THIS PLACE IS GONE!
“I
love food and feel that it is something that should be enjoyed. I eat whatever I want. I just don’t over eat.”
---
Tyra Banks
THE
PIT BBQ
207
E. Alameda Avenue
Burbank,
CA 91502-1595
(818)
751-5808
Closed Monday
11:30
AM to 3:00 PM Tuesday to Sunday
5:00
PM to 8:00 PM Tuesday to Sunday
or until the meat runs out.
Sharon gets lots of internet coupons. The other day she got one from Amazon for The
Pit BBQ in Burbank. We were a bit
puzzled since we didn’t know of any barbeque place in that part of
Burbank. As it turns out, it was because
they have only been there for two months and neither of us had driven on that
section of Alameda during that time. We
couldn’t resist trying it and the fact that we had a coupon worth $30 didn’t
hurt either.
We decided to go to The Pit BBQ for lunch last
Saturday. We ran our usual Saturday
errands, and just like in the movies, found a parking spot right in front of
the place at 11:00 AM. The web site says
they open at 11:00 AM but the sign on the door said 11:30 so we walked up San
Fernando Road for a bit to get some exercise and work up our appetite. When we got back they were open.
We walked into a small dining area with and order and
pickup counter at one end and a self-service drink dispenser at the other. Near the drink dispenser is a shelf with a
selection of plastic dinnerware and on the wall above a paper towel dispenser
labeled “napkins”. The seating is provided by seven picnic
tables, four two seat and three four seat.
The walls are painted white and have a sort of wainscot of redwood
planks. We walked up to counter and
presented our coupon. The two young
women behind the counter looked at each other and said, “It’s working!”
The menu is simple.
The meats are Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork, Brisket and Chicken
Wings. There is another interesting
offering, Empanadas with either beef or pork filling. The meats are available a la carte, and the
brisket and pulled pork can be had in sandwiches. The combos are sandwich, soda and a side or
empanada soda and a side. The side
dishes are Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Macaroni and Cheese, Potato Salad, Corn on
the Cob, and Chimi Mashed Potatoes (chimichuri). They also have green salads, (not on the menu). Dessert offerings are Cheese Cake and Apple
Pie.
To get a good sample of the meat we ordered a half rack
of baby back ribs, a half- pound of brisket, and a half-pound of pulled pork. To sample the sides we ordered Cole slaw,
baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and potato salad. They do have a liquor license and a nice, if
slightly quirky selection of beers, but since the sun was not over the yard arm
in Burbank we stuck to soft drinks. The
food arrived hot and promptly with the meat served in paper lined plastic
baskets and the sides in Styrofoam cups.
Beef Brisket
This is a great place to start since this is great
brisket. The meat is tender and served
in thick slices. Cherry wood is used for
smoke here and the brisket has a good cherry smoked flavor.
Pulled Pork
The pulled pork is a bit of a puzzle. It looks gorgeous with a proper smoke ring
and good color. The pork is as tender as
you could want it, but oddly enough is a bit bland. Cherry wood smoking is more subtle than most
wood, but here it does not come through.
I tried it with the piquant and somewhat vinegary barbeque sauce that is
served here and the sauce was somewhat overwhelming. However, this is not quite the negative it
sounds. The next day I warmed up the
leftover pulled pork and made a sandwich using it and the leftover Cole
slaw. I whisked some mustard into the
sauce, creating a reasonable facsimile of a Carolina style barbeque sauce,
(Well, I found it reasonable anyway.) and it made a very good sandwich.
Baby Back Ribs
The ribs were meaty had a
proper smoke ring, and were fall-off-the-bone tender. They were more flavorful than the pulled
pork, but not as flavorful as the best baby back ribs we’ve had. They are good, worth ordering, but fall short
of great.
Baked Beans
The Pit serves some of the best side order baked beans we
have had. The sauce is a bit on the
piquant side, almost too hot for Sharon, but very well spiced. This recipe has more than one kind of bean
showing more than average effort in the kitchen. It’s not a baked bean you would want to make
a meal out of but is one of the more exceptional side order baked bean servings
we have found.
Macaroni and Cheese
The only thing that keeps us from rating this mac and
cheese as top notch is a slightly mealy texture. The pasta is al dente and the sauce had a
nice, sharp cheese flavor. It makes a
good complement to the meats and the somewhat spicy baked beans.
Cole Slaw
This is what I would call a competent, finely shredded,
two cabbage and carrot Cole slaw with a creamy dressing. It does need a bit of salt and pepper to
bring out its flavor. Delightfully, it
is not served too wet. I don’t know if they put the slaw on their pulled pork
sandwiches, (OK, I didn’t think to ask.) but when I made mine with the
leftovers the next day, it worked wonderfully.
Potato Salad
For me, this was a definite disappointment. I like a potato salad with distinct chunks of
potatoes. This was so over mixed and
mushy that it almost seemed done in a blender.
It was also quite bland. I asked
one of the servers about the potato salad and one of them said that she like it
that way as did several customers.
Individual differences I guess.
Overall, The Pit BBQ is a quite pleasant barbeque experience. Obviously, with the differences between the
web site, menu, and what is actually happening with the hours and menu, they
are still on the up side of their learning curve. It should be interesting to see how they
develop. As it stands now, we give The
Pit BBQ seven and a half.
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