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.

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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.

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