I guess the story here is that there's suburban good, and then there's city good. I would definitely argue that food is generally better in city areas. The clientele are pickier, have more money, and there's something about it just being in a proper city that gives it an edge. The suburbs aren't lacking in quality establishments by any means, but sometimes it's like comparing major and minor leagues.
LAist put the Oinkster burger in their top 5 burgers of LA, and while I haven't tried that one specifically, the pulled pork BBQ sandwich I had was solid, but not comparable to the stuff I've tried in LA proper. Father's Office, Canter's, and even a couple random downtown joints all rank higher. Maybe the guy at LAist got a little too excited before putting them in the top 5, but definitely not in the same league as the other 4.
The bread was good, soft and fresh, but not super high quality. The pulled pork was tender and juicy to just the right degree but the quality of the meat wasn't super awesome, and it had black pepper on it which is kind of unnecessary in my book. The lettuce was alright, pretty standard fair. And the BBQ sauce tasted extremely similar to Arby's BBQ sauce. I had to sit there for a few moments to recall where I had experienced that flavor. Luckily, I actually kind of like Arby's BBQ sauce, so it was actually pretty good; watery and vinegary. The fries can be ordered just like In-N-Outs 'animal style' fries, with grilled onions, thousand islands dressing, and cheese piled on top (best eaten with a fork). They were good, but In-N-Outs are definitely better (and heavier).
So, pretty good. I guess this review was negatively affected by the hype of LAist, so definitely take that into account. It was still pretty damn tasty. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I would definitely go there again if I were in Eagle Rock. Seems like it might be the best place on a scale of relatively average suburban joints, but doesn't compare to the legends in the city.
LAist put the Oinkster burger in their top 5 burgers of LA, and while I haven't tried that one specifically, the pulled pork BBQ sandwich I had was solid, but not comparable to the stuff I've tried in LA proper. Father's Office, Canter's, and even a couple random downtown joints all rank higher. Maybe the guy at LAist got a little too excited before putting them in the top 5, but definitely not in the same league as the other 4.
The bread was good, soft and fresh, but not super high quality. The pulled pork was tender and juicy to just the right degree but the quality of the meat wasn't super awesome, and it had black pepper on it which is kind of unnecessary in my book. The lettuce was alright, pretty standard fair. And the BBQ sauce tasted extremely similar to Arby's BBQ sauce. I had to sit there for a few moments to recall where I had experienced that flavor. Luckily, I actually kind of like Arby's BBQ sauce, so it was actually pretty good; watery and vinegary. The fries can be ordered just like In-N-Outs 'animal style' fries, with grilled onions, thousand islands dressing, and cheese piled on top (best eaten with a fork). They were good, but In-N-Outs are definitely better (and heavier).
So, pretty good. I guess this review was negatively affected by the hype of LAist, so definitely take that into account. It was still pretty damn tasty. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here, but I would definitely go there again if I were in Eagle Rock. Seems like it might be the best place on a scale of relatively average suburban joints, but doesn't compare to the legends in the city.
huh, interesting! you should try peco's bill's in glendale if you want some rad bbq pork in my opinion
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