I’ve never been ultra – excited about BBQ, but like my friend I have been transformed. Great service, amazing food and generous portions that arrive within minutes can do that. Thank you, Salinas City BBQ, for showing me the way.
I knew we were in for something special on the regular menu with
the herb salad ($8) that kicked off our meal. Parsley, tarragon,
chive and several other vividly green herbs came in sizes ranging
from baby to adolescent, dressed in summer-weight lemon-poppy and
ornamented by a stunning edible purple orchid, all served atop a
crottinlike disc of lightly fried goat cheese. The punch of the
straight herbs was bold but not overpowering, well-balanced by the
acidity of the lemon.
Between four of us we ordered a nice sampling off the menu: the BBQ chicken sandwich ($6.95), a pork rib meal that comes with garlic bread and two sides ($9.95), a large rib meal ($14.95) and a tri-tip sandwich. When we learned all the sandwiches can be served on garlic bread, we had two words: Yes, please.
After a full belly of barbecue and too much desert too soon after the main course, the day ended with a nap in the hammock and dreams of hog wash running through my head.
I’d heard about the barbecue joint that took the place of Smalley’s Round Up a year ago from my friend who works nearby. He swears it has transformed him into a barbecue addict. So it became mandatory that, after a rigorous kayak session, we went along with two other friends for a well-deserved pig out so I could see what all the fuss was about.
The waiter told us that owners Eric and Larry Ingram have a few barbecue restaurants in the area, the oldest being Trail Dust in Morgan Hill, which has been serving for more than 20 years, along with Aptos Street BBQ and the most recently opened, Gilroy BBQ 152. Their specialty is slow-and-low smoking all of the meats over white oak.