Even tho I posted this in the July Weekend thread, I thought I’d toss this up here as well and get in on the DoTM since I’m eating more of the leftovers tonite (I guess my eyes were pretty big when I ordered a whole rack of these pork ribs for myself ).
The Park’s Finest @ Beer Belly on the 4th (their annual holiday beer/bbq fest They set up their rig in the parking lot.). Pork ribs. These were really good—very meaty/tender, nice smoke and great flavor. They came with two sauces on the side: one was soy sauce based and the other closer to a southern BBQ sauce in flavor and texture (I liked the soy sauce one best). Leftovers taste great as well!
We eat at Robata too. A lot of skewer selections, tasty dipping sauces. I’ve seen people slurping down the ramen. Will try it next time. Not crazy about their house made tofu. Maybe it was just the chef that night.
Finally got a chance to try Charcoal, Chef-Owner Josiah Citrin’s (Melisse) new restaurant, which is an ode to all things cooked by charcoal. Posting the BBQ/Grilled Meats we had for dinner, but full report with more details in the Charcoal thread.
Thanks to @Thor for the rec! The Smoked Lamb Ribs were indeed fall-off-the-bone tender, deeply smoky, lightly sweet, but savory and the gaminess of the Lamb was just right. Delicious!
Served a perfect medium-rare, the USDA Prime Ribeye was excellent. It was tender, meaty, with a nice chew. Great char on the outside. Most of my friends and I aren’t much into the whole steak & potatoes dinners, but it was generally enjoyable. I’m curious how the Angus Beef NY Striploin is.
I have to thank @Thor@CiaoBob for the great suggestion: I’ve never had 21 Day Aged Liberty Duck before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would it be like Dry Aged Beef? How would the flavors change?
The first thing to note is that the outside Duck Skin has been crisped (always a good thing! , and as @CiaoBob mentions, the fat has been rendered down a lot (there’s still a bit of fat, but far less than a standard fresh Duck).
But the interesting part is the taste: The 21 Day Aged Duck has an intense, deep poultry taste. I’ve never tasted anything like it. But it should be noted it’s an acquired taste. 2 of my friends didn’t like the flavors at all, feeling it was a bit disconcerting. They didn’t hate it (they loved the crisped Duck Skin, and general tenderness), but the aging on the Duck seems to have been too foreign for them.
I liked it, but I’d want to eat it a few more times to get used to the flavors. It’s intense, but also tender, and generally delicious.
Charcoal Venice
425 Washington Blvd.
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Tel: (310) 751-6794
Max City BBQ, full rack St. Louis ribs. A steal at $23.50, and they have a great slice of key lime pie for a paltry $3.xx.
Quite possibly my favorite pork ribs in the city right now - excellent smoke flavor and bark. Very well seasoned, meat can stand on its own but their spicy BBQ sauce is crazy addictive.
Pork quality definitely not as good as Barrel & Ashes, but it’s more satisfying (to me) and $15 less for a full rack.
I like Max City. I’ve found them more consistent and better than all my trips to Horse Thief. My last trip to HT, I dumped half my brisket, which pains this frugal bbq loving person to no end.
What else do you like at Max City? I’ve only had the pork ribs, tri tip, and key lime pie. I hear they’re about to get sausage links for the summer - can’t wait.
Charcoal - I read your reports @Chowseeker1999 when I can read them more than once. Really excellent.
Even though steak & potatoes is not your thing, you describe it perfectly for those who love it. I challenge the much loved Mastro’s to do a med-rare ribeye that good.
And serious thanks for the duck skin description. Is there anything better than crispy skin?
Nice shout-out to the discoverers CiaoBob & Thor too.
Hope I don’t embarrass you. But I say it again…You’re a gem.
Don Lenchos in South Central for the grilled fish! All you Salvis will know this is the joint.
I wish I took pics just trust me like Rose did with Jack on Titanic
all the meats plus some dhal, armenian eggplant salad, a glorious pasta salad someone brought, armenian sweet rice with chestnuts, venegret (russian salad with beets), kholodets (meats in aspic)
).
.
