“...it
was so rich and exotic I was seduced into taking one bite and then another as I
tried to chase the flavors back to their source.”
---Ruth
Reichl
BLUDSO’S
BAR-&-QUE
609
N. La Brea Ave
Los
Angeles, CA 90036
323-931-2583
5:00
PM to 10:00 PM Monday through
Friday
12:00
PM to 10:00 PM Saturday
10:00
AM to 8:00 PM Sunday (Barbeque
starts at 12:00 PM)
Finding parking on trendy La Brea can be a challenge
depending on the time of day.
Fortunately, if you are there at the wrong time of day, Bludso’s has
valet parking. This is a storefront
location about a block south of Melrose.
A little bit north of Melrose is Pink’s Hot Dogs, which has a line
around it, any time of day, that makes you think that they must be giving them
away. Bludso’s certainly is different
from a hot dog stand (No matter how famous is the hot dog stand.)
Entering you will be greeted by a bubbling hostess. Behind the hostess’ station is a chalk board
that informs you what meats are still available that day. The hostess will show you to your seat. The seat will either be at a wooden picnic
style table, or if there is just one or two of you, a plastic chair at a table
for two. If you are in a drinking mood
you could sit at the long bar. (Well,
somewhat long, fifteen chairs.) It
appears that people are unusually friendly and intimate at this place as they
lean in for conversation. The interior is all hard surfaces, done in
five shades of gray, and with even a few people carrying on normal
conversations it gets rather noisy. They’re
just leaning in close to hear each other.
To top it off, there is music playing and there are ten flat screen TV’s
around the room. At the time we were
there they were all tuned to the ever present different sports channels.
On the table you will find a paper towel dispenser and a
box or bucket of real metal flatware.
Another thing on the table is a dispenser bottle of what appears to be
jalapeno vinegar. Neither of us had the
nerve to try it. Also on the table are a
tab card sized menu, (For those of you don’t know what a tab card was or are
not old enough to have actually seen one, it is a little larger than a dollar
bill.) and a check-the-box style order card such as you would find at a build
your own burger bar. At least you know
that you never have to worry about your order being written down wrong. Oh, yes, everything is a la carte and all the
meat items are sold by weight. If you
ask for water, the server brings you each a red plastic drinking glass and a
pitcher full of water. They fill your glass
and leave the pitcher definitely comes in handy when the food arrives.
Naturally, with a check-the-box style order card, the
menu is a bit limited. The available meats are Brisket, Pulled Pork,
and Rib Tips sold by the quarter, half and whole pound, Ribs sold by the half
and full rack, Chicken sold by the half and whole, and Hot Links sold
individually. The only combo is the tray
which has all the meats and all the sides intended to serve six to eight people
and selling for $95. Sides available are
Mac & Cheese, Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Collard Greens, Bread and
Butter Pickles, and Corn Bread. Desserts
are Cobbler a la Mode, Red Velvet Cake, Banana Pudding (something of a
specialty), and Scoops Ice Cream.
Sharon and I ordered quarter pounds of all the meats, a
half rack of ribs, a half chicken, and a hot link to get a good sampling of the
que. Our server took the order (well,
picked it up) and the food arrived promptly.
The one thing not listed on the menu was the traditional touch of the
two sliced of white bread that came with the order. Our sever gave us each a small plate and
presented the meats, all on a metal baking sheet, and the cups of side orders
on another baking sheet. The meat is
served dry, definitely a plus, and there are two sauces, a mild and hot.
Brisket
Texas style brisket should be tender and moist, and this
is. This looked just right, but
unfortunately, it was also too fatty, and overdone, to the point that it was
tasteless and did not look or taste like it had been smoked. Since the brisket was highly recommended by
the magazine article that brought Bludso’s Bar & Que to our attention this
was more than a bit of a disappointment.
Pulled Pork
The article also said that the pulled pork was
bland. So, we were pleasantly surprised
that this day the pulled pork was some of the best we’ve had recently. It was tender and very flavorful with a
lovely smoke ring. I also made a pulled
pork sandwich using the white bread and the coleslaw. If they put sandwiches on the menu here this
one will be quite popular.
Rib Tips
Not only were these rib tips unusually meaty, but they
were wonderfully flavorful and were probably the best looking rib tips I have
seen. The smoke ring on the cut ends was gorgeous! The rub used is a bit spicy, not a problem
for me but it left Sharon reaching for the bread. They are not fall-off-the-bone tender, but
are certainly worth ordering. The couple
at the table next to us loved them so much they make a second order of nothing
but rib tips and then took another order home.
They seemed to be determined to run the restaurant out of them.
Ribs
The same spicy rub used on all the meats was used on the
pork ribs. They were a tad dry, but
that’s being picky since they were as flavorful as the rib tips and very, very
meaty. Yes, order the ribs. Note: if you too find the rub used on the
ribs a little too spicy, the mild barbeque sauce slathered on them will help to
cut the pepperiness.
Chicken
Somehow, the chicken didn’t look barbecued when we cut
into it. Other than the somewhat strange
appearance, barbequed chicken doesn’t come any better than this. It was moist, done through, and had a great
smoky flavor. It also passed the kitty
test.
Hot Link
Not bad, but not the greatest we’ve ever had, this hot
link is generously sized, and not too hot.
It is just a tad mealy in texture and does not have the juicy “pop” you
expect when you cut into a good link. It
is nicely seasoned, and the heat sneaks up on you with an after bite. There is a surprise after you have eaten
it…as my wife pointed out later, “Something garlicky this way comes.”
Mac and Cheese
Now this is one of those places where Sharon and I
disagree. She prefers a mac and cheese
where the pasta is cooked al dente and then combined with a rich cheese
sauce. Baked mac and cheese is not her
thing. I like a baked mac and cheese
where the cooked pasta is mixed with shredded cheese, maybe with a crumb
topping and backed until the cheese is melted and infused through the
pasta. I like the cheesy crust. The mac and cheese here is baked. It is rich and has at great cheddary
flavor. Sharon says it’s just OK, but I
really like it,
Coleslaw
If you have to do conventionally dressed coleslaw, this
is the way to do it. The cabbage is
finely shredded so that the flavors of the other ingredients and the dressing
have a chance to mix well and it doesn’t just taste like raw cabbage with some
dressing on it. It’s a little wet, just
short of being “overdressed”, but goes quite well on a pulled pork
sandwich. That even applies the next day
when the sandwich is made with leftovers.
Baked Beans
These beans are not overcooked, not too sweet, somewhat
piquant and quite flavorful. And, best
of all, loaded with chunks of pork. In
short, while not breaking any new culinary ground, they are a bit more than
just a competent side order of beans.
Collard Greens
Collard greens are basically poor people’s food. However, I have found places that have
attempted to make culinary art from the lowly greens. Some of these efforts have failed and some
are positively sublime. No such effort
has been made here. These are a totally
traditional preparation of greens (well, almost…). Not that there is anything wrong with that,
since they are really good greens. They
were not overcooked and quite savory.
The slices of jalapeno pepper cooked in with them were a bit of a
surprise, but I found them before I ate one.
With the exception of the jalapeno slices, these are greens that I would
give to someone who doesn’t like greens in an attempt to convert them.
Corn Bread
This was a sheet pan corn bread that seemed to have a
touch of honey in it. It is better than
average for this kind of corn bread, but like most is crumbly and would need
very soft butter if you wanted to butter it.
Banana Pudding
It’s a bit visually disappointing for something that is
supposed to be something of a specialty.
It arrives as a cute cup of creamy custard pudding with two traditional
“Nilla” cookies standing up at one side, a dollop of whipped cream, and a
garnish of crumbled cookie. Digging into
the custard we found just a few banana slices.
But, oh the custard! It was very
rich and creamy with a flavor that was strong on vanilla and delightfully
subtle on the bananas. It is quite
conventional, but thoroughly enjoyable.
Bludso’s Bar-&-Que is a bit quirky, with a staff that
is very cheerful, efficient, and helpful (at least at 4:00 PM on a
Saturday). Their food is mostly above
average, but not fantastic, and they were certainly having an off day for the
brisket. The noise factor is a definite
negative. Considering everything, we
give it a solid eight.
