ROSIE’S BBQ AND GRILLERY

ROSIE’S BBQ AND GRILLERY

This is a re-review.  Previous post was in April 2013.

“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”
― Orson Welles

8930 Corbin Ave
 

Northridge CA 91324
 

(818) 349 3055

https://rosiesbbq.com/

Mon: 11:00am - 9:00pm
Tue:   11:00am - 9:00pm
Wed: 11:00am - 9:00pm
Thu:   11:00am - 9:00pm
Fri:     11:00am - 9:30pm
Sat:    11:00am - 9:30pm

Sun:   11:00am - 9:00pm 

Delivery available

This is an interesting post to write since it will be, for the most part, very different from my last one in 2013.

Rosies moved from a nearby location, on Tampa Avenue, where they had been for something like 40 years, to their current location on Corbin Avenue.  The new location was, I believe, built for another barbeque operation that never moved in.   As we drove up we noticed a large banner on the side of the building announcing “Smoked Meat Saturday”.  (We’ll get to that.) 

When you walk in you are face to face with the takeout bar with the takeout menu on the walls.  Since this was our first visit to this location our first impression, looking through the doors as we approached, was that they had moved to an order at the bar and deliver to the table operation.  When we entered we realized that it was the takeout bar we were facing.  To the left is the bar area and the entrance to the dining room(s) on the right.  The new location has just been remodeled, or at least repainted, which gave it a rather sterile, super clean construction zone look in the dining room.  I was assured that there were further decorations to be hung on the walls after the repainting.

 

We came in late, about 8:15 on a Tuesday night.  The place wasn’t packed and we were seated promptly.  Our server took our drink order and brought some Garlic Parmesan rolls for us to munch on while we were perusing the menus.  The water and iced tea arrived in Ball jars and the setups were real metal flatware in real cloth napkins which gave us good feelings.

There are lots of things on the menu besides meat from the grill but that’s what we came for.  Sharon wasn’t all that hungry so she just ordered Beef Ribs with Ranch Style Pork & Beans, and Homemade Mac and Cheese for sides.  I ordered an appetizer of Tri Tip Chili and a Rosie’s Best Combo which is ¼ Chicken, 4oz Tri Tip, and a Sausage Link with Peanut Coleslaw and Maria’s Potato Salad as sides.  Our orders arrived promptly and were hot. And, there was nothing smoked on those plates.  All of it was done on a char grill. (Be patient, this is not a negative.)

Now this brings up an interesting point (argument?), what is barbeque?  I’ve been accused of being a barbeque snob, but I have “smoked” brisket in my Sunbeam Grillmaster™ 3000 by putting smoke chips in a tray over the active burner, placing the meat over the inactive one and stuffing the vent on the active side with foil to force the smoke and heat over the meat.  No one I served it to questioned that it was barbeque.  So is it barbeque if it’s not done over wood?  I’m not going to settle that one here.  (Google barbeque.)  I’ll just say there are many methods, and any of them can make good meat when used properly.

Garlic Parmesan Rolls

A commercial dinner roll dipped in butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and herbs.  Simple but oddly satisfying while reading the menu.

Tri-Tip Chili

The chili came as a generous appetizer serving with side servings of sour cream, chopped onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and an undistinguished but acceptable commercial corn muffin.  If you are expecting a lift your head off, spicy Southwestern chili, this isn’t it, but if you want a rich, flavorful chili, with nice chunks of tri-tip in it, you have come to the right place.  It was not loaded with green pepper and onions so even Sharon could enjoy it.  

Well, that was my last review of it.  This night the tri-tip was a little sparse and evidently someone thought it wasn’t hot enough. Sharon would not have liked this serving.  The last time we were at Rosie’s I would have been quite happy to make a meal of the chili.  This one was a decent appetizer.  On the other hand, I’ve worked in food service and anyone can have a bad night in the kitchen.  I’ll try it again.

Ranch Style Pork and Beans

Well, side order beans.  We both dissected the serving and could find no sign of any pork.  It tasted like Campbell’s™ out of the can.  It was an edible side order but we were expecting more.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

Now, this was a definite improvement over last time.  The pasta was al dente and the cheese sauce had a very good cheddar flavor.  Sharon likes a mac and cheese stirred together and I like it baked.  She really liked this one and I agreed.

Peanut Coleslaw

I didn’t like it last time and it was worse this time.  This was an amorphous, oily mess.  If I was annoyed with it last time I really hated it this time.  In my opinion this needs rethinking.

Maria’s Potato Salad

I have a thing about potato salad that is overly blended, mushy.  This did not have many distinct chunks of potato and the whole mix was a bit bland.  It was acceptable after I added salt and pepper.

Beef Ribs

These were generous, meaty, nearly fall-off-the-bone tender, and quite flavorful.  They were so meaty that one was enough for Sharon.  We took the other home and I had it, microwaved, for lunch the next day.  One of the signs of good meat is that it makes a good leftover.  The most important part was that unlike many servings of beef ribs done this way the flavor said “Beef!” 

Tri-Tip

This tri-tip is as good as grilled tri-tip gets.  It was fork tender, not sliced too thinly, and very flavorful.  Tri-tip is a special treat for me and I can be very critical of its preparation.  I found this serving very enjoyable, so much so that none of it made it home as a leftover.

Chicken

Someone in the kitchen knows how to grill a chicken.  It was tender, not dry, and most importantly done through.  It was an improvement over the last time but showed no sign of smoke.  Decent grilled chicken.

Sausage Link

My first impression was that it was a bratwurst with barbeque sauce on it.  It is definitely not a hot link.  While it has a nice pop to it when you cut it and it is not mealy, it’s not until after you have swallowed it and the slight bite hits your mouth that you realize it’s not simply a bratwurst.

The experience with the meats that night would have been enough to move Rosie’s up a couple of points on our arbitrary scale, but we can’t leave well enough alone.  I asked our server about the “Smoked Meat Saturday” and she told us that the owner comes in on Friday night and smokes meat.  He starts selling it, Texas style, by the pound at 11:00 on Saturday morning and he sells out very quickly.  So, we decided to come by at 11:00 on Saturday morning and find out what it was all about.   

To Be Continued