Salinas City Barbeque Opens in Salinas

[Melanie Wong]

For the last month, I've been watching progress on Salinas City Barbeque toward opening. The restaurant has taken over the former location of Smalley's RoundUp. I'd noticed the sign painting underway on April 6, shown here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4572815634/

And, I've made a point to stop by when I'm in Salinas to check on opening plans. The owners also operate Trail Dust in Morgan Hill.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniew...

I understand that the soft opening was yesterday, May 2. The official opening will be Tuesday, May 4. Hope to hear some reports!

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Smalley's Roundup
1190 S Main St, Salinas, CA 93901

Salinas City Barbeque
700 W Market St, Salinas, CA 93901

[Melanie Wong]

When I returned to Salinas on the appointed opening day, May 4, I drove by at 5:30pm to see “Closed” and no sign of life. The next day I stopped by and spoke to someone who said there will still some loose ends to tie up and that it would be open the next day.

We made another pass on Thursday morning and found the smoker rig puffing away and in action.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4591136530/

We were advised that the doors would open at 11:30AM, and took a seat on the front porch for the 10-minute wait.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4591136524/

Two take-out customers beat us through the door. But Mom and I were the restaurant’s first ever eat-in customers on opening day. We took a table near the front windows. Here’s the front and back of the menu.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4591136510/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4590503687/

The food columnist in the local paper had covered the opening that day. More people started to trickle in after noon.
http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20100506/ENTERTAINMENT/5060318/Ricardo-A.-Diaz-Salinas-City-Barbecue-does-it-right

Here are some shots of the interior.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4590503669/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4590503665/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4590503661/

My mother was curious about the rib sandwich. She was puzzled on how one could eat a sandwich with rib bones. I assured her that “sandwich” usually referred to a smaller portion size served with bread on the side. However, here I was proved wrong. The small end of the ribs served with bones pulled out and slathered with sauce was tucked into the Golden Sheaf bun. Good flavor, but crumbly dry. I mentioned this to one of the staffers and he urged me to come back to try a full rack, as the small end tends to dry out. The side of beans, studded with bits of smoked meats, was very tasty and had great texture. Whole solid beans, not mushy and just firm enough.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/4590503673/

I went with the Pulled pork sandwich. I chose the garlic bread option, and that’s the way to go here, also using Golden Sheaf’s excellent bread. Very tasty, especially the pieces of crusty “bark” with tender, un-stringy succulent texture and nicely marbling but minimal visible fat. Served with “hogwash”, made of vinegar spiked with garlic and molasses, the flavor of the smoke, pork and sauce melded beautifully. I also tasted the regular and “hot” versions of sauce from squeeze bottles on the table. Good complexity, not oversweetened, but too heavy on the smoke component, as I prefer the smoke to be in the meat and the sauce to provide a counterpoint. My side of coleslaw was entirely finely chopped cabbage, quite plain and in need of more acidity.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniew...

The restaurant stays open through the day between lunch and dinner. Parking is limited, so take-out might be in order. This was a good start, and I look forward to returning in a few weeks to try more.

[Jeff Avis]

Melanie, I got a kick out of the name of their vinegar sauce,"Hogwash" lol. I'm surprised I've never heard that used before but you being a Bar-B-Que judge no doubt have. Now you've got me thinking I'll have to make a run to Ruben's Bar-B-Que here in Fresno for din din tonight. I haven't been there for several months so I'm hoping things are still good. Any reports?

[Melanie Wong]

Return to Salinas City Barbecue

Last month, I swung by Salinas City Barbecue to grab some take out. This was my first time back in the two years since opening day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/7092549961/

A new menu had just been introduced, as shown here,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/7092546055/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/6946474756/

The one big change is that brisket is now available every day and not just on Fridays. That made my choice easy. I ordered one brisket plate and a half-rack of ribs ala carte, asking for both with sauce on the side.

Here’s what they looked like once I got them home: ribs (unsauced), $14, and regular size meal of smoked brisket, $10.95, including two sides (cole slaw and beans) and garlic bread. The meats were wrapped in foil preventing any drips, and the compostable containers stayed clean for another use.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/7092547571

I asked for brisket with more fat from the point end. Sure they’re homely, as the point doesn't yield a neat slice like the flat end. But the extra marbling makes the point cut much tastier and this was no exception. Deeply beefy and moist, a bit overcooked making the meat overly soft, but a judged hand with the level of smoke and tasty rub made this good enough to eat unadorned by sauce.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniewong/6946478878/

Half rack of St Louis style pork ribs had the fresh-out-of-the-smoker juiciness that’s so hard to find. Nice bite to the tooth, done just right, and even if some of the fat on the back side did not fully render, I enjoyed the meatiness of these ribs. Also some residual graininess from unmelted brown sugar visible on the back side contributed a sweet note but also a raspy texture. But all in all, this was a good example from a commercial outfit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melaniew...

Again, I liked the beans a lot but found the coleslaw more of a condiment or foil for the meats than a salad to stand on its own. With time in grade, Salinas City Barbecue continues to deliver a solid performance.

[Bruce in SLO]

Thanks for the report. We'll stop on our next trip north.