la.foodblogging

Having gone to college in St. Louis, I’ve become a big proponent of great barbeque. I’m not talking about eating hamburgers and hot dogs in your backyard. I’m talking about those slow-cooked slabs of meat that require expert treament and cooking. There’s nothing better than tearing into soft delicious meat that’s been lathered with homemade barbeque sauce. Back in St. Louis, I just be driving around and find some ramshackle barbeque place that ended up being one of the best meals I’ve had.

Sadly, since moving back to LA a few years ago, I’ve somehow managed not to eat at a barbeque place. After my craving had reached epic proporations, I finally began to look around on Chowhound for suggestions on barbeque places on Westside. Having made my selection, I ventured forth to Baby Blues BBQ.

My first impressions were great. It was a hole in the wall, which already reminded of my time in the South. We were greeted by friendly waitresses as well as the owner. After sitting down, we poured over the menu. They have multiple combinations, but the best way to order might be a la carte. We had a 1/2 slab of Memphis style rib, a 1/2 slab of baby back ribs, a 1/2 pound of pulled pork, a 1/2 pound of beef brisket, 2 orders of cornbread, an order of collard greens, and an order of sauteed okra.


The difference between Memphis (pictured first) and baby back ribs (pictured second) was that the Memphis-style were drier but had more meat. This wasn’t a bad thing, but after eating the baby back ribs, I don’t think I can go back to Memphis-style. The baby backs just slid off the bone and were unbelievably juicy and tender. They had great smoky subtle taste that is distinctive of great barbeque.

The pulled pork (below left) and brisket (below right) were soft and tender and basically fell apart in your mouth. It comes plain, but that just means you can lather it in the homemade sauces they have at each table. There’s the regular one, which has a tangy, sweet and sour like taste. Then there’s the habenero based sauce, aptly name Porno XXX. I tried some and while it wasn’t the spiciest I’ve ever had, it was definitely something I wouldn’t be using with each bite.

Finally, the sides were great. The cornbread had no hint of artificial sweetening. The sweetness came from the natural corn flavor and it even had some corn kernals. The collard greens were fresh and not soggy while the sauteed okra (not pictured) was perfectly cooked. They flash cooked it using a sauce that really helped to bring out the okra flavor.

After all that, I really wanted to try their banana pudding which I had read about in the LA Times food section. However, we were too stuffed. Even the waitress couldn’t believe we ate all that food and I’m sure she’s seen a lot of big eaters. Of course, in addition to the great food, the wait staff was extremely helpful and courteous. They made us feel right at home and had no stuffy airs about them. So now, I can feel confident that I don’t have to wait to return to the South in order to experience good barbeque.

Baby Blues BBQ
444 Lincoln Blvd.
Venice, Ca
310-396-7675

By Jeff (see more of his posts).