Tag Archives: Pulled Pork

Willy’s Smokehouse – A New Favorite Emerges

by Brian

Hey, everybody!  Sorry for the lack of recent updates.  Mikey and I have been slackin’ on our pimpin’ over the past few days, livin’ it up and enjoying the good life.  But don’t you worry; we’ve also been eating some good stuff and will be writing all about it this week.

Coming up, we’ve got some fine Italian food, a new episode of The Catch, a pizza that might be our highest scoring ever and some authentic Mexican cuisine.  But for tonight’s post, I’ve got the latest and greatest BBQ in our area.

Willy’s Smokehouse – Just off the 101 at Chesebro, in Agoura Hills.

For those of you who don’t know, we’ve been doing quite a bit of BBQ lately.  We’ve had good experiences and bad, but I think Willy’s has emerged as my latest favorite.

Willy’s is a small place, right beside the freeway, and if you’re not looking for it you’ll drive right past.  That would be a huge mistake though, because the barbeque is as down-home and delicious as you’ll find anywhere in L.A.

I originally heard about this place through a friend who works there.  Usually I take these kinds of recommendations with a grain of salt because, as an employee, he or she has a vested interest in the restaurant doing well.  So I looked it up on a few of the rating sites and verified the legitimacy of Willy’s.  It checked out, so I decided to check it out.

Patio

My friend and I rolled up at around 7:30pm on a Tuesday night.  It wasn’t too crowded, which made me think that either a lot of people still don’t know about it, or they just can’t find it, call off the search and settle for the Wood Ranch down the street.  Fine by me.  It was a nice night, so we snagged a booth outside on the patio and started looking over the menu.  Continue reading

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Filed under Agoura Hills, Ventura County

The Ventura BBQ Wars Continue – JD’s Louisiana BBQ

by Brian

As most of you know, I had an absolutely horrendous BBQ experience a short while back at CJ’s in Oxnard.  Honestly, it had more to do with the service than the quality of the food.  But still, who wants to give their hard earned cash to a bunch of jerks, right?  Right.

Well another Ventura county BBQ-er managed to get wind of that post and comment on the site.  Here’s a slightly edited version of what he wrote:

Hello Brian…

I checked out your review of CJ’s BBQ and I think that you are a guy that tells the truth…  I want you to check out JD’s Louisiana BBQ and let me know what you think…. I will guarantee you that you will be treated well and fed the best BBQ in this town!!!! You don’t even have to tell me when you come… All I want is a honest and fair review…  JD’S LOUISIANA BBQ CO.

Now, since I love BBQ and also the crushing of my enemies, I thought, what better way to get even with CJ’s than to review every barbeque restaurant in the area?  Thus Ventura BBQ Wars was born.  Of course, Mikey and I are sworn to remain fair, impartial and dedicated to bringing you the god’s honest BBQ truth.  Here we go…

JD’s Louisiana BBQ – On the corner of Patterson Rd. and Wooley Rd. in Oxnard

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I’m just gonna come out and say it.  The only thing CJ’s has on JD’s is a larger selection.  But I think there’s something to be said for doing less and doing it better.  I mean seriously, since I got my iPhone, I’ve learned that I can twitter (@EatMeCalifornia), check the Dodgers score, adopt a Rwandan orphan and buy Mikey’s fossilized chest hair on Ebay, all from the comfort of my local starbucks.  It’s almost too much to bear.  Sometimes, simple is better. Continue reading

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Filed under Oxnard, Ventura County

Simi Cajun Festival ’09 – Gator Does Not Taste Like Chicken

by Brian

I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite a while.  The Oxnard Strawberry Festival was just a warm up.

The Simi Valley Cajun Festival is easily the best thing going on in Simi all year.  I love spicy food, I love peoplewatching, I love exotic meats served on sticks.  Therefore, this is as close as I’m ever going to get to heaven.  Plus it’s in Simi.

Simi Valley Cajun, Creole Music Festival – Rancho Santa Susana park near Sterns St. in Simi Valley

I’ve been to this festival before, but I never realized it was a music festival.  I guess the multiple stages should have tipped me off, but they didn’t.  I think what finally did the trick was this guy:

Jimi Hendrix cover bands are awesome!

Jimi Hendrix cover bands are awesome!

But for me, it’s always been about the food.  I am a fan of all things Cajun: hot links, jambalaya, crawfish, gumbo and after trying it for the first time, gator on a stick. Continue reading

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Filed under Simi Valley, Ventura County

Pulled Pork = Tri Tip?

by Mikey

A new bbq joint opened up not too far from me, so you know I had to check it out.  Plus, the place has my name stamped on it, so I had to find out if it was worthy to be a part of the Mike empire.  I’m on the fence with this one folks.  This place kinda left me confused, bewildered, and just a touch bamboozled.

Big Mike’s Smokehouse – In Ventura on Telephone Road near Saticoy

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Continue reading

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Filed under Ventura, Ventura County

Kid Rock, a Boat in Koreatown & Awesome BBQ. -OR- How I Spent My Sunday.

by Brian

Sunday is a day of adventure, a day where I can get away from the trivial things in life like “getting a job” or “making something of myself,”   This Sunday was no different. It started off with a plan, a good plan too, but I accidentally left it at home.  Lucky for me I had a navigator.

The one thing I knew I wanted to do was get some culture at LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art) which by my reasoning should be called LACMOA, but apparently the powers that be consider that less arty.  Anyway, they have an awesome exhibit until the end of the month called Vanity Fair Portraits 1913-2008.  Go see it.  I promise you’ll be happy you did.  Don’t spread this around, but they actually have a picture of Madonna where she doesn’t look like skeletor.  Also, on the drive down we ran into Kid Rock (or a member of his immediate family) in Koreatown.

Keep it real, Kid, keep it real!

Keep it real, Kid, keep it real!

Continue reading

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Filed under Koreatown, Los Angeles Area, Pasadena, South Pasadena