Lucille's BBQ-Long Beach

Lucille's BBQ-Long Beach
4828 E 2nd St
Long Beach
562-434-7427

I know I said I wasn't impressed with the Lucille's BBQ in Brea. But the hottie I went to Famous Dave's Pitt BBQ and Jaybee's BBQ with, wanted to try Lucille's BBQ in Long Beach. So we went to the 2nd St. location.

As with many other restaurants in these tough economic times, Lucille's BBQ has a special menu. They are offering smaller portions Sun-Thr. from 4pm until close. I wasn't that hungry and I wanted to try something different than their terrible spare ribs. So I got the spare ribs and tri tip combo, $12.95, with mac and cheese.

The ribs were again terrible, almost burnt, no smoke flavor, small, fatty. They just don't do a good job on spare ribs. But the tri tip was great. Well smoked, tender, flavorful, and just wonderful.

The mac and cheese was ok but tasted too much like a massed produced item, maybe even from a box. Nothing special about this.

Service was good. Our server was nice and friendly and we got our food quickly.

I wouldn't go back to Lucille's BBQ unless the hottie wants to go back. Even though the tri tip was great, I go for good spare ribs and I have never gotten good spare ribs from any Lucille's.

Phillips Barbecue - Chino-Closed

Phillips Barbecue
11748 Central Ave
Chino
909-517-3500

Back in July I did a review of Clark's BBQ, which is now closed. In it's place is the answer to my prayers; a Phillips BBQ closer to me than any of their other three locations, Phillips on Crenshaw, Phillips in Inglewood, and Phillips in Leimert Park.

The Chino location, has been open for about a week now and has seating for about 30 people in their dining room. Always a plus since the BBQ is so good, you can't wait to try it.

I got my usual, half slab of spare ribs, $13.48. Again a wonderful bark, smoke flavor, and meat ribs. Phillips knows how to BBQ ribs and they do a great job. There is no doubt that Phillips has the best BBQ ribs in LA.

Service was very good. I was greeted promptly and they guy behind the counter was nice and friendly.

There are a couple other choices for BBQ in Chino, but the best choice is Phillips.

Update Sept. 20, 2009.



I went back to Phillips and got the three item combination, $17, with pork ribs, chicken link, and sliced beef, which is tri tip and mac salad and cole slaw as the sides.

You already know about the how great the ribs are. This time was no exception. One look at the picture should tell you how great the ribs look.

But the chicken link is awesome!!! The combo comes with two sliced chicken links. The links have a great casing and wonderful flavor. They use good quality chicken for these links.

The sliced beef was only OK. It was bland and lacked flavor, I had to use BBQ sauce to add flavor. The only good thing I can say is that it was tender.

Service was OK. The young girl taking orders must have just started working there because she was very slow and asked the guy in the kitchen a ton of questions. The food came out quickly.

I now have two favorites at Phillips, pork ribs and chicken links!!!!!!!

Update Nov 2, 2009

Thanks to The New Diner reader, S. Britchky, for mentioning that The New Diner's review of Phillips BBQ was mentioned in the The Daily Bulletin The written, David Allen, has his own blog, David Allen Blog. Here is Mr. Allen's blog post on Phillips BBQ.

Green's BBQ & Soul Food-Closed

Green's BBQ & Soul Food
468 W Arrow Hwy
Covina
626-332-3936

Green's BBQ & Soul Food is a small restaurant in a strip mall. This strip mall has a Chinese, Mexican, and seafood restaurant nearby. So lots of choices. Green's reminds me of Big Mamas Rib Shack

I got the spare ribs, tri tip, and links combo, $16.24 which includes double mac and cheese, a salad, and corn bread. The price would have been $15.24 but they add a $1 fee to any debit or credit card transaction.

None of the meats were smoked. They were all cooked in an oven or on a grill and then drowned in a sweet bbq sauce.

The ribs were good for what they are. Tender, fairly meaty and the BBQ sauce assured it wasn't going to be dry.

The tri tip was a bit tough, it shouldn't be this tough, and but was flavorful with the sauce.

I liked the link. A sweet sausage with a nice snap. The BBQ sauce was a bit too much since the link was sweet not hot. But overall a good link.

The mac and cheese was terrible, just terrible. They didn't make a rue to combine the mac and cheese but topped the macaroni with cheese. The macaroni was also very watery and flavorless. The top part of the macaroni, was hard, there was a crunch when I took a bite.

The corn bread was very good. Right out of the oven, hot, fresh, warm, moist. Very good.

Service is friendly but lacking. I had planned to go to Green's but when I saw the seafood place, I decided to go there. But I looked at the menu for Green's in the window and as I was walking to the seafood place, the young lady came out with a menu and said, come back soon because we have good BBQ. I went to the seafood place but they were out of cod, so I went back to Green's.

Like I said the young lady was nice. But she kept asking the same questions twice and messed up my order. I said I wanted ranch for my salad but she asked again. I said no butter for the cornbread but she asked again. I asked for sauce on the side but I got sauce on the meat. Again she was friendly but she should write things down instead of having to asking the same question over and over.

I would not go back to Green's BBQ & Soul Food. I didn't notice many soul food items. No smothered pork chops, no chicken and dumplings. And any soul food restaurant that makes a bad mac and cheese, isn't much of a soul food place.

Santa Maria BBQ Company-Closed

Santa Maria BBQ Company
9552 Washington Blvd
Culver City
310-842-8169

Yes, I have been to a Santa Maria BBQ Company in Culver City before. But they moved to a bigger location a few blocks north of their old location. So I decided to try it. BTW the old location is now Meltdown, a restaurant known for their grilled cheese sandwiches.

Santa Maria BBQ means tri tip, cooked over oak wood. So I ordered the half pound of tri tip, $8.00. I wasn't in the mood for bread or sides, so I went the protein diet. Just as before I loved the tri tip. Very tender, full of flavor and juicy, cooked about medium rare. Not fatty at all and a nice smokey flavor.

Service was good and bad. I had a group of 17 people and we only lack quick refills on drinks. But when I called early to tell them we were having a big group they were very tough to deal with. They almost gave me the impression they didn't want that many people. Then when I got there, they had to think realy hard about where to sit us. Hey that big space in the center of the room would be a good place. But other than that, we were treated well.

Parking is tough in the area but most parking structure gave you two hours free without validation.

I would go back to Santa Maria BBQ again. I didn't get the ribs this time but I like the ribs I got on my last trip.

A Jim Dandy Barbeque-Closed

Jim Dandy Barbeque
10900 Los Alamitos Blvd
Los Alamitos
562-598-2211

Housed in what used to be Papa Western BBQ, which burned down about two years ago, A Jim Dandy Barbeque, is one of the most expensive and one of the worst BBQ places I've been to. I had planned to go to Papa Western BBQ but never made it.

I ordered the three meat combo, St. Louis spare ribs, tri tip, and buffalo brisket, yes buffalo brisket, $25.95, with three sides, mac and cheese, red onion rings, and cole slaw.

The St. Louis spare ribs were among the smallest ribs I've ever had. These ribs must have come from pigs at a diet farm. There was little smoke flavor and just not much meat at all.

The tri tip, was overcooked, flavorless and bland. Do they know how to season their meats?

The buffalo brisket was a bit tough but was OK. Nothing great.

The two sides that should have been hot, were warm at best. The cole slaw was pretty good.

Service was pretty good. But we got done with dinner around 8pm. They are suppose to close at 9pm. But they were starting to clean up and close, while we were done with dinner. I can understand why this place is empty most nights. Bad BBQ and high prices do not make a good combination.

There is no reason for me to go to A Jim Dandy BBQ again.

Lou's Red Oak BBQ-Closed

Lou's Red Oak BBQ
21501 Brookhurst St
Ste D
Huntington Beach
714-965-5200

I do like Santa Maria style BBQ. But the last two experiences at Santa Maria style BBQ makes me want to stop going to any Santa Maria style BBQ places.

I have known about Lou's for over three to four years but I just haven't been down there.

But much to my regret, I did make it down there. I got the rib combo plate, $16.99 with tri tip, and Kraft mac and cheese and corn on the cob. I know Santa Maria BBQ is all about tri tip but this tri tip was terrible. They said cooked medium but what I got was tri tip cooked rare, the pictures do not lie. Now I'm not too picky, I just don't like well done. The tri tip was tough, not much flavor, and lots of fat. They do not season their tri tip well at all. It seemed as though they flashed cooked the tri tip because they were running out.

I love BBQ ribs and I always get BBQ ribs at BBQ places. I'm not expecting smoked ribs but damn the ribs were bad. First of all they say they are St. Louis style ribs, they aren't because the tips were on the ribs. St. Louis style means no tips. But they were grilled and lack flavor. They also had a lot of fat and grizzle. Not good at all

Now they say real Kraft mac and cheese is a side option. But damn, can't you can't make your own mac and cheese? The corn on the cob was cold and pretty flavorless.

Service was OK. We were greeted and seated quickly. But after that we didn't see the server for at least ten minutes. They were on their Iphones and texting everybody. But after coming back to take our orders the server was good, refilling drinks and was helpful.

I would not go back to Lou's again. I thought the prices were very high for the amount and quality of food you get. A Santa Maria style bbq place better make a damn good tri tip but Lou's falls way short. If I lived in Huntington Beach, I would make the drive to Culver City and get the best Santa Maria style BBQ at Santa Maria BBQ.

Red Oak BBQ-Closed

Red Oak BBQ 

7051 Greenleaf Ave 

Whittier 

562-907-0008 

 What do you get when you serve up below average BBQ and terrible service? You get Red Oak BBQ in Whittier. As the name suggests, Red Oak is Santa Maria style BBQ which means meats cooked over oak wood. Santa Maria BBQ is known for their tri tip but some restaurants will cook other meats to, shocking, make money!!! I got the tri tip and spare ribs dinner, $17.95. The dinner comes with two sides, I got a green salad and onions rings. Both were OK, nothing special. The spare ribs were bad because they had a chemical smell, as if they used lighter fluid to start their BBQ's. The meat was a bit tough but that has to be expected since they aren't actually smoked. But they should smell like lighter fluid. The tri tip was a little better but nothing great. It was a bit tough, something tri tip, which is a sirloin cut, shouldn't be. It was also pretty bland, I dipped the tri tip into the au jus and that gave it some flavor. Service was terrible. I was greeted, seated, and got a drink quickly but it went downhill from there. After the drink I didn't see the server for at least five minutes to take my order. I also asked for a refill after placing my order and I had to ask another server for a refill. Then I made a call at 7:55pm and talked for about 10 minutes. I didn't see the server at all during that time. About five minutes later, he tells me I'll check on your food order. I wait for another five minutes and I still haven't gotten my food. I don't know if they went all the way up to Santa Maria but damn it shouldn't take that old to get the food. Finally my order comes. But the onion rings are cold. Nice. I had to wait another ten minutes to get my bill. The place was by no means crowded and they had three people serving. But it was so damn slow and terrible. I think he was just talking to people at the bar in the back and not paying attention to people having dinner. Idiot. The final straw came when I got my receipt for my credit card. Another server, not the server I had, dropped it off and said "Here you go." WTF? No Thank you. Have a nice night. Stupid idiot. Hope you liked my tip. I would not go back to Red Oak BBQ again. Below average food and TERRIBLE service. Plus the night I went, there were a bunch of young kids running around, crying and screaming. Parents should know that other people are trying to enjoy a nice dinner, they don't need some screaming kid ruining their dinner. Hire a baby sitter or teach you kids some manners.

How's-Closed

How's Market
3035 E. Huntington Dr
San Marino
626-535-9091

How's is a supermarket in the class of Bristol Farms. They have higher quality meats and seafood. Every Saturday and Sunday they have a BBQ. They are known for their tri tip. You can buy a whole tri tip or a tri tip sandwich.

The tri tip sandwich is about $5.25. The tri tip is grilled over hardwood and then covered with BBQ sauce and stored until you order it. The tri tip is on the tough side and not that flavorful. The BBQ sauce is so bland and adds nothing to the sandwich. I didn't even finish this sandwich.

So I decide to order one of their deli sandwiches for $4.50. So I orderd their turkey and corned beef sandwich on wheat bread. The sandwich was fresh but nothing outstanding.

Now service at both the BBQ and the service deli was TERRIBLE. After I asked how much the tri tip sandwich was, I never heard another word from the young girl behind the register. Not even, your sandwich is ready.

The young girl at the service deli was too busy making plans with her boyfriend and couldn't be bothered by me. She took forever to make the sandwich since she wasn't good at multitasking. Other than telling me the price and asking what kind of bread this social butterfly didn't say anything to me.

I can't believe a place like How's allows these two people to work there. They have no idea about customer service and work ethic. I hope somebody tells the managers at How's to improve the customer service at the BBQ and the service deli at the San Marino location.

I would not go to How's for the BBQ or the deli sandwich. They do have good cuts of meat and when they are on sale they are a great deal. $7lb for USDA prime steak. You can't beat that.

Wood Ranch-Anaheim Hills

Wood Ranch
8022 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd
Anaheim, CA
714-974-6660

The snobs on Chowhound rip Wood Ranch. But I love this place. Ok it's not a true BBQ restaurant. The meats are cooked in an oven. But they cook the meats well. They give you good portions are fair prices. The service is good. This is much better than an overpriced place like Houston.

I got the BBQ combo, for tri tip and baby back ribs, $18.95 with mac and cheese and veggies as my two sides. Sorry but the sides were in another container and I didn't take a picture of them.

The tri-tip at Wood Ranch is one of my favorites. Very tender, juicy and flavorful, even without the BBQ sauce. As you can see, they give you a big portion.

Their baby back ribs are nice and meaty. Of course they are cooked in an oven but they do it well. The BBQ sauce is on the sweet side but it adds good flavor to their meats.

Of course this was take out and service was good. I was greeted quickly and they took my order promply. They are very friendly and helpful, making sure I had everything, napkins, forks, etc before they handed me the order.

I would go back to Wood Ranch again. Good sized portions, good food, and good service will always get my return business. The only thing I don't like about Wood Ranch is, at times, there can be a very long wait for a table.

Update: May 15, 2008



I went back and ate at Wood Ranch in Anaheim Hills. The picture shows the two item combo with baby back ribs and tri tip. Very good and even better since it came right out of the kitchen. Wood Ranch always serves quality food.

The server was average but one thing I was very impressed with, was he asked to see my ID when I used my credit car. Not many restaurants ask for ID. They need to.

Robin's BBQ-Closed

Robin's BBQ
395 Rosemead
Pasadena
626-351-8885

Robin's BBQ. There are many differing opinions about Robin's. Some people think it's among the best BBQ places in LA. Others feel it's bad BBQ. I am with the bad BBQ crowd.

I ordered the spareribs, (Big shock, I know) for $17.95. The ribs had some smoke flavor but nothing great. The ribs had way too much fat. I don't think they were smoked but grilled over hickory wood. The BBQ sauce was about as good as KC Masterpiece from the bottle.

Service is good. Our server greeted us promptly. He took our order and was friendly. After our meals arrived he made sure we had anything we needed. He also came back and asked how our meal was going. Our drinks were always filled.

But even with good service, the food just isn't that good and on the pricey side.

Update April 20, 2009.




I went back to Robin's and got the hot wings, $7.95 and the Garbage Can Combo, $29.95. The combo includes beef ribs, spare ribs, and baby back ribs, hot link, chicken and tri tip.

The wings are pretty good. Meaty, fried well. But I thought they just topped the hot sauce on top of the wings, instead of blending the sauce together. There were some wings that did not have sauce and others that had a ton of sauce.

Now the garbage can combo was great. I shared with a friend and we still had leftovers!!!

(2) Spare ribs. I was really impressed with the spare ribs. Lots of smoke flavor, meaty, not much fat. A much better example of BBQ ribs this time.

(2) Beef ribs. These beef ribs had the most amount of meat I have ever had. The meat was tender, well smoked, and not fatty at all. Maybe one of the best examples of BBQ beef ribs, I have ever had.

(4) Baby back ribs. Nice and meaty, not fat, good smoke flavor. They are babybacks after all.

We got four slices of tri tip, which very tender and with little fat. I really liked the tri tip here.

I didn't touch the chicken, I was so full after this meal.

Again a much better experience here at Robin's. This garbage can combo is the best value at Robin's.

Now would I come back? Maybe. Why? When a restaurant is inconsistent with their BBQ, I am not sure if I will go back. But I did enjoy this visit to Robins.

Texas Rib & BBQ-Closed

Texas Rib & BBQ
23600 Rockfield Blvd
Lake Forest
949-830-8700

Texas Rib and BBQ is a one of the better BBQ places in South Orange County. But that's like saying somebody is the best snowboard in Arizona. Meaning it's not that big of a deal.

I ordered the rib and one meat combo, tri tip, with double macaroni salad as the sides for $11.84.

Within ten minutes, three very small sized ribs and about 1/4 lb of tri tip were sitting in front of me. The ribs had a nice flavor but not a smoked flavor. The spices they use help bring out the flavor in the meat.

The tri tip was on the dry side and was tough.

Both the tri tip and ribs were on the warm side.

The BBQ sauce is on the sweet side and really adds nothing to meat.

I think TexasRib and BBQ is overpriced for the amount of meat you get. The ribs are good, not great but when you pay almost $12 for the ribs combo, you would think you would get more ribs or at least bigger pieces of rib.

I wouldn't go back even if I was in the area.

Buckboard BBQ & Grill-Closed

Buckboard BBQ & Grill
1386 E Foothill Blvd
Upland, CA
909-608-7393

This is a Santa Maria style BBQ restaurant but it rates a distant second behind Santa Maria BBQ in Culver City.

Interesting that just across the street is Red Hill BBQ, but that is Rancho Cucamunga.

I have been to Buckboard three times. The first two times I ordered the Rustler Combo for $8.95. Sliced tri-tip and beef rib. The rib was just ok. Not as meaty as some other places with beef ribs but the tri tip was very tender and juicy.

The last time I went to Buckboard they have pork ribs on the menu!!! They will combine the pork rib and tri tip for $8.95. The tri tip is good as always and they give you a ton of tri tip. The pork ribs were not good, very thin, overcooked and lack any kind of smoke flavor or smoke ring. The BBQ sauce is too sweet.

All dinners include a salad, I ordered the green salad nothing special and garlic fresh bread.

A great meal would be pork ribs at Red Hill across the street and tri tip at Buckboard.

I like Buckboard. Prices are great and the portions are huge.

Nice service and friendly people. They allowed me to sample their Tri-Tip Chili and it was very good.

Santa Maria BBQ-Moved

Santa Maria BBQ
9739 Culver Blvd
Culver City
310-842-8169

New Location of Santa Maria BBQ.

I have found the BEST Santa Maria style BBQ place in LA. Santa Maria BBQ in Culver is just plain AWESOME. I ordered the two meat combo with babyback ribs and tri tip with cole slaw and a salad as my two sides. Well worth the very inexpensive $9.25 price as the portions are huge.

I always eat one rib without putting any sauce. After my first bite of the baby back ribs, I knew I wouldn't need any BBQ sauce. The ribs were very tender and the flavor was awesome. Just the right amount of spice and smoke flavor. Next time I go it will order a full rack of baby backs. The tri tip was lean and had a nice smoke flavor. There is no need for any kind of BBQ sauce or salsa with any of the meats.

The coleslaw was ok. Nothing special. The salad was very fresh and the honey mustard dressing was so creamy. Not sure if the dressing is a home made or bottled dressing but it's great.

I will certainly go back soon. The service was very good and the people were nice. I went around 1pm and there were some very good looking women eating there. I love that kind of scenery. They will be moving to new location, a couple blocks north, of their current location, on Culver.

I can't wait to go back to Santa Maria BBQ!!!! They are closed on Sundays. Parking can be a bit of a problem.

Smokin' Mo's BBQ-Closed

Smokin' Mo's BBQ
301 Main St. #107
Huntington Beach, California
(714) 374-3033

I went to Smokin' Mo's BBQ in Huntington Beach today, Saturday July 9th. They claim to be a combination BBQ. Santa Maria style (tri tip and beef ribs cooked over oak wood) and Memphis style BBQ.

I order the half slab rib combo. Six ribs, two each of Mo's Memphis, Philthy's Phil's and Sweet Carolina, pork ribs for $15.03, tax included. Baked beans, corn muffin, potato salad and coleslaw were included.

The ribs did not have any smoke flavor at all. The were baked in an oven and finished over a gril. But I was impressed with all three sauces and Iusually hate that mustard based sauce. I really liked Mo's BBQ sauce. Nice flavor, not too spicy and not too sweet. In another surprise, I liked the sweet BBQ sauce. I'm not sure why I liked them. But they weren't too sweet, some sweet BBQ sauces are as sweet as jelly. This sauce was thick and had just the right amount of sweetness. e sides were typical sides. Nothing special. They claim they copied the recipe for their coleslaw from The Counter in LA.

Overall Mo's was good but not great. Prices are on the high side. I was expecting more of an real BBQ. Slowly smoked not slowly cooked in an oven. But I didn't see one smoke ring on any of the ribs. If I'm in the area, I would go back again. I wouldn't make a special trip.

Update Jan 10, 2009.



I went back to Smokin Mo's and got the tri tip sandwich, $8.45. The sandwich was on a French roll. The meat was a bit salty and lacked smoked flavor. It was tender, very tender matter of fact. But then again it's tri tip, a sirloin cut. I thought there was a pretty good portion of tri tip on the sandwich, but I still thought the $8.45 price was a bit high. The menu says BBQ sauce and salsa come on the side but as you can see they put the BBQ sauce on the meat. I wasn't too impressed with the sandwich.

Service was good and quick. Nice people.

I know it unusual to see me review anything other than ribs but since I've already been to Smokin Mo's and didn't care for their ribs, I didn't want to waste, $15.99, for their ribs. I wasn't impressed with their tri tip sandwich.

During January and Febuary, Smokin Mo's is having a special on Mondays. An all you can eat BBQ special, ribs, chicken and pulled pork for about $16. Not a bad deal but don't expect great ribs. Even with that, I won't go back to Smokin Mo's.