Domestic BBQ - Covina, CA

[SheilaAnn]

Located about 20 miles east of Los Angeles. I had an appointment today near there, so we decided to stop off.

combo plate: “st.louis” ribs and brisket slices. I put quotes on the St. Louis because the rib tips were still attached. Nice smoke ring. A bit of pull, which I like on spares. Brisket was tender and had grill marks, like it was sliced and heated back up on the grill. Bacon Mac and cheese, assorted pickled things. pasta was undercooked for my Mac and cheese liking. I like softer pasta, not traditional al dente for Mac and cheese.


garlic parm fries: just what you would expect from any chain restaurant.



pulled pork sliders with pickles and undressed cabbage. Super tender, but any discerning bbq flavor came from the sauce. Sauce was ok, balanced (not too sweet, not too smokey). Pickles were not homemade, but very tangy.



Overall, just ok. Heritage was much better. I walked around the building to confirm my suspicions: no visible smoker. But there was a small alto sham on the line. It was an open kitchen, so I could see it. The other odd thing was that everything got cold really fast. We ate indoors, too.

[mrteddyprincess]

Nice review! Thank you.

Brian

[theroc]

Thanks for the review SheilaAnn . We probably won't make a special trip to try it!

[SheilaAnn]

I actually told BF I shoulda reached out and have you join us. Of course, that was before we ate.

[STEbbq]

Good review! Very appreciated and informative.

That is just bizarre on the grilling of the brisket. I am just so puzzled.

[GolfGeezer]

Agree with theroc - another good reason not to drive to Covina. Thanks for the detailed review!

[SheilaAnn]

Definitely not from San Clemente…. You just stay right there near Heritage!

[TripleB]

Thanks for the write up SheilaAnn. I'm right next to Altadena, over here in La Crescenta. I don't go out very often for BBQ, so good to know where I should not go.

[Troutman]

Sounds just like a pseudo bbq Dickies. In all honesty I’d love to see some barbecue reviews from legit Cali joints. I assume they exist in LA. I’ve had great food in that city, has good ‘cue caught on there?

Funny thing, the brother of a family friend came to Houston last week from NYC and all he wanted to do was to go out and eat Texas barbecue. We were happy to take him out to a couple of good places but I asked him had he ever been over to Williamsburg and partook of the really great barbecue places there? He had no idea they existed so I googled them for him. Texas has great bbq but there’s more out there, love to see reviews!

Sorry for the rant, good review even if mediocre foodSheilaAnn

[TripleB]

There are a lot of very good to excellent restaurants in LA. Mexican, Italian, sushi, Brazilian, etc., etc. Just so good. But BBQ....no. Personally, I don't think it will catch on. Rents are too high, meat too expensive, health consciousness and then there are air permit requirements for the smokers. Too hard to build a clientele base when the cards are stacked against you. Remember, in LA if you're invited to a BBQ, they're serving hamburgers and hotdogs. LA was not raised on true BBQ.

[Troutman]

TripleB Then that is truly sad brother. Barbecue is one of the great American foods. LA being the great food city it is needs to somehow embrace it. But I understand the issues, seems like if other cuisines can flourish surely someone can figure it out 🤷♂️

[SheilaAnn]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/misc-or-general-food-discusison/1561627-los-angeles-bbq#post1561627