THIS PLACE IS GONE!
We will review the other location that still exists.
"When engaged in eating, the brain should be the servant of the stomach.”
--- Agatha Christie
BABY
BLUES BBQ – WEST HOLLYWOOD
7953
Santa Monica Blvd.
Los
Angeles, CA 90046
323-656-1277
We were taking our 4 year old grandson to the Page Museum
( Paleolithic megafauna, NOT dinosaurs.) at the La Brea tar pits last Saturday
at his request. Since this is over the
hill from us we decided to have an early dinner at Baby Blues in West
Hollywood. (For those of you not
familiar with Los Angles geography, the Hollywood Hills are a range of
mountains that separates Downtown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the West Side
from The Valley. Being Valleyites
anything in Hollywood is “over the hill” for us. ) We arrived a little after 4:00 PM, a
conveniently slow time, after lunch and before dinner gets started, and had no
trouble getting seated immediately.
Located in a store front, with adjacent parking, Baby
Blues is decorated in restaurant designer Southern roadhouse/dive/backwoods
style and reminded Sharon of the décor at Stevie’s in Encino. Somehow, it comes off as more comfortably
authentic than most places decorated like this.
And it is definitely kid friendly.
When you enter the bar is at the left and the dining area to the right. Seating is a mix of tables and chairs and
booths. The tables have a paper towel
holder in the center, a great accessory for eating barbecue, and bottles with
an assortment of four sauces. The sauces
were regular, sweet, hot and XXX which is a good Georgia style mustard and
vinegar based sauce. You know someone
here has a sense of humor when you notice the formal portrait photo of “The
Most Interesting Man in the World” (actor Jonathan Goldsmith, if you didn’t
know.) behind the bar.
I don’t know if it was just that it was the slack time
between lunch and dinner or that it is their normal mood but the servers and
bar tender seemed to be especially cheerful.
It’s probably their normal mood because they were still cheerful after a
shift change. Even though the server
that took our order left at the shift change Julie Ann took over with no
interruption or mistakes in our order.
Sharon and I each ordered a three meat combo with two sides and our
grandson’s mother ordered some shrimp (large, juicy, not over cooked) as an
appetizer and several sides that would satisfy the appetites of a four year old
and both of them shared what we ordered as well. The food arrived promptly, even for the slack
time of the day, and was satisfyingly hot.
You can’t pin a regional style on the preparation
here. Some items are definitely St Louis
style, or Memphis, or Georgia, or Texas and one uniquely California. Let’s start with the meat this time.
Tri-Tip
This is the item that is uniquely California. The smoky flavor is as good as any I’ve had
on the Central Coast. It is not sliced
too thin so you get a good squirt of the tasty juices when you bite into
it. It also passes the leftover test hot
or cold. Simply put, tri-tip does not
get any better than this.
Pulled Pork
This needs to be enjoyed as the only meat on the
plate. In flavor and texture it seems
more Georgia style than Memphis style with a less intense flavor. If you have it on a combo platter with some
stronger beef flavors, say pulled brisket and tri-tip, it seems to take a back
seat. However, in a sandwich, on a
lightly toasted bun, with the coleslaw served here and a dab of the XXX sauce
it is outstanding. This is another item
that stands up to the leftover test. If
you have any extra, take it home.
Hot Link
It was not so much of a hot link as a mild link with an
after bite. The seasoning is good, but
not too intense, and the link is juicy and it has a good pop when you slice
it. This is not the best link I have
had, but worth ordering.
Chicken
Succulent, tender breast, fully cooked and not the least
bit dry, this chicken has a good smoky flavor and is barbecued chicken done
right.
St Louis Style Ribs
These were not the most meaty pork ribs we have had, and
much to our surprise came already sauced with the regular sauce. They were not falling off the bone tender,
but were tender to the tooth, not the least bit stringy, and had a good, smoky
flavor…very good but not great ribs.
They did make decent leftovers.
Beer Braised Brisket
When this comes on the plate it is a surprise. You’ll be tempted to ask, “Where’s the
beef?” If you were expecting sliced
brisket, don’t. It is served as a pulled
beef. The next surprise is how good it tastes. It may have been double dipped since it seems
to have a slight glaze. The flavor is
not too intense, but can overpower chicken or the pulled pork. This is something else that should be enjoyed
as the only meat on the plate, but for the opposite reason as the pulled pork. It passes the leftover test very well and
made an especially savory burrito the next day.
Texas Beef Rib
If I were still in my twenties I would have thought it a
small serving, but it tasted like beef with a capital “B”. OK, this isn’t the largest Texas rib I have
ever had, but it was definitely a good serving.
It was juicy, tender, flavorful and not stringy at all. As good a Texas rib as you will find outside
of Texas.
And, now, let’s look at the sides.
Pork and Beans
Unlike canned products of the same name, this is exactly
what the name says. The dish had chunks
of pork and three different kinds of beans, pinto, black and kidney, in a rich
sauce. It tastes so good that you could make a meal out of a bowl of it.
Collard Greens
There are greens traditionalists, for whom the greens at
Mom’s are the only way greens should be done.
While the greens at Mom’s are the standard for traditional greens, I
like kitchens that reach for new heights with simple things like greens. Baby Blues reaches new heights with
greens. They are cooked in what appears
to be a tomato based soup stock and have an intense flavor. If you have never liked greens before try
these.
Mac and Cheese
A baked mac and cheese made with real cheese, and seems
to have been baked with a topping of panko breading with just a touch of
cayenne pepper. The pasta, apparently a ribbed sedani rigati type, is not
overcooked…one of the better mac and cheese versions available.
Yams
These were creamy and sweet, but had some chewy bits in
it that might not be yam…possibly apple.
It was mildly seasoned without any one spice standing out. They are competent but not outstanding. Once again, Mom’s is the standard of
excellence for yams.
Corn Bread
This is a sheet pan cornbread that is moist, actually
dense, and can stand up to butter with no problem. It has roasted corn kernels, a hint of
cayenne, and a sweetness, possibly from a little molasses, that almost makes
you want to make a dessert of it. It is different
but one of the great corn breads.
There are real desserts, however.
Key Lime Pie
It’s not a large serving, but our grandson’s mother, who is
from the Caribbean, tasted it and said, “That’s Key Lime pie!”
Banana Pudding
If this was a commercial mix and not “made in the kitchen”
they have found an exceptional one. It
was creamy with a good banana flavor, contained the required banana slices and
vanilla cookies. Our grandson
delightedly used the cookies to make banana pudding sandwiches.
Baby Blues is a small chain. They have another location in Santa
Monica. It will be interesting to see if
the owners can keep up the exceptional quality of food and atmosphere if the
expand it further. Make no mistake, it
is exceptional. They seem to take pride in
using what they feel is the best method of preparation for each style of meat
regardless of the barbecue style. You
can’t pigeonhole it. This is a barbecue
destination. Taking it all in, I gave it
a nine, Sharon a nine point five.
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