Smoke City Market-Closed

Smoke City Market
5424 Van Nuys Blvd
Sherman Oaks
818-855-1280

Smoke City Market was suppose to open, at least according to an LA Eater story, back in September. That didn't happen.

Then according to their Facebook page, they were going to have a soft opening on October 28th. That didn't happen.

But, finally Smoke City opened on November 4th. A friend who lives nearby told me about the opening, and a group of us dropped in.

This is billed as a Texas style BBQ, mean brisket and beef are king. But the Texas BBQ I like, is smoked with mesquite. Smoke City meats are smoked with oak.

All meats are sold by the pound and are very pricey. $18/lb for beef ribs, $8.25/lb for brisket, and $8.50/lb for baby back ribs.




I'm all about pork ribs, I prefer spare ribs but baby backs are fine. This half rack of baby back ribs was dry, salty, and just overpowered with smoke. Smoke should enhance the flavor of the meat, not overwhelm it. There was very little to no rub, but the salt and pepper seasoning was too heavy on the salt. The ribs, actually all the meats, were dry because they had been sitting in a warmer for too long.

This was not worth the $8.50/lb price.




The beef ribs at $18/lb, must be the most overpriced BBQ meat I have ever had. The ribs were huge, I'll give them that. But otherwise, it was dry, fatty, and lacked flavor. I rib I got was slightly over a pound and not worth the roughly $20 price tag.



The brisket is the best meat, I had at Smoke City. They have three selections of brisket. Lean, moist, and cutter's choice. The cutter's choice is a mixture of the lean and moist brisket. The brisket was a bit fatty. Look, I know brisket has a lot of fat. But when the right pitmaster works on the a cut of meat, he can turn that fat into flavor. The moist brisket was more fatty, than the lean, but still too much fat. The lean brisket was dry, and while it didn't have as much fat, it was too dry.

But, for three people our bill came to $100!!! This was not worth $100, not even half that amount. Ok, I'll grant you, we didn't have to order the beef ribs at $18/lb. But even at that price, we got about 3lbs, that's still $40 for a lb of brisket and half rack of baby back ribs and a few sides, which I didn't touch. The last time I went to Dr. Hogly Wogly, I was able to get a brisket and beef rib combo, with two sides for about $20 and their brisket and beef ribs are much better than Smoke City.

Service was very good at the restaurant. The people are nice and friendly and they really want you to enjoy your dining experience. But, while their use of
Facebook is a good thing, what good is it, if you give the wrong information. They were suppose to have a soft opening on Oct. 28th, this is their post:

"Smoke City Market Hey Fans!!! We are ready!!! After all this time, effort, and research we will be opening our doors for a soft launch on Thursday, October 28th! Thank you all for your support and we can not wait to serve you!
October 24 at 9:51pm"

But that soft launch didn't happen. The food trucks are using Twitter and Facebook to get the word out. If the trucks tweeted they were going to be at a location at 7pm and didn't show, they wouldn't have many customers anymore. Thus it's important to have accurate information!! Look, I know it's a pain to get permits and other things. But at least inform the people by updating the Facebook page.

I wish Smoke City Market, success. I hope they do well. They are nice people in person. But the high prices, poor quality of BBQ, and not giving accurate information on social websites, are three strikes against them. I won't go back here and to be honest, I would be shocked if Smoke City is still open next November 4th.

The Smokin Joint BBQ-Closed

The Smokin Joint BBQ
8486 W. 3rd St
Los Angeles
323-655-7427

September 11, 2009. I can never forget what happened on September 11, 2001. Everything I did that day is still perfectly clear, today eight years later. The anger I felt that day is still there. I try and make it a point to be more friendly to others, but most times the anger I still feel comes out. That is wrong but can you blame me? I stood there in shock at the site of that black smoke rising against that blue sky. I saw neighbors going through a living hell. I saw heroes who died just doing what they do. I saw 40 heroes on a flight that fight back.

I saw heroes like Pablo Ortiz, who led many people to stairwells but never once taking the stairs himself.

I saw heroes like air traffic controllers, who landed every plane in North America airspace in three hours. Thus preventing any further attacks.

Today, I hate the stupid conspiracy assholes. Hey stupid, if a missile hit the Pentagon, where the hell did the passengers on Flight 77 go? They just disappear, dumb ass? I also hate the pussy countries like france and canada, who didn't support the US in the war in terror. Gutless bastards.

But I wasn't having a good day in part because two things were the same as eight years ago. The Seattle Mariners were playing the Angels in Anaheim on Septemeber 10 and there was going to be news for Micheal Wanna Bet Jordan; in 2001 The bettor was coming out of retirement and playing for Washington, in 2009 the bettor was going into the basketball Hall of Fame. Since I was having a bad day, I wasn't going to put up with bad service or bad food. Luckily I only experienced great service and great BBQ. A friend emailed me about The Smokin Joint BBQ and I wasn't making a huge effort to go because of they only served baby back ribs and they are near the pretentious West Hollywood/Beverly Hills area. I mean an area filled with white people who think BBQ is oven cooked ribs drowned in BBQ sauce. But I decided to go for BBQ on September 11th.

I got the half order of baby back ribs, $17, with mac and cheese and cole slaw. I would later realized I made a mistake and should have ordered a full rack!! Ok a bit pricey when compared to other BBQ places but considering the area, the price is right. As readers of The New Diner know I hate baby back ribs and any ribs cooked in an oven or finished on a grill. When I got the ribs and I saw those grill marks, I wasn't expecting much at all. But as I lifted my first rib, a wonderful smoke smell hit my nose. Then my first bite was filled with a wonderful smoke flavor and tender meaty ribs!!! WOW, what a surprise, not what I was expecting. A very good example of BBQ ribs. There was a sweet bark on the ribs. There were tons of great tasty meat on the ribs and almost no fat. Since they are baby backs they were tender. But what a wonderful smoke flavor, I think hickory with apple and pecan woods. I didn't use any of the sauce because of the wonderful smoke flavor. In the area, this is the best BBQ place. Don't waste your money at a terrible BBQ, that started in Venice and opened about 2-3 miles from The Smokin Joint. Trust me, The Smokin Joint just kicks ass over that terrible place.

The mac and cheese was damn good; very creamy and had a bit of heat, I'm guessing he used a pepper jack cheese. I didn't care for the cole slaw, which wasn't drowned in mayo, which I like, but a bit sour for my taste. But I don't care about the sides when the ribs are so good.

Service was great too. A very nice lady, who is part owner, saw me taking pictures of the outside and welcomed me inside. I sat at the counter and was treated to friendly and attentive service. She told me The Smokin Joint had been open for about two weeks. She was really pushing how great the beef ribs were, so next time I go I may get the combination of baby backs and beef ribs. I was never lacking for anything.

Ok, for a BBQ purist, it is too fancy for me. I mean real silverware and plate? Of course I'm not going to mark down any place because it is too fancy but I know for the pretentious, asshole people of the West Hollywood/Beverly Hills, they need to have that.

But they serve great ribs and service is super. If I could stand being around the pretentious, asshole people that make up West Hollywood/Beverly Hills, I would come to The Smokin Joint BBQ much more often.

Update Nov 2, 2009





I went back to The Smokin Joint and ordered the BBQ ribs combo, $27, with double mac and cheese. Out came three huge pieces of beef ribs and half rack of baby back ribs.

The beef ribs were very meaty and tasty. They were good quality beef ribs, not must gristle or fat. But a bit on the dry side.

The baby backs were great as usual. Nice flavor, very meaty, and a nice texture.

Service again was very good.

If you're in the mood for BBQ, The Smokin Joint is the best BBQ place in the area.

BBQ Co-Closed

BBQ Co
4077 Lincoln Blvd
Marina del Rey
310-821-6939

BBQ Co used to be Benny's BBQ or Benny's just changed the name. Either way the BBQ is still pretty bad.

I got the lunch special, $7.95, pork rib, beef rib, and a link with cole slaw and corn on the cobb. This would be a great deal if the BBQ was any good.

The beef rib was very dry and only had a hint of smoke flavor. This may have been better if it wasn't sitting in a warmer for so long. I would bet this was smoked two or three days ago. The rib did have a ton of meat on it.

The link, they actually say 6 slices of link, they shouldn't bother cutting it, but the link was pretty good but again a bit dry, the casing was so brittle!! The link had good flavor and a nice kick. But the slicing of the link showed the links have a lot of fillers, which is never a good thing. Again I would like to try this when it isn't so dry

The pork rib was dry, but just like the beef rib, it had a ton of meat. Both the pork and beef ribs were the same size, which is very unusual. The ribs had a decent smoke flavor, wasn't fatty, and would be ok if it was fresh!!

The cole slaw looked terrible, the cabbage had turned a different color. I didn't even want it anyways and didn't touch it. The corn on the cob I didn't touch either but it wasn't hot at all. What a terrible way to present food.

Service is below average. The girl had a lot of attitude and wasn't friendly. BBQ Co is right next to Brennan's Pub parking lot. But there are signs that say Brennan's Pub parking only. Violators will be towed. The girl asked would that be for here or to go? I asked can I park my car at Brennan's? With a lot of attitude, she asked would that be for here or to go? I told her I need to know if I can park my car at Brennan's, because I wanted to eat there. Lots and lots of attitude.

BBQ Co is among the worst BBQ restaurants in LA. The ribs are so dry and aren't fresh. There is no reason for me to go back.

Handy Market BBQ

June 6, 2009. 65 years ago today Allied Forces, under the leadership of Dwight Eisenhower, stormed the beaches of Normandy. This invasion was officially named, Operation Overload and is more commonly known as D Day.

The mission of D Day? To liberate Europe from the scumbag nazi. American forces stormed Omaha Beach. Other Allied countries stormed, Utah, Juno, Sword, and Gold Beach. Within a few hours Allied Forces had captured all those beaches and started their way into liberating France. Soon Allied forces liberated France and then onto Germany and getting rid of the nazi scum.

Too many brave men died on the beaches of Normandy. They didn't burn their draft notices, dodge the draft, protest the draft, act like cowards and run away to Canada, they all answered the call of duty for their country. Too many paid the ultimate sacrifice and never came back home.

Today we need to take a moment to honor them. The saying at the end of the movie; Ike Countdown to D Day is so true, "We may never see their like again."

25 years ago, Ronald Reagan made one of his best speeches on the 40th Anniversary of D Day.









Handy Market
2514 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank
818-848-2500

To honor those brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice on D Day, I went to BBQ. Every Saturday, Handy Market has a BBQ, it is actually a grill but it is well known and as you can see from the line, it is popular.

Baby back ribs, beef ribs, chicken, and tri tip are sold by the pound. Sausauge and corn are also sold.

I got half a rack of baby backs, $7.49/lb and three beef ribs, $3.99/lb. Most half rack of baby back ribs are going to be about a pound.

The ribs are smoked in a smoker with mesquite charcoal. But the ribs are cooked at a very high temp, so they aren't really true BBQ. The ribs are oversmoked, they need to control the flow of the smoker better. The ribs since they are baby backs were fairly tender but that chemical flavor of lighter fluid just ruins the taste for me.

The beef ribs were pretty bad. Lots and lots of gristle and tough meat to go along with the chemical smell. Not a good combination.

This isn't real BBQ. What this is GRILLING-cooking meats at high temps. Most people in line with me thought this was great and love the meat drowned in BBQ sauce.

Service is OK, the people are nice and helpful but slow. I waited in line for about 30 minutes. Then I had to go to pay for the meat inside the market. At least it doesn't take that long to pay.

Also when calling for directions, they aren't too helpful. I called and asked what exit to get off at going north of the 5 freeway. They told me Buena Vista. Well Buena Vista is only off the 134 freeway. If you are on the 134 get off at Olive and go south to Buena Vista.

I would not go back to Handy Market's BBQ. It is not real BBQ and I can do a better job grilling ribs.

Bondi BBQ-Closed

Bondi BBQ
46 Windward Ave
Venice, CA
310-392-3809

After the diaster at Glencrest BBQ, I walked down to Bondi BBQ, which bills itself as Austrailian BBQ. This isn't true, real BBQ. They do not smoke their meats but to their credit they do not bill themselves as a real BBQ place. Their menu even says their meats come right off the grill.

I got the Double Trouble, $13.95, with 2 beef ribs, 3 baby back ribs and cole slaw.
Right away I could tell this wasn't going to be good either. The ribs were drowned in a BBQ sauce that was so sweet, I thought I was eating syrup. The baby backs were pretty tender but then again they are babybacks. There was no smoke flavor at all so the sweet BBQ sauce made up for it.

The beef ribs were kind of fatty with a lot of gristle and very little meat. They again were drowned in BBQ sauce. I wasn't impressed at all.

A wasted day of trying BBQ places I haven't been to. To make matters worse it was spent in Venice, which is filled with pretentious asshole people.

Barn Burner BBQ-Closed

Barn Burner BBQ
1000 S. Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena
626-403-7427

I've read so many things about Barn Burner Texas BBQ in Pasadena. Some sang it's praises, others thought it was among the worst BBQ around. I'll tell you where I stand later in this review. But without questions this is one of the most expensive BBQ around. Barn Burner is actually owned by the people who own the El Cholo chain of Mexican restaurants.

I took a look at their huge menu and they have Choice combos or Signature Combos. Choice Combos are where you choose between four different meats and two sides.

Signature Combos are basically racks of ribs, beef, baby backs and St. Louis style pork ribs and larger combos.

What surprised me was that they didn't list the St.Louis style pork ribs on the Choice Combo menu. If they had I would have ordered a two meat combo for $15.40. But instead I ordered the half a pound of baby backs, $12.75 and half a pound of beef ribs. $6.25.

The baby backs are terrible. They lack any smoke flavor and had lots of fat, too much for baby backs. I could have bought a rack of ribs and cooked them in the oven and done a better job.

Their only saving grace is the beef ribs. They were very meaty and tender with a nice flavor, not real smoked but a good flavor. They were among the better beef ribs I've had.

Service is good. I ordered this to go and I got service quickly.

So where do I stand on Barn Burner? For the baby back ribs, I agree it's among the worst ribs I've ever had and makes me think they should still to cooking Mexican food. But the beef ribs are not only cheaper but taste much better and are worth the $6.25 price. Like I mentioned before they are a very expensive BBQ place and the quality of BBQ you get, isn't worth the very high prices.

I want to try their St. Louis style pork ribs and see how they are. I wish they So that maybe the only reason why I go back to Barn Barner, otherwise there is no reason to go back.

Grandpa Fred's BBQ-Closed

Grandpa Fred's Bar-b-que
21040 Victory Blvd.
Woodland Hills, 91367
818-593-4269

When I heard about Grandpa Fred's BBQ I wanted to try it. First of all the owner grew up on a pig farm and grew so fond of pigs, he couldn't bare the thought of slaughtering them. So there is no pork at all at Grandpa Fred's. At first I was a bit upset because I love pork ribs. But he promised me his beef ribs would make me forget about pork ribs. A big task but I was willing to give it a chance.

I ordered the Angus beef ribs for $13.00. I actually paid $12 and I'll tell you about that later. You're suppose to get four ribs with this order but I got seven ribs. The ribs come with two sides and I got a very dry, mac and cheese. The ribs as you can see are huge, but that's normal because a cow is bigger than a pig. But these ribs were very meaty, just a ton of meat on them all. But the outter part was charred and dry. You needed to drown them in BBQ sauce to make it easier to chew. But once inside the beef was very tender with tons of hickory smoked flavor. The BBQ sauce they use is a tomato based sauce and is very mild, there is no kick to it.

The first time I went to Grandpa Fred's was about three years ago. I met the owner and he was great. Very friendly and helpful. He even gave me a rib to try while I was waiting for my order. I was so impressed with the service and ribs, I wanted to come by here more often, even though it a long drive. Well I finally get back to Grandpa Fred's and the service was bad. I went to the counter to order. Nobody was there, so I waited and waited. There was a man, dressed in suit and tie, talking to somebody who I couldn't see. After waiting for about ten minutes, I finally got that man's attention. The kid he was talking to got up and came to take my order. He only charged me $12 for the ribs that are listed on the menu at $13. I figured that was fine since I had to wait for at least five minutes before he took my order. Then after ten minutes of waiting for my order somebody comes out and said they ran out of corn, so I asked for double mac and cheese. Then after another ten minutes of waiting, I finally get my order!!! What the hell took so long. I mean they weren't busy, about four other people in the dining area. The kid who took my order was nice and everything but he seemed to be interested in talking to that guy than providing customer service. One of the servers actually sat down and watched a DVD after dropping off food at one table. Just sat there and kicked back like she was at the movies. Now they got a great HD projection TV that takes up the entire wall. But come on you're not a movie theatre, you're a restaurant. Take care of the customers.

While it's impossible for me to forget about BBQ pork ribs, these beef ribs are very good. Though they need to work on the burnt/charred on the outside. I would go back to Grandpa Fred's but I would either call in the order or hope that the kid who helped me wasn't there. The food is good but the service does vary depending on who is there.

Update June 14, 2009



I went back to Grandpa Fred's and ordered combination plate with filet mignon and ribs, $19. Overall I would rate them a solid B. But the ribs weren't as good as I had before. The ribs had a lot of gristle and some parts were almost burnt and very chewy. I also noticed that I got only three ribs when somebody else at my table got four.

The filet was like the ribs, some parts were great other parts burnt. The good parts were very tender and flavorful. But the burnt parts just weren't doing it for me. While the ratio was about 80-20, good parts to bad parts, it is not a good way to make an impression.

I was a disappointment in my return trip to Grandpa Fred's. It is still good, but the food shouldn't be so inconsistent.

Dr. Hogly Wogly

Dr. Hogly Wogly
8136 Sepulveda Blvd.
Van Nuys
818-782-2480

Dr. Hogly Wogly has been rated as the Top 9 BBQ places in LA by Nine on the Town. Nine on the Town needs to get out more. Dr. Hogly Wogly is not good at all.

Dr. Hogly Wogly bills itself as Tyler, Texas BBQ. Texas BBQ means beef but I hate beef ribs. So I ordered the half a rack of pork ribs al carte for $17 including tip. The menu price is $13.95 for the ribs, so I didn't order any drinks or sides.

The ribs came out just dripping with marinate/sauce. A lot different than what I'm used to. The ribs even with the sauce were very dry and tough. They were not smoked but grilled over hickory wood. So there is very little smoke flavor throughout the ribs. The ribs were a good sized but too many skinny ribs and not enough bigger ribs. If you're a beef eater, brisket or beef ribs, Dr. Hogly Wogly is for you. You won't go hungry and they know how to do beef. Pork should be left to the pit masters from Memphis.

Service was good but you get the feeling they are rushing you out of there. No time to sit and talk. But otherwise they take your order promptly, food is served quickly and they are attentive to your needs.

Dr. Hogly Wogly is very overpriced. For $17 I could get dessert and a drink, in addition to much better BBQ, at Phillips. I would not go back.

Update. Feb 28, 2009



Ok I made it back to Dr. Hogly Wogly. I have become more opened minded about BBQ. I will try other meats besides pork spare ribs. So I made it back to Dr. Hogly Wogly for their sliced beef sandwich, $8.45. The server told me it wasn't their brisket sandwich, it was tougher, more like roast beef.

Well the meat in the beef sandwich is from the brisket cut. I think it is just beef that was overcooked or had been in the warmers too long. I was tough but had decent flavor. The amount of beef was huge, just a ton of thick sliced beef. I did like the sandwich but I didn't think it was anything great.

Service again was good.

I still don't get the hype of Dr. Hogly Wogly. I know I didn't get their signature dish, brisket, but got a close comparison and I didn't feel it was the holy grail. I do not think I will be back anytime soon.

Update Oct 25, 2009





So I'm in the Valley for something and I don't want to fight the traffic going to see U2 at the Rose Bowl. It's 6pm and I'm hungry and haven't eaten since breakfast. About a week ago I went to a BBQ potluck and somebody brought beef ribs from Dr. Hogly Wogly and I have to admit they were great. Tender, meaty and very little fat or gristle. So I decided since I'm in the area I would go back to Dr. Hogly Wogly and try their beef ribs and brisket.

I got the beef ribs and brisket combo, $19.95 with cole slaw and mac salad. The cole slaw has a sweet taste, they must put some sugar in there. The mac salad has a lot of dill in there, tasty but a bit different.

Now for beef!! There were three beef ribs in the combo. They only had the marinate on them, no BBQ sauce and it was very good. Not as good as the ribs from the BBQ potluck but still good. The ribs were meaty, tender, and didn't have much fat. But some of the ribs, mostly on the ends, were burnt or well done. Otherwise these were good beef ribs.

Now for the brisket. I'm not a big brisket fan. I prefer my brisket to be brined and corned and turned into pastrami or corned beef. But the brisket at Dr. Hogly Wogly, is hands down the best brisket in LA. Ok, I haven't had that much brisket, but this was great. Tender, flavorful thick cuts of brisket. So tender a fork, even a plastic fork can cut it.

Service was slow to start. I sat down at my table and it took about five minutes before anybody greeted me or gave me a menu. But everything after that was very good. I wasn't hurting for anything. But at Dr. Hogly Wogly, during dinner time, all the servers wait on the tables. So one time I got two refills on my soda at the same time. You can't beat that!!

I have learned my lesson, don't mess around with other meats, just get the brisket and only the brisket at Dr. Hogly Wogly.

Bam Bam Bar B Que-Closed

Bam Bam Bar B Que
853 E. Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
626-914-4754

I found Bam Bam while driving on Route 66. I wish the BBQ here was better because I would come back. I ordered a lunch special, one beef rib, one pork rib, one hot link, corn on the cob, and coleslaw for $6.99.

All the meats are stored in steam trays. They take the meat, then dip the meat into a sweet BBQ sauce. The meats are not smoke but cooked in an oven. I think they are overcooked because the meat is just too soft and mushy. Sure it's falling off the bone but I hate that.The pork rib did have a lot of meat but the meat was flavorless. The sauce didn't add much as it was too sweet and very thick.

The beef rib, suprisingly had a lot of meat on it. But again the meat was flavorless. I did like the hot link, more on the mild side than hot, but I think it would make a great hot link sandwich.

The corn on the cob was drown with butter but wasn't sweet and pretty flavorless. Coleslaw was OK but "dry" not much mayo on there.

Nice service by the young lady there but I wouldn't go back to Bam Bam for the ribs.

Outdoor Grill-Closed

Outdoor Grill
18697 Devonshire St.
Northridge, CA 91324
818-363-6500

I've seen the Outdoor Grill's, Culver City location, driving to Tito's Tacos but never stopped in. So I'm in Northridge and decide to try Outdoor Grill. The Northridge location is just west of Reseda Blvd in the Albertson's shopping center.

I order the rib combo ala carte for $10.77. The rib combo included two beef ribs and four baby back ribs. The Outdoor Grill cooks their meat in an oven and then applys BBQ sauce over the ribs. I tried the baby backs first and wasn't impressed. The ribs were small even for baby backs and the ribs were charred all over the place. They were a bit tough to chew and lack any kind of flavor. The spicy BBQ sauce added some flavor to the ribs but the regular BBQ sauce was just glorified ketchup.

The beef ribs wern't any better. They were also charred and tough. Again the spicy BBQ sauce added flavor to the ribs but not enough.

I saw people order the tri tip and it did look very good but I wouldn't go back to the Northridge location nor would I try their Culver City location.