As a Southerner, I take my barbeque seriously. Coming to California for college, I didn’t know what to expect – no sweet tea, a dearth of chicken & dumplin’s and no Cracker Barrel for hundreds of miles. Fortunately, I’ve survived, thanks in no small part to San Jose’s barbeque scene.
What follows is a decidedly personal account of one man and three barbeque places, a story of adventure, generous portions and numerous sets of ribs for my pleasure. It’s a tale of intrigue and personal discovery.
Blue Rock BBQ – 3001 Meridian Ave.
7.5/10, $
The Blue Rock BBQ brings me back. Similar to a barbeque joint I enjoyed in Auburn, Alabama, the Blue Rock has diners order at a counter, greatly raising the levels of anticipation. You can see into the kitchen. You know your food is coming. Should you wait and watch – no, the wait is too much.
The décor of the place feels a little industrial. The proprietors have attempted to add a Southern flair to the eatery, but it falls flat, too new to feel homey. The ceilings are too high and the facility too new to really feel like a “down-home” restaurant. The strip mall parking, however, is plentiful.
Rated the best BBQ in Silicon Valley by the Metro, an area weekly, several times over the past few years, Blue Rock’s BBQ food is indeed delicious. My pulled pork was succulent and scrumptious and the macaroni & cheese was thick, gooey goodness. Menu choice is somewhat limited, but you should stick to the pulled pork or ribs. I really liked the baked beans, the best part of the meal.
All in all, Blue Rock is a solid choice for a BBQ evening.
Sam’s BBQ – 1110 S. Bascom Ave.
1/10, $-$$
Sam’s tries too hard to be Southern. My brother and I were excited by the restaurant’s “country” flair, complete with a toy train running throughout the eatery’s trim of the ceiling. They had sweet tea, plain chairs and tables, and a solid ranking in the Metro’s “best of BBQ” section.
Disappointment enveloped our excitement for the accoutrements as the waitress at the counter was positively rude. When asked if we could substitute onion rings as a side for our rib combo meal, she not only said no and stared at us as if we idiots but also blurted, “Onion rings come in their own basket!” We thought she was joking, a little Southern-style sarcasm, but the silence for the next 20 seconds confirmed that she was serious.
In short, don’t waste your money or time at Sam’s BBQ. I simply cannot fathom why Metro ranked them so high. Of course, I may be an idiot – I didn’t know that onion rings required their own sovereign basket.
The food was gross. The tea was oversweet. The barbeque sauce tasted like Burger King Bronco sauce from years ago. There were two types of baked beans that we had inadvertently ordered, both by saying “the baked beans, please.” One type was virtually inedible and the other was decent, not good.
Our waitress at the counter-style restaurant hovered over us the entire meal, staring and cleaning in our vicinity. This made us not only feel unwelcome but nervous, especially as we did not like any of the food presented.
Henry’s Hi-Life – 301 W St John St.
9/10, $$$
Profiled on the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food,” Henry’s Hi-Life is a rib-lover’s dream. Tucked behind the HP Pavilion, Henry’s is a great place to grab a drink and watch the Sharks. Their front area has a loud, homey sports-bar. But it’s also more than that – it has become a place for my brother and me to relish in our love of BBQ.
You walk in, take a number and order from the host. The menu is written on a wooden board at the entrance to the sit-down portion of the restaurant. This is not the kind of place to order fettuccini alfredo – it’s an unbridled meat-lover’s paradise. You wait as they prepare your food, then you get ushered into the back and presented with an over-dressed salad. This is a very casual restaurant, no need to over-dress.
Henry’s ribs are simply incredible, served wet to whet your appetite and prepared with brown sugar. The bones come clean out of the rib, leaving you with a heaping helping of rib-meat to chow on. The half-slab should fit most people’s appetites, about 6-8 inches of rib. For the adventurous, the full slab is gargantuan, about 12 inches of ribs. Each order is pared with garlic bread and a baked potato.
Henry’s BBQ sauce will keep you coming back for more. Not only is it a good dip for the garlic bread, but it is fascinating to determine its component parts. My guess is that it is a ketchup-based sauce.
True, the place is on the pricey side, approximately $20-$25, but it’s worth it for both the challenge of eating so many ribs and the melt-in-the-mouth flavor-packed punch of the meat.
Henry’s Hi-Life allows me to reconnect with my Southern BBQ heritage out here in California. The ribs have kept me coming back for more – at least fifteen times!