GUS’S BARBECUE - (PORTER RANCH)
Our previous post on Gus’s Barbecue was of the South Pasadena location in October 2012
“Food is an important part of a balanced diet.”
– Fran Lebowitz
The Vineyards at 20179, Rinaldi St Suite 150
Northridge, CA 91326
(818) 341-3000
| Sunday | 11AM to 10PM |
| Monday |
11AM to 10PM |
| Tuesday |
11AM to 10PM |
| Wednesday |
11AM to 10PM |
| Thursday |
11AM to 10PM |
| Friday |
11AM to 11PM |
| Saturday |
11AM to 11PM |
Delivery Available
Since our last post our Safari was limited by the pandemic. We have had to satisfy our barbecue cravings with my own smokings and takeout from some local favorites, mostly the Swinging Door (November 2012), and Dr Hoggly Woggly’s (August 2012, September 2018) the only other one close by, Mom’s (September 2012) having closed. Now we are fully vaccinated (Hell, we’ve even gotten this year’s flu shots!) most places that have survived are open and we’re ready for anything…we thought.
We knew we would be in the mid Valley area (San Fernando Valley for those outside California) and it would be and easy drive to the Gus’s Barbecue location in Porter Ranch. At 6 PM on a Friday night with no reservations we knew it would be a wait but it wasn’t bad. They have the currently expected cell phone paging system where you check in and they text you when your table is ready. The Vineyards is one of the more pedestrian friendly open air shopping malls and there are shaded seating areas in front of the store fronts where you can wait. The hostess told us a half hour wait and it I was paged almost to the exact minute.
When you walk in you are facing a wall with an arrowed sign pointing left to the take out desk and right to the hostess desk. The ends of the wall have baskets of small logs going all the way to the high ceiling (Hopefully pecan wood since that is what they smoke with here...can’t tell from looking, I’m not an arborist.) Entrance to the seating area is around the ends of the wall. The interior is very restaurant designer, not at all like the South Pasadena location which is grew from a storefront. On the left side of the area is a rather sizable bar which seems to have been well populated during Happy Hour, the end of which did not seem to encourage anyone to leave the bar. In fact the people at the bar were exuberantly happy which, along with the contemporary, hard surfaced, restaurant designer interior made this quite the loudest barbecue restaurant I have been in. To be fair, they have patio dining also and had we decided to sit outside it would have been a different experience.
The hostess led us back to a table in a corner of the restaurant and gave us menus. They do have a barcode posted on the end of the sauce bottle holder for those who would prefer to scan it and peruse the menu on their cellphone but, thankfully, unlike some of the ‘trendy’ restaurants we have visited recently they have not given up on physical menus. The sound level made it difficult for the server to understand what we wanted for drinks. The menu has appetizers. barbecue and salads listed on one side and “Southern Kitchen” (fried stuff), burgers, sandwiches, beverages and desserts on the other. On both sides is the listing of 13 side dish selections.
Since we came for the “que” Sharon ordered St Louis Spare Ribs with Mac N’ Cheese and BBQ Baked Beans while I ordered a Ribs And Two Meat Combo with Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork, Brisket, Cole Slaw and Braised Southern Greens. I also ordered a Cast Iron Corn Bread appetizer. The sound level and the masks made it a bit difficult to get the order understood but the server was very patient. In fact, all the staff here is bright and cheerful they can hear you. By this point the sound level had given Sharon a headache.
The speed of service here is amazing considering that the place was completely packed. The Cast Iron Cornbread arrived promptly and before we had a chance to sample and discuss our feelings about it the entrees arrived. I must be more circumspect about my note taking. I’m a bit slow typing on my cellphone and will likely return to my little note pad. The server must have noticed that I was taking notes because shortly into our meal Ashley, the manager, was at the side of our table asking how we were doing. Normally, we do not identify ourselves to the staff at a place we are reviewing but this time we did and had a pleasant and informative conversation with her.
Cast Iron Cornbread
Gus’s cornbread is distinctive. It is baked in a six inch cast iron skillet and that is how it arrives on the table, on a board along with a small serving cup of honey butter and a similar cup of jalapeno jelly. It also arrives with a warning that the skillet handle is hot The skillet baking gives it a crunchy crust. It is dense and stands up to both the butter and the jelly with little crumbling. There are some corn kernels distributed through it and it is not too sweet although it seems a bit oily we did not find that a negative.
At the South Pasadena location we found it to be among the best cornbread we have ever tried, but here it seemed a bit underdone and dry with a peculiar aftertaste. When told this Ashley brought us another skillet with cornbread that appeared a bit darker and took the original one back to the kitchen to show the chef. This one was definitely better. She told us that it is a completely corn product, with no wheat flour, and that it is always served fresh and hot, never a day old. I’ll give her a little clue, as a leftover, warmed up the next day, it’s even better.
St Louis Spare Ribs
Unlike our experience with the South Pasadena location these were disappointing. The meat fell off the bones but was overdone and dry. They were chewy rather than succulent. This is not what we expected from Gus’s.
Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs did not really disappoint but, again, these were not what I was used to from Gus’s. They had good flavor but suffered a bit of the same problem as the spare ribs being a bit on the dry side. Having the leftover ribs for lunch a couple of days later did not change my opinion
Pulled Pork
This met expectations! The pile I had showed a perfect smoke ring at the edge and had a distinct “Pork” flavor. All the meats here have their own distinct flavor and the pulled pork is no exception. There was a bottle of Carolina style mustard based sauce on the table that went perfectly with this. The next day I used the leftover pulled pork along with the cole slaw to make a pulled pork sandwich and it was perfect.
Brisket
The slices of brisket looked very good on the plate. They had a good smoke ring and did have good flavor but were just a bit dry. Don’t get me wrong, none of it made it home as a leftover but was not the superb brisket that I have had at the other location.
Braised Southern Greens
I like greens and these are delightful. This is a fairly conventional preparation of greens, very good, and with its own distinct flavor. As I said in my previous review, it speaks for itself. While it won’t make converts of those who don’t like greens if you like greens already it’s worth ordering.
Mac N’ Cheese
Tonight is seemed a bit off. The cheese sauce, a three cheese blend, was a bit heavy on the Fontina and there seemed to be a bit too much flour in the roux since, while not mealy, it had a bit pasty texture. It was acceptable but not great.
BBQ Baked Beans
Gus’s baked beans are usually far above average. Something was amiss again tonight. The sauce, something Sharon can generally appreciate, was spicier than usual and her mouth was burning. There was also a peculiar after taste. I know that they use beer in these. I wonder if they changed brands of beer. Like the Mac N’ Cheese acceptable but not great.
Cole Slaw
There is something to be said for consistency, I can repeat my previous post on the cole slaw. You’ve seen me write about liking cole slaw that is not to wet. While this hits most of the good points it goes the other way on wetness. 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. It definitely needs salt and pepper. As a side to a meal it falls short, but in a pulled pork sandwich the combination would be just about perfect. I made one with the leftovers the next day, it was.
At the South Pasadena location nothing we tried was bad or even average. One of the things we have valued about Gus’s was the consistency of their quality. Their portions are not large, but are a genteel sufficiency and was well worth the money. But while both Sharon and I have been in food service and know that anyone can have a bad night we have to give our experience of Gus’s Porter Ranch location that night a seven.
