I’m sure a good number of you have been…at least I know Kevin’s been because he keeps telling me about it lol.
Good brisket, even better pork spare ribs. Excellent smoke rings on the meats. Moist brisket was as good as advertised, but lean was a touch on the dry side. But those ribs…damn they’re amazing. Perfect consistency.
Lines are getting a little out of hand though (due to recent press). Tried to go Sat for lunch around noon and there was already a line out to the parking lot. Deciding to try again for dinner on the same day (since I live a mile away), and waited ~15 mins at 5:30pm opening - they were staggering the seatings (but it sounds like you can make a reservation). Apparently they weren’t doing to-gos at dinner, but I saw people picking up their orders. Service was good, but they’re not used to the crowds yet. Also, turnovers were quick.
Would prefer to have the more “legit” lunch experience of ordering at the counter where order size can be customized, but dinner was a fine experience.
Went for lunch on Saturday and got all the meats available (unfortunately the ribs weren’t ready). The fatty brisket was the star of the show. I had high expectations for the pork shoulder, but it was underseasoned. I would return again for the brisket and to try the ribs.
They don’t even have a majority of the lunch items at dinner. Only things on the menu are the brisket and ribs. I saw some lunch sides, but none of them were on the printed menu. Would like to go back to try the turkey and pork shoulder.
Yep, I finally hit up fucking The Maple Block in Culver City. They did quite a competent job of erase any memory or semblance of the old Villa Italian space, save for re-gussying up the iconic neon sign a bit.
The bbq brisket was a thing of utter beauty for the most part. It’s exceptional stuff. It’s up there with Big Mista for me. I would have to do a side-by-side taste test to see which one would be better. But on a great day, Big Mista would be better beause when those burnt ends are on it’s completely a masochistic pleasure par excellence, second to none in these parts (LA/OC/SD Counties) working in conjunction with that supreme smokeyness.
Maple Block’s brisket was fatty (i asked for the fatty end which is where all that flavor is at) and tender and had some burnt ends attached to the fat which were the perfect fucking bites. It’s a great find. I ordered up a 1/3 of a pound, then when I took a closer look at the gloriously marbled brisket, changed my order to a 1/2 pound, and once I received the order devoured it barely a few moments. I proceeded back to the butcher counter and ordered another 1/4 pound which was great but didn’t quite reach the heights of the first 1/2 pound. Melting in your mouth tender with top notes of smokeyness was the order of the fucking day.
The vinegar slaw was beyond horrendous; the pickles were so fucking LA. But what I wanted was a real pickle and jalapenos, not a high-falutin pickle that would be more than apropos at your neighborhood tempura joint.
The coffee soda was disgustingly delicious. Beyond disgutingly delicous. Though curiously it helped to cut down the richness of the fatty beef brisket to size. The bitterness from the strong coffeee worked somewhat as a digestivo, as a piece of pickled ginner would be between bites of hirame nigiri and Hokkaido uni nigiri. The soda worked well too.
Prices are decidedly high though potentially not out of line with the other by the pound joints in LA.
I skipped the strawberry rhubarb hand pie. Ultimately, I was in hurry to get back, which is why luckily I didn’t have to wait on line to go for my last 1/4 of brisket.
Sorry for the above quickly write down impressions, it may sound supremely fucking pretentious and it’s pretty fucking unedited.
The coffee soda was basically carbonated coffee lol. Strawberry soda was good though.
Didn’t get to try any of the lunch sides (because I didn’t know they were available until I saw them on other tables), but tried the pickles and biscuits. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.
kevin – welcome back is all I can say…the brisket looks and sounds great…any thoughts on lines etc for weekday lunches? im not interested in waiting in line for half an hour
I walked in at 2PM, 3 weeks ago, on a Sat afternoon.
There were about 10 people on line ahead of me, some of whom were ordering as a group, so it wasn’t even 10 different transactions. Still, it took a maddening 30 minutes for me to place my order, then about 10 mins, post-ordering, to get the chow. The 'que was ethereal, no doubt about that.
I chalked the slow ordering process up to opening days. But now I keep reading, sadly, about lines and meat shortages. I hope they can sort things out.
I chalked the slow ordering process up to opening days. But now I keep reading, sadly, about lines and meat shortages. I hope they can sort things out.
They keep CHANGING the ordering process. I actually was a fly on the wall for one of their openings (they open at 11:30 not 11) and they are VERY earnest about wanting to get the process down, but also seem to be a bit reactive in all the changes they ‘test’. It’s amazing what will hold up the line because of their ‘process’
