“One of the very best things about
life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote
our attention to eating.”
--- Lucian of Samosata (125 A.D. to
180 A.D.)
GUS’S BARBECUE
808 Fair Oaks Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030
626-799-7251
11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday – Thursday
11:00 AM to 11:00 PM Friday
8:30 AM to 11:00 PM Saturday
8:30 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday
Gus’s
Barbecue is a storefront location in South Pasadena. When you enter it looks to be a high end
coffee shop with a lunch counter facing the open kitchen on the right and a
line of booths for two on the opposite wall.
It’s a rather long, narrow building and in the back there is a wider
room that allows larger booths and space for a decent sized bar along the left
hand wall. There are South Pasadena
historical pictures on the walls and there were pleasant seasonal decorations arranged
around the rooms. There has been no
attempt to create some kind of down home somewhere else feeling or to be trendy. The feeling is genuinely down home if down
home happens to be South Pasadena. It is
a place where the surroundings are simple and pleasant and the food speaks for
itself.
It’s a good
idea to call ahead for reservations since Gus’s is very popular. We came in without reservations and were
quoted a forty-five minute wait for a table for two. We accepted that and went across the street
to the Fair Oaks Pharmacy to do a little novelty shopping. We returned twenty-five minutes later and
were seated immediately. The hostesses
and waite staff were all enthusiastic, accommodating and fast. Sharon and I have both been in food service so
we appreciate just what it takes to keep that up in a busy restaurant. Justin, our server, arrived promptly to take
our order and was attentive and helpful to us throughout the meal.
To get our
usual sampling of meat and sides we ordered two combo platters. I ordered the Ribs and Two Meats Combo with
St. Louis Spare Ribs, Carolina Style Pulled Pork, and Smoked Sausage with Braised
Southern Greens and Cole Slaw as sides.
Sharon had the Chicken and Two Meats Combo with Beer Braised Texas Brisket,
and Smoked Sausage with BBQ Baked Beans and Mac ‘N Cheese for sides. We also ordered and appetizer serving of Cast
Iron Cornbread. Even with the place
being packed the food arrived without an undue wait.
Cast Iron
Cornbread
This was an
appetizer so we’ll start here. This is definitely
a distinctive corn bread. It is baked in
a six inch cast iron skillet and that is how it arrives on the table along with
a small serving cup of butter and a similar cup of jalapeno jelly. Since the skillet handle was hot our server
sliced the cornbread for us. The skillet
baking gives it a crunchy crust. It is
firm and stands up to both the butter and the jelly with no crumbling. There are some corn kernels distributed
through it and it is not too sweet. If
there is anything to complain about it would be that it seems a bit oily, but
we did not find that a negative. I
wouldn’t say it is the best cornbread we have ever tried, but it is certainly
among the best.
Smoked Sausage
Just what the
menu says, this is a smoked sausage, not a hot link. Obviously grilled, delightfully spiced, with
a proper pop when cut, and thoroughly smoked, this is one of the best smoked
sausage links we ever tasted. Some
smoked sausages sneak up on you afterward with a hot aftertaste, not the case
here. Sharon appreciated that it was not
a tonsil scorcher. I was glad that we
got two of them. The better part of one
came home as a leftover and was every bit as good as a lunchtime snack the next
day. If you like smoked sausage this is
the one to try.
BBQ Brick
Chicken
From the way
this chicken breast was flattened I think it really was grilled under a
brick. The result is amazing. I appreciate barbecued chicken done well,
however this is one of the best I have found.
It is completely done though, juicy and tender enough to cut with a
fork. They use pecan wood in their
smoker and subtle flavor of the smoke went completely through the meat. For those of you who find the flavor of the
red oak usually used in the more trendy California barbecues too intense the
flavor of the pecan wood used here is just perfect.
Beer Braised Texas
Brisket
When they
threw this brisket down on the cutting board for slicing it quivered. Fork tender, flavorful, smoked through and
through, with the right amount of fat to be fully flavored, this is brisket
that tastes like it was done by someone who has been to Texas.
Carolina
Style Pulled Pork
Again, this
is something that tastes like it was done by someone who has been there. The pile I had showed a perfect smoke ring at
the edge. All the meats here have their
own distinct flavor and the pulled pork is no exception. The flavor stands by itself, but there was a squeeze
bottle of hot pepper and mustard sauce on the table that went perfectly with
this. If I’m ever in South Pasadena at
lunch time I will certainly come here for a pulled pork sandwich.
St Louis
Style Ribs
These are not
the meatiest spare ribs I have experienced nor are they falling off the bone
tender. However, the flavor is
exceptional, again from the pecan wood smoking; they are acceptably meaty, and tender
to the tooth. Not absolutely the best
ribs I have ever eaten, but definitely up there with the best. These are ribs worth eating.
Mac ‘N Cheese
You get a
decent size serving of a simple macaroni style mac and cheese. The pasta is al dente, the sauce cheesy
though not too creamy, and the taste is mild though not bland. No one is reaching for any new heights with
this one, but its mildness is a nice counterpoint to the smoky flavor of the
meats.
Braised
Southern Greens
This is a
fairly conventional preparation of greens, very good, and with its own distinct
flavor. Like everything else here it
speaks for itself. I don’t think it will
make converts of anyone who doesn’t like greens, but if you like greens already
it’s worth ordering.
BBQ Baked
Beans
Far above
average baked beans. This is a three
bean (kidney, black and navy) version with large chunks of pork in it. The sauce is stronger than usual, but not too
sweet or spicy. I’ve had other barbecue
baked beans that reached farther for culinary heights, but these find a very
enjoyable level. Damn good beans.
Cole Slaw
You’ve seen
me write about liking vinaigrette style coleslaw. That’s exactly what this is and it hits most
of the good points. It is two kinds of
cabbage, carrots and what appears to be celery seed. While it is not too wet the dressing is where
it misses the mark. It is almost too dry
and the dressing could have a bit more tang.
As a side to a meal it falls short, but I tried some on the pulled pork
as it would be in a sandwich and the combination was just about perfect.
S’Mores
When Justin
recited the dessert choices, and he came to the S’Mores, we couldn’t resist
it. We had an unusual presentation of S’Mores
at the Spring Street Smokehouse and it invited comparison. We’re glad we did, because this is a
delightful treat. The previous version
we tried was a wonderfully sweet mess invented by a chef having fun. This version was a sophisticated creation
that seemed as though done by a girl scout with a cordon blue. It’s deceptively simple. A plate is decorated with chocolate sauce; a crushed
graham cracker disk with a slab of not-overly-sweet chocolate mousse is placed on
the plate and decorated with marshmallow chunks that appear to be
bruleed with a torch. It is a surprising
finish to a meal of damn good barbecue.
As I said at
the beginning this is a place where the food speaks for itself, and it speaks
volumes. Nothing we tried here was bad or even average. Since we have been here before it speaks to
the consistency of their quality. Their
portions are not large, but are a genteel sufficiency and well worth the money,
which incidentally, is less than we have paid for far inferior barbecue at
other places. This is one of the best
ones and we always leave Gus’s smiling. We
give it a nine and a half.
No comments:
Post a Comment