Bludso’s Bar & Cue: Hollywood Hoedown

When word got out that Kevin Bludso, of Bludso’s BBQ in Compton, would be teaming up with the folks responsible for The Golden State gastropub to open a new Bludso’s Bar-&-Cue in West Hollywood, it sounded like it would be the perfect marriage of down-home Texas ‘cue with a posh-and-polished Hollywood sheen.

After all, a visit to the famous Bludso’s in Compton will reveal some major logistical concerns, including a complete absence of legitimate seating and a beverage menu consisting solely of bottled water and canned sodas — issues that could potentially be rectified at a new location.

Unfortunately, by addressing these problems, Bludso’s has given birth to a whole new set of issues.

Though the opening of Bludso’s Bar-&-Cue in West Hollywood last month roughly recreates the much-adored barbecue, it complicates the down-home sensibilities of barbecue with a Hollywood zip code, more seating and a full bar.

Walk into the restaurant on a very lively Friday night and it becomes clear — this ain’t the South. The sleek, modern bar lines the south end of the restaurant and is accented with glass shelves and dark wood trim. Glowing flat-screen TVs stare down at the patrons seated communally on contrastively plain, black picnic benches — the ambiance is decidedly Dixieland-meets-Hollywood.

The paradox doesn’t seem to matter much until the barbecue arrives and a tension forms between fare and ambiance, begging the question: “Is it OK to use my hands?”

For seasoned barbecue fanatics, the scene is painfully awkward: every visual cue in the restaurant lends itself to a pretentiousness virtually never associated with eating barbecue. In what seemed almost as if the result of the glitzy decor, many of the patrons appeared relegated to the most appalling form of barbecue-eating barbarism: using a knife and fork.

Still, regardless of how it’s eaten, Bludso’s primary claim to culinary prominence comes in the way of his Texas-style brisket — a fork-tender tour de force with a smokiness so deep that, upon first taste, it practically forces you to exhale through your nostrils in a sort of savory ecstasy.

The St. Louis-style ribs, however, which turn out to be a disappointment in comparison to the ribs from the original location. The meat, though serviceably tender with full-bodied smoky flavor, clings to the bone. Drier meat that sticks to the bone is a surefire indicator of poor temperature control. The result is a rib that is difficult to eat, with the tougher rib tips bordering on inedible.

The chicken and pulled pork at Bludso’s employ a similar smokiness but to a lesser effect. Both stand on their own as among the best in the city. The even cooking of the chicken is impressive — the breast meat is juicy and the wings manage to keep from drying out.

All of these meats are accompanied by two warm Texas-style barbecue sauces: a spicy sauce that combines a little sweetness with serious heat in the finish and a more traditionally sweet, tomato-and-vinegar-style sauce. The flavor profiles of both sauces are largely unremarkable, perhaps to favor the flavor of the meats themselves.

Ordering side dishes at Bludso’s are the dining equivalent of Russian roulette. The macaroni and cheese is some of the best to be had, a comforting rendition that invites multiple helpings. Where the sides really fall flat is with the cole slaw, an uninspired melange of chopped cabbage and carrots brought together by a rumor of a dressing that fails to materialize in any meaningful way.

The collard greens show promise in execution but arrive at the table unappetizingly steeped to the brim in salty cooking liquid. All of this is rounded out with cornbread that seems to have been appended as a dry, crumbly afterthought.

The popularity of Bludso’s Hollywood location is undeniable. Throngs of L.A.’s food-conscious cognoscenti crowd the doorway and wait for upward of an hour for a table on a Friday night. But though the appeal of a barbecue-and-bar combination seems conceptually sound at first blush, upon actually dining there, one discovers how a meal as idyllic and comforting as Southern BBQ could be transformed into an almost unpleasant experience by Hollywood pretensions.

True fans of Bludso’s ‘cue are best served by making the pilgrimage out to the original Compton location and taking a rack of their superior St. Louis ribs to the privacy of their homes — where it’s fine to eat with your hands.