointments, but we weren’t going let up and get ourselves stuck in average BBQ country. We were looking to stake a claim to good BBQ.

Straggling in 15 min before their closing we entered, and couldn’t help but notice that this place was different. It looked very “civilized” compared to other BBQ joints we had visited. I’ve seen this kind of place before. “Yeah”, says Good Bro #1, “Looks like an upscale bakery I’ve been to”. As we were greeted and promptly welcomed to sit at a table, something was nagging at me. Hey, it’s my nose. It’s telling me to pay attention to it. It smells ….. BBQ! Menus were placed in front of us, real honest to goodness menus with pictures, not a piece of paper with print on it that had been through several generations of copying.

Looking at the menu we see that they offer a wide variety of food options in addition to BBQ. Before I get too excited here, let me mention that they also do catering and they have a BBQ express window near the entrance to the restaurant for all those folks that like to take their food to go. After looking at the menu a while, I’m ready to order, but Good Bro #1 wants to have a little shop talk with our server. So I join in and we ask all kinds of questions about recommendations, sides, and BBQ sauces. Surprisingly, our server didn’t show even a pinch of annoyance at all our questions. In fact, she was very helpful at talking over the menu with us.

We both ended up ordering the three meat combo plates with chicken, beef, and ribs and we couldn’t decide on one BBQ sauce, so our server brought out all three. This is a lot of food, since the combo plates also come with two side dishes and a serving of hot bread and butter. The ribs were tasty without BBQ sauce, the beef was a little dry, but still tasty, and same goes for the chicken. The most fun was trying out the three different BBQ sauces, Traditional Texas, Southern Smooth, and Chipotle. Each has it’s merits, but all were pretty darn good. But let's talk consistency, the viscosity of sauce should not be water. Otherwise, I would gladly be pouring my drink on my BBQ. Thankfully, this place understood this concept. The Chipotle sauce had a a nice thick consistency and the taste was surprisingly good. It was the standout but let's not forget the Traditional Texas or the mustardy Southern Smooth. The side dishes were also good. I tried the coleslaw and the baked beans. Good Bro #1 tried the salad, (yes salad he needed some roughage after weeks of eating meats and bread) and the chili.

It was getting late, all the rest of the tables were cleaned up and they were closing the registers. If we stay any longer we're gonna have to do dishes or load the wood into the pit smoker. We both had smiles due to the level of service here and we even got to talk to one of the owners who was genuinely interested in how we liked our meals and was happy to answer any questions we had about the food, the restaurant, or the catering.So if you're in the land of average BBQ, head on over to West Coast BBQ. They'll treat you right, and you'll find the food to be a real treat.

B

Lightning Jack's BBQ

near Pacific Theatres
on Clairemont Mesa Blvd

People have naturally set up towns along the rivers, lakes, and seas. Fish and game could be hunted, crops could be grown and harvested. It was life-giving. As we have "evolved" into what we perceive to be a higher race, we now now gather along the edges of shopping malls to be entertained by movies, spend money on trinkets made in China, and consume average, poorly prepared food from the same restaurants we saw at the last mall ventured to. My how we've grown.

Situated on Clairemont Mesa Blvd along the banks of the Pacific Theatres, a name other than Daphne's and Rubio's stands proud, emblazoned with a flash of lightning. Enter Lightning Jack's! As I walked towards bright neon lights I heard cries of hormonal teenagers, outraged by the unfair grounding of innocent friends and the hope of liberation on Monday.

This was a solo mission, so the kind, smiling people behind the counter were a welcome sight. Low on flow I thought I would just get to business: smoked brisket sandwich and water. As I waited I looked upon a charcoal drawing that I liked could be none other than Jack himself. A somber man. His place was modestly decorated, well-lit and unoffensive. "Turn your face away and walk backwards towards me! Keep going, keep going, keep going.. down one knee, face on the floor" the TV balked.

"Brisket, boss" he said as he handed me a tray. "Thanks." Well, no surprises here. An upgraded BK bun slightly toasted with corn meal sprinkles, filled with tender, sometimes fatty meat with no bark or smoke ring, slathered too generously with KC Masterpiece.

Mediocrity at it's best - we've perfected it.

C