Swinging Door BBQ
On the recommendation of Das Ubergeek, I went to the Swinging Door BBQ on Vineland and Vanowen in NoHo last night. It was incredible. I knew I was in the right place before I even saw the restaurant... the smell of hickory smoke was everywhere. Tucked in behind a gas station was one of those huge BBQ kettles. The restaurant itself is tiny and unassuming. I sat near the pickup window, and carried on a conversation with the nice old fashioned girls behind the counter. The prices were great too.
I had the all you can eat special for $16. They had chicken, pork spare ribs and brisket. (They were out of links) I had a bunch of sides too. The cole slaw was great (and I'm picky about slaw). I also liked the potato salad and the mac and cheese. The sweet beans (only on Fridays) were good with big chunks of bacon, but I didn't care for the regular beans. They had some spice in them that bothered me.
One of the girls brought in a new batch of meat from the grill, and I overheard them talking about how good it looked. BBQ is an art. You can follow recipes and measure carefully, but it's always going to be a little different every time. The girl in charge of the BBQ was obviously an expert at making sure everything turned out right.
The meat was quite different from what I'm used to from Hogly Wogly or the Bear Pit. It was all served dry with sauce on the side. At Hogly, the meat arrives in a pool of juice. Here it was cleanly sliced with no juice. But it was still plenty juicy. The chicken was a LOT better than at Hogly. It was sliced breast... not wet and blubbery, but meaty textured. The brisket was also great. Smokey and rich. The spare ribs were to die for. I've never had ribs like this before. They were good even without bbq sauce on them. The meat came right off the bone.
I'll definitely be back.
See ya
Steve
Steve Doggie-Dogg
Jan 07, 2006 03:00PM
Great report. The true test of really good 'Q is how well it tastes "dry".
Link: http://www.indefatigable-indolence.org
Permalink | Reply
is the $16 all you can eat special offered everyday/all day or is it offered during specific days and times? thanks.
Permalink | Reply
The all you can eat deal is on the regular menu. They don't always have everything though. But since none of the meats I had were anything less than delicious, I really don't care if they're out of something. I would like to try the links though.
See ya
Steve
Link: http://www.hotdogspot.com
Permalink | Reply
I was going to go for lunch yesterday but when I called they said the ribs wouldn't be ready for at least another hour. So, ah, always call first.
Permalink | Reply
I've done all kinds of searches and not able to find an address or phone number of Swinging Door. Can you please help?
Permalink | Reply
Looks quite tantalizing, must try it next week. (818) 763-8996 11018 Vanowen Street, North Hollywood, CA corner of Vanowen & Vineland
Link: http://www.swingingdoorbbq.com
Permalink | Reply
Glad you enjoyed it! FWIW, they've been out of links every time I've gone, too. They need to double their links order with the supplier.
The spice you notice in the regular beans is cumin -- I love them, I'll eat your portion!
They are a bit wonky about when things are ready -- often one thing won't quite be ready when you go, and they often run out earlier in the evening than their posted closing time, though they've got a lot better about this since they opened about a month ago.
Now, of course, I'm craving it... I was planning to go to Skaf's, but this may need to be dinner.
Permalink | Reply
"though they've got a lot better about this since they
opened about a month ago."
Actually I think your initial post was about 2 months ago since I went a couple of days later (I work 5 minutes away).
A couple of notes: The owner seems very pleasant, is from Texas, and also owns the attached gas station to the restaurant. I've been a few times, and the ribs did arrive once with sauce, even though I always have it dry - so be specific. Great the first time I went, okay the second, and their a little skimpy on side options. I've only been for lunch, so I don't know if dinner is different. I also wish they'd offer beef ribs.
Permalink | Reply
Jeez, is it January already? :)
Yes, probably two months then. I've been out of town four out of the last six weeks, so time has flown by.
Permalink | Reply
Thank you for the review. We've been looking for a new BBQ place here in the Valley to try.
Thanks again, I'll let you know what we think.
Permalink | Reply
So glad I saw this! As I said on another post today, the original Swinging Door (run by this gentleman's family) in Richmond, Texas is a few miles from my house, and it's the real deal. If this guy can fix brisket and ribs like his daddy, everyone in L.A. needs to go check it out!
If anyone remembers Homer Burnett's BBQ in Altadena, back in the '80's, I bet you'll find this to be similar.
Permalink | Reply
OK, I'm wrong, he's not related to the owners of the original Swinging Door, but he was pitmaster there, so I guarantee he knows his stuff!
Permalink | Reply
Great report. I'll have to stop by sometime soon. How' was the brisket? Currently my favorite is found at Boneyard Bistro. Boneyard's brisket is a bit more fatty than I normally like but it's extremely flavorful and tender.
Permalink | Reply