Adventure LA: Down Home Comfort at Baby Blues BBQ

Recently, my sons and I had some unexpected time to kill around LAX. Since we weren’t in the mood to browse the pawn ships, peruse the triple-xxx stores, or dare to actually eat at a Jack in the Box, we decided to take a short jaunt north to Venice. Because my schedule is usually ruled by my boys’ stomachs, our little escapade was cut shorter than expected. Instead of finding our final destination, we made a quick stop at Baby Blues BBQ, an unassuming little dive on the corner of Lincoln and Rose.

I’ll be the first to admit that the idea of barbecue in LA seems a bit of an oxymoron and stopping at an untried restaurant in an unknown territory seems a bit of a gamble. But from the first moment we caught a whiff of those roasted meats, Baby Blues, coyly sitting amongst the tattoo parlors and chopper shops, seemed like the perfect stop to satisfy our hunger.

Between the three of us, we were able to try the ribs, beef brisket, and pulled pork, all of which were lathered into a tenderly succulent perfection. These meaty main events were accompanied by a variety of house-made barbecue sauces (XXX or sweet); over a dozen sides (ranging from mac n’ cheese to creamed spinach); a cheap, ice-cold beer selection (including a bucket o’ PBRs); and homemade desserts (banana pudding, anyone?). Although the three of us didn’t storm in on a Harley or sport any tat sleeves, Baby Blues and their more-than-comforting food made us feel satisfyingly right at home. Details: www.babybluesvenice.com.

Email this article!