A pair of updates

Two updates to previous reviews:

1) Handy Market doesn't make beef ribs every week. They're not very big sellers, apparently, so you just have to cross your fingers. I retried the pork ribs and this time they gave me a much better rack (last time I asked for a small one, which condemned me to a not-so-meaty dry rack) that was juicy and tasty. Hopefully someday I'll be able to try their beef ribs. They looked great when I saw them there.

2) I got a chance to try the burnt-end sandwich from Kansas City BBQ - this is a sandwich made up of all the charred burnt "brownies" from their smoked pork and beef, covered in a sauce and served on a bun. I liked it a lot. It was really flavorful, like a good sloppy joe. Maybe there was a bit too much sauce, but I bet you can just ask for it without. I heartily recommend it for someone who wants just a sandwich/lunch item and doesn't want to engage in a heavier barbecue with bones and stuff.

That is all!

Barn Burner BBQ - Pasadena

I drove by the rather lovely and posh looking Barn Burner BBQ barn-like structure one day while running errands. It advertised "Texas Barbecue," which is my favorite regional style. My girlfriend Hannah is a native Texan, no stranger to such legendary locales as The Salt Lick and Ironworks. Even though she's vegan, she knows good Texan barbecue when it's in front of her.

So Hannah and I drove over late one Sunday to Barn Burner's. They looked fairly new, like they had recently expanded. As soon as we walked in Hannah smiled - the place was authentically Texan. A lot of places that try to be authentic really aren't - they're just full of crap on the walls. But this place was great. It was clearly professionally decorated and done, a little corporate, but they had done their homework. A spacious interior with long wooden tables arranged in neat rows, the building also boasted a gigantic Texas flag on the wall. There was also a really nice outdoor area, including a few squawk boxes attached to poles by the parking spaces for placing orders from your car.

We knew this place was for real when Hannah spotted all the discarded peanut shells on the floor. "This is awesome," she said. When we sat down we immediately got our own little bowl of salted peanuts to shell and eat, which is de rigeur for a real Texas barbecue. Interesting - none of the other Texas places I had been, even the truly authentic ones, had bothered with the peanuts, but it truly is a great little detail.

Being Vegan, Hannah was content to munch on fried zucchini and my fries that would come with my combo order. I have to admit I was a little taken aback by the prices here - they weren't that good. My two item combo was well over 15 dollars (this review is late, so I don't remember the exact price), but it wasn't cheap. You can get three items for less in any other place.

Okay so expensive, but maybe the portions were decently sized. Nope. There were three slices of brisket and a few beef rib bones, placed next to a withered little roll.

Now the food itself was actually pretty good. The ribs were fantastic, and the brisket was passable, but the price/quantity ratio was so bad I spent the whole time feeling cheated. Hannah and I both enjoyed the fried zucchini, which brought back good memories for her of her hometown. She also noticed that they served Shiner Bock beer on tap, which is apparently only available in Texas. Hannah's San Luis Obispo-living uncle complains that he can't get it. But this place has it.

The brisket was moist and flavorful, although I wondered if it had been truly "applewood smoked" like the website claims. I didn't see much of a smoke ring on the meat. The beef ribs were much better, but that might just be because of the fact that beef ribs are inherently awesome. The sauce was more Kansas City than Texas, but I imagine that's a necessary compromise, as true Texas sauces are more like glorified ketchup than anything else. I also appreciated that the meat wasn't disguised by some sort of marinade or overly powerful rub - you could really get the flavor of the beef on its own.

Even though the food wasn't worth the price it was still pretty tasty, and Hannah really enjoyed the throwback to her Texas heritage. But if you want Texas barbecue that's a much better value, try one of the many Texas places in LA like Hogly Wogly's, Swinging Door, or Barbecue King. They may not have the peanuts and decor down, but they're a much better deal on the food.

PROS - Great Texas atmosphere, clean, peanuts served to munch on, decent food and good service.

CONS - Ridiculously overpriced, small portions, no clear smoke flavor

CONCLUSION - There are better places to go if your interest is pure food quality, but if you want Texas atmosphere, this is the place to be - Otherwise, save your money.

Barn Burner is located at 1000 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena. They have a great website at http://www.barnburnerbbq.com with all pertinent information, including catering options.

Handy Market - Burbank

The Handy Market is right by my house. I was walking down Magnolia just minding my own business when I saw a huge cloud of smoke emanating from the market parking lot. At first I thought "Fire! Sweet!" but then I realized it was even better - barbecue!

Handy Market is an independently owned and operated grocery store on the corner of Magnolia and Buena Vista right in the heart of the Burbank flats. But every Saturday from noon to six PM, they bust out their massive smoker and grill setup and start cooking all sorts of great barbecue for anyone who passes by.

I had stumbled upon a local gem - at least a dozen normal people in line, waiting to pick out what they wanted, all talking about how great this place was. It was apparently a well-kept local secret.

I promptly got in line with my partner in crime for this adventure, Drew, who remarked that the look and smell of the pit was amazing. I agreed. The way it worked was simple - you lined up by the smoker, you picked out what you wanted, they would wrap it in tin foil for you and you'd take it inside and pay for it at the register by the pound. For a specific Tri-Tip Sandwich, you'd go directly inside and get it there without stopping by the smoker. But where's the fun in that?

The smoker behind the three or so pit workers was massive - one of these competition-style hitched-to-a-truck smokers. In front of the pit workers was the real magic - about 20 feet of mesquite grilling. Chickens, tri tips, and baby back ribs. They also have beef ribs, but they run out early. I'm definitely going to come back for those, as beef ribs are probably my favorite barbecue cut.

So Drew and I went all out - we ordered an entire tri-tip, half a chicken, and a rack of baby backs - total cost, 25 dollars. 25 dollars??? That's ridiculously cheap for this amount of food. If you're interested in feeding a large party on a Saturday afternoon, you couldn't do much worse than this.

We took our haul and went home and had a look. There were plusses and minuses. The biggest minus was the chicken. It was just kind of tasteless, almost like no one decided to put any salt or anything on it. After a few bites I was done with it. The thing with chicken is you need to serve it immediately after grilling it, otherwise it dries out, and that's exactly what had happened here.

The ribs were better - also dry from sitting out for a while, but tasty and tender. If we had asked for a bigger rack we probably would have gotten more out of them. We also ordered without sauce, and that might have been a mistake. Putting sauce on these ribs would be smart.

After two ho-hum experiences, we were banking all our hopes on the tri tip. And we weren't disappointed. This was some of the single best tri tip I've ever had. The marinade was really flavorful and authentic to the Santa Maria style of cooking tri tip, and and meat was cooked through without being overdone or too pink. It was pretty damn near perfect. If the beef ribs are this good, we'll be set. They also serve turkey legs, which are probably super tasty.

Even though the ribs and chicken weren't up to par, the tri tip was so good, and the atmosphere was so fun that I will definitely be coming back for more. I love that this little secret is right in my neighborhood, and there's nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon than attend a neighborhood cookout.

PROS: Amazing tri tip, local street cred, super value

CONS: Forgettable ribs, bad chicken, and it's only on Saturdays

CONCLUSION: Skip the chicken and ribs (unless you really want them) and go straight for the beef. You can't beat the price, you can't beat the taste.

Handy Market is located at 2514 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505. It's on the corner of Magnolia and Buena Vista. You can't miss the billowing smoke. Just pull into the parking lot (or the nearby street parking), walk up, and enjoy!

UPDATE: I went back to eat some tri tip and hope to score some beef ribs, but apparently the Market doesn't make beef ribs every week. They're not very big sellers, apparently, so you just have to cross your fingers. I retried the pork ribs and this time they gave me a much better rack (last time I asked for a small one, which condemned me to a not-so-meaty dry rack) that was juicy and tasty. Hopefully someday I'll be able to try their beef ribs. They looked great when I saw them there.