Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que has been on the bucket list for quit some time now. Ms. Goofy left me with an empty ice cave on her excursion field trip with her sister Shastina. It was time to experience this national chain barbeque restaurant. Without the Racing Honda it took 20 minutes to arrive in Concord California to my destination. (Ms. Goofy would of made it in 10 minutes) The parking karma does not apply today because Lucille's is located on the perimeter of a large shopping mall. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a cheerful scripted welcome. It was the lunch hour and I was seated immediately.
The interior is fun and festive. I would compare it to another national bbq chain which will remain nameless. (F.D.).The walls are adorned with kitschy bbq items. The bar area is full of televisions and looks like a fun place to watch a sporting event. A huge smoker is located in the middle of the restaurant. It has a name; Smokestack Lightnin. I am not sure if is in use or just for show.My waitress is prompt and polite. She goes though her rehearsed greeting and welcomes me. I order the combination platter which comprises of three meats and one side.
The table has three bottled sauces with the Lucille's logo. The 'Original' has ketchup listed as its first ingredient. Now that is not necessarily a bad thing. It has a strong molasses bite with a prevalent kiss of liquid smoke. There is a hot version offered too. These two sauces did not ring my bell. The third offering of a mustard based sauce did. It was sweet and tangy with mustard and vinegar. If you are so inclined these sauces are offered for sale at the hostess station.
Before my entree arrives a complimentary basket of bisquits arrive. They are flaky and warm. A sweet whipped butter accompanied. I could not identify the sweetness and spice until I asked the waitress. It was apples and cinnamon. I like the bisquits but not the butter. My platter arrives faster than you can say "Grass-fed hipster conspiracy'. It looks like a painting. It is beautiful. I forgot to ask for sauce on the side but it is used in restraint and actually enhances the appearance. My meat choices were; St. Lois ribs, pulled pork and brisket burnt ends. Let's start with the good.
The pulled pork was tender and juicy. It had good smoke and with the drizzle of mustard sauce on a warm bsquit was wonderful. The brisket burnt ends were tender with good smoke too. They had a great beef taste. I am a little perplexed about calling this offering of brisket burnt ends. Burnt ends are usually from the point end of the packer. It has a marbling of fat that has rendered and the outer edges have caramelized with spices and sauce. These cut were tender but very lean. I have a feeling that they were cubed pieces of the brisket flat. This is only a technicality because they did taste good
The St. Lois ribs were some of the smallest ribs I have every seen. Did they come from some small pygmy breed of pig. I even asked the waitress if they were the St. Lois ribs. She verified. The bones were very flat. They were overdone to competition standards. They were a little chewy. They did have a ton of great flavor, smoke and I cleaned these bones. The Cole slaw was fairly standard faire.
My dinning experience at Lucille's was very good. There were a couple of little technical bumps with the ribs and burnt ends. Overall flavor won out. This Mad Meat Genus cleaned his plate and rewarded himself with a piece of brownie cheesecake for dessert. Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que does a great job for a chain restaurant. Great service, fun atmosphere and very decent bbq. It is not competition bbq but I do not expect that. That is not entirely true. The bbq judge is part of my D.N.A. now. I did enjoy my meal at Lucille's.
Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
10 comments:
Those are not burnt ends, failing on both counts- burnt and ends.
I'd been wondering about this place, thanks for the post.
Aaron, Another unusual thing was how even and perfect the cubes of the brisket were. They must of used some sort of slicing machine. I have been craving some burnt ends. Ms. Goofy gave me a Snake River brisket for Christmas. I am a little nervous to cook it but burnt ends will be in the mix.
Your plate of food looks outstanding and those biscuits look killer. In Florida they like to use Danish ribs which look like small St. Louis cut American ribs and they like to advertise them as imported.
Big Dude, That would explain the pygmy ribs. Can I say pygmy or do I have to say little pigs? At first I though they were sawed in half. You learn something new everyday. Thanks.
I have to stop reading your posts before breakfast. Anyway, it looks pretty good for chain BBQ from here.
Lucille's will do in a pinch although it's been almost a year since I was last there.
Three Dogs BBQ, BBQ for breakfast is a good thing. I usually write this before breakfast and get hungry too.
Dagny, I believe I like this chain better than "Famous ("What's his Name)". I really did not explore the menu but it was big. You can find something for everyone. It took me several years before I finally went.
Did you sign up for their club? They'll send you a coupon for your birthday.
I have only been there twice. I've never been to that "Famous" place.
Dagny, I did sign up for the club. My birthday is next month. The 'Famous' club has a club that used to give you a free meal on your birthday. Now they only give you a half off coupon. Corporate Greed.
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