Chef Tim's with Spices10431 Lemon Ave
Suite H
Rancho Cucamonga
909-466-8211
Anybody remember The New Diner's review of Gerald Willhite's Spices BBQ? About two years later Willhite's Spices was bought out and replaced with Chef Tim's with Spices. So I figured I would Chef Tim's a try. Chef Tim's is more a soul food restaurant than BBQ.
I wanted to get an order of pork spare ribs but they ran out. I later found out that the day's batch of pork spare ribs were overcooked and the owner didn't want serve customers bad ribs. I can understand that. I wasn't happy because, I drove out there just for pork ribs and it was late enough in the day that he could have smoked another batch of ribs.
So I did the next best thing, get an order of rib tips, $8.56, with hush puppies and steak fries. Rib tips come from spare ribs. The "tips" are cut off, usually after being smoked, and the long bones are then called St. Louis ribs.
The rib tips had a very heavy oak smoke flavor. Now, as a general rule, I don't like oak wood to be used for BBQ. Why? Oak can be overpowering and had an earthy flavor to the meat. The rib tips are going to be fatty, that's just the nature of the rips. But I wasn't impressed with the rib tips and I really doubt if I would like the ribs.
The hush puppies were great!!! Nice and crispy on the outside and warm, and flavorful on the inside. The steak fries were great too. Crispy on the outside, nice and soft on the inside!!
Service is very good. The people are friendly and helpful.
I wouldn't go back to Chef Tim's for the BBQ. Is Chef Time's better than Willhite's? Yes, but Willhite's is hardly a standard bearer. Would I go to Chef Tim's for soul food? Maybe. But, for me, unless the BBQ is done right, I just don't like BBQ smoked with oak wood.
