A slathered and sweet surprise
The BBQ House has unique and savory taste
Clockwise from the right, the BBQ House’s pork ribs, pulled pork sandwich and beef brisket slathered in their signature barbecue sauce.
As the days get shorter and the grill covers come out, most of us shelve our taste for barbeque until next summer. However, for those determined to make the tasty art of char-grilled meats smothered in sauce a year-round delight, The BBQ House is the answer you’ve been looking for.
I decided to try The BBQ House after a friend told me it was his secret place for fantastic ribs and brisket. When my friends and I pulled up to the small restaurant on the corner of Roberts Street and Wells Avenue, the lack of a single open parking space told me this was the worst-kept secret in town. After hunting around a bit, I found a spot over two blocks away. Even there, the air was pungent with the tangy scent of grilled meat and barbeque sauce.
Inside the restaurant is the main room, where orders are taken at the counter and two adjacent dining rooms. The walls are decorated with various Oakland-themed murals, bumper stickers, and autographs. Each table comes with its own roll of paper towels and you’ll definitely need them — nearly everything on the menu comes smothered in sweet and smoky barbeque sauce.
My friends Tim and Jack ordered the beef brisket sandwich ($9.99) and pulled pork sandwich ($9.99), both served open face. I went for the pork ribs dinner ($12.99). All the meals come with a side of beans and choice of potato salad and coleslaw, as well as the option of mild, medium or hot barbeque sauce.
The orders came up quickly and we parked ourselves in the first dining room, under the Oakland A’s wall mural. The homemade baked beans were an immediate favorite. They were smoky and peppery, absent the usual saccharine sweetness of the canned variety. The potato salad was also excellent, made from large, skin-on chunks of potato mixed with dill, green onion and mayonnaise, but absent the chopped, hard boiled egg found in most potato salads.
Not a single dish was disappointing. The tender rib meat was spiced just right and nearly fell off the bone. The pulled pork sandwich wasn’t so much the shredded pieces that result from actually pulling pork shoulder but consisted instead of chopped chunks of meat. Nevertheless, it was also tasty and the charred edges on each piece of meat gave it a fantastic flavor. The sinewy brisket was good but didn’t compare to the amazing ribs and pork.
The BBQ House boasts an “Oakland-style” barbeque, a type I’m unfamiliar with. As far as I can tell, it seems to be mostly influenced by the Memphis style — less emphasis on spice rubs and more on sauce, which tends to be heavy and sweet. Considering the ultra-sweetness of The BBQ House’s signature sauce, it’s best to order your dish “medium” or “hot” rather than “mild.” The peppery bite of the hotter spices helps cut the sweetness of the sauce, making for perfectly balanced barbeque.
Try it Yourself
The BBQ House
463 Roberts St.
Reno, NV 89502
775- 323-RIBS
bbqhousereno.comHours:
Sunday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 am and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, InsideReno.
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