Smoky Doky BBQ - Wilmington

Good barbecue is out there, but you have to be willing to travel. It usually means getting way the heck out of the South Bay, but Wilmington’s Smoky Doky just might be the only exception. I’d normally drive any distance to pick up the good stuff, but a newborn blocks any path out the door. Fortunately there is Doordash, where you can pay someone else to venture out their door to yours.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Smoky Doky, but a lunchtime craving had to be fulfilled. One bite of the Brisket with a small swipe of their spunky bbq sauce to double the heat, and I know this place is legit. Wood smoke permeates the crevices between the marbled bits of tender meat, and the fat is nicely distributed so the meat falls apart. 

They have no shortage of sides, all of which are made with the same care as the meat. A side of Slaw cools the fat, and every order comes with Sweet Rolls from King’s Hawaiian to sop up the drippings.

You can’t go wrong with Baked Beans - they take on the rich savor of blended beefy bits. Potato Salad comes from the pitmaster’s mama, enriched by egg and lightened by sharp raw onion. The Mac n’ Cheese is a gooey carb, housemade cheese sauce coats completely and leaves no elbow room between the macaroni.

Try the Tri-Tip if you’re looking for something a little more lean and a little more like steak. It’s a fender cut, smoked all the way through, a beautiful medium-rare red. 

Pulled Pork is softly shredded, dripping savory juices.

I think there’s a lack of local barbecue because you can’t cheat the barbecue. Anyone can fire up a grill, but the real stuff takes time, and you get what you give. Smoky Doky makes theirs low and slow, and the time it gets to soak up the smoke does show. A lot of their food is made to order or at least on the day of, and their meat has been going all night. So if you want the real stuff, venture past your borders, both physical and self-imposed and give Smoky Doky a spin. See if you can’t taste the difference.

Saddle Peak Lodge UPDATE - Calabasas

It's a Calabasa classic. A hunting lodge tucked into the canyons guarantees a breathtaking sunset drive. 

Start with a warm amuse of vegetable bisque. The texture is creamy, but it's light enough to just whet the appetite. 

The reward is as pretty as the journey. Order the Cast Iron Johnnycake first - it's made to order so it takes a little longer to bake. It's cornmeal and so much butter, melty maple-y butter, fluffy and filling. 

There's a decadent Mushrooms & Bone Marrow, a sanguine red wine reduction encases strips of tender mushrooms and emphasizes popping bubbles of marrow sandwiched in a flaky, buttery puff pastry.

A vegetable is a much-needed cool-down as these Brussel Sprouts break up the protein and carbs, crisp and bitter with vinegar to cut the salt and savor.

The Chef's Game Trio is perfect for splitting, especially when you fill up on apps like we did. There's a serious emu strip, dense and miraculously not dry despite the lack of fat. The braised bison short rib talks a big game as it falls off the bone. The Elk Tenderloin is the best of the bunch, hearty flavors smooth and tender with a hint of tart cherry. 

There's a reason the classics are the classics. Saddle Peak Lodge's traditional-with-a-twist menu and intimate, good-time-for-all ambiance will stand the test of time. It's a bit far for pretty much everyone, but it's worth a visit year after year. I just hope the sea bass is still there for me to try next year. 

Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong - Buena Park, CA

Anthony Bourdain loved Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong, and how could he not? I'll butcher the pronunciation every time, but their food speaks loud and clear. 

I love all the meat, but I come equally for the Banchan. Plenty of pickles, cucumbers and this perfectly marinated kimchee, which I could eat by the pound. There's a saucy square of silken tofu, slices of pink daikon, and a vinegary lettuce salad in the lighter selections, but my favorite is this crispy, flavor-packed kimchee pancake. There's even a cold and sweet daikon soup to soothe all the burn. I just wish they refilled these dishes - they don't last long at a table of six. 

We went with the Beef Combo and got a couple add-ons, which is more than enough to go around. The best part is that they cook it for you and a powerful fume hood keeps the smoke out of your eyes. 

Start with thin slices of brisket and drag them through the signature house sauce. It resembles a ponzu but better, and it makes the best beef-bath with a dash of wasabi. Add a few grains of simple salt to make the savor pop. 

Next is a Prime Boneless Short Rib so marbled I swear it could be wagyu. Juicy and melty, this one goes so fast. While your meat grills, a line of egg wraps around in a fluffy omelet. Corn with melty cheese is gooey goodness, and there's even a kimchee stew to go over the optional rice. I love the corn and egg, but same with the banchan, I wish they'd give us more. 

Beef Tongue takes its time, cooking tender and thin. 

Marinated short ribs are more of the good stuff with a kalbi that is to die for. 

Slabs of Pork Belly to finish, and you'll eat it up despite being full. I love the fatty pork, but the beef is the reason we came. 

Quality meat on a deceptively well-designed grill that cooks every slice as even and tender as the last. The short ribs are to die for, and I plan on dying for more real soon.

Maple Block Meat Co - Culver City

Man, I miss my barbecue. I haven't seen North Carolina since February, and Cali barbecue just doesn't cut it.

I've heard them rave about Maple Block, and I was excited to give it a try. The Brisket & Ribs plate is a miserable tray. The ribs have a nice smoke to them, and they fall off the bone with moderate assistance, but I immediately regret the brisket. There's a stripe of fat up top, but the rest of it is dry, lacking any flavor, and the marbling is simply missing. The vinegar slaw is nice as it cuts through the heavy meat, but it's just shredded cabbage barely dipped in a little acid. The mac & cheese is pretty good, a creamy texture with firm macaroni. 

Traded bites and tried the Brisket Hash. Props on properly poaching the eggs, but the too-big chunks of potatoes and pepper are nothing special. A good brisket would have saved it, but they were cut off the same unfortunate block.

Their barbecue is pretty, and it glams up the 'gram. The quantity is fine, and the quality is okay, but it just doesn't taste as pretty as it looks. Next time I'm homesick, I'll be looking for my shot of southern comfort somewhere else.

Animal UPDATE - Los Angeles

This has to be a different Animal. The Animal I went to five years ago wasn't bad, but it wasn't THIS Animal. The stuff I had this time is like a new species. Conceptually brilliant, expertly prepared, execution flawless. It all lingers on the tongue and burns a new memory. It's like the best what-the-f*** moment EVER.

The only thing I even liked the first time was the Chicken Liver Toast, and the creamy, lightly-biled open-faced fat-sandwich is a still a fave. 

Everything else is new, and the Chicken Hearts is a risk worth taking. A cold plate, thick pomegranate molasses on an elastic heart. A middle eastern spin with yogurt, leafy parsely, and baharat, more of a whispered influence than a blatant takeover. Confident and self-assured. And delicious.

Every meat-meal needs a vegetable, right? The Swiss Chard Welsh Rarebit on rye is not a vegetable. It's the most jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring not-vegetable ever, but don't get this if you're looking for a vegetable. It's a muscle-meat gravy with the a cheesy inclination and a couple of leaves that add a lot of emphasis on the savory wavy-gravy notes.

I usually don't go for the veal, but you don't see a lot of Veal Tongue, and I didn't bite my tongue on this one. The server describes it as a veryveryVERY soft and melty slice of pastrami, and I literally cannot think of anything more accurate. The ikura seems superfluous, but it does add a very interesting texture. The fishy finish almost reminds me of a kosher deli slicing station, where pastrami waits with the lox. By no means not enjoyable, but I assume this combo was for contrast as I don't see the synergy. 

I usually don't go for veal...whatever, judge me, they have tongue, tartare, and Sweetbreads on the same menu and no way self-righteous, gotta draw-the-line somewhere me isn't getting at least two of the three. The sweetbreads are creamy, savory stuff in a crispy shell with brown butter. They steep but they don't sleep in a bed of creamed spinach under a pile of hen of the woods mushrooms.

Foie Gras. Another three options, managed to stop myself at one. There's a flaky, buttery biscuit under a hunk of liver, but no one notices and no one cares. The maple sausage gravy is great stuff, but when those fat globules in the foie start to flavor-burst, the whole world stops. The foie gras is brushed with the thinnest layer of maple syrup sugar, and they've somehow made a better version of what is already the greatest thing ever. 

I'm two-for-two on second chances. Manhattan House went from good to great, and Animal went from whatever to WHOA. I don't know what's changed, I know it wasn't me and my stubborn taste, so either Animal has stepped up its game or if it needs to just serve this menu forever. This time, Animal lived up to its hype, and I am a FAN!