The Rose Bowl

I hadn't been to a UCLA football game at the Rose Bowl in several years. I had only seen a UCLA game once in 6 years, actually, when I went up to San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl two years ago. That UCLA team, which had somehow held USC to 9 points, gave up 44 points to the worst Florida State team in 30 years. And as a final insult, Memphis Minnie's was closed and I had to eat a lousy meal at Big Nate's. (Well, I guess I didn't have to eat at Big Nate's; San Francisco is one of the great restaurant cities of the world, but I needed barbecue, you know?)

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I don't remember them having barbecue stands back when I used to go to the games, but they have several of them now. I stayed away from the familiar Robin's BBQ stand, as I have eaten their burnt, flavorless sausages at other events in Pasadena before. (I like the restaurant, but the food at their stands at events like the South Pasadena farmer's market, the Sierra Madre Art Fair, and the Old Pasadena Summerfest has always been lousy.)

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My friend (who had never been to a game at the Rose Bowl) and I went for a walk around the stadium as soon as it became clear UCLA was not going to win. (During the coin toss. Only kidding... slightly.) The first stand we came to was the Brander's Barbeque stand. I got a pulled pork sandwich and she got a bbq chicken sandwich. They were served on cheap French rolls and doused with the kind of barbecue sauce you buy in 5 gallon containers at Smart & Final, but the meat was actually very good. I was quite impressed. The chicken was better than the pork.

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The next stand we passed, Rose Canyon Barbeque, had a nice looking menu: pork sandwiches, chicken wings (they looked good,) and sweet potato fries. Their pork sandwich, however, was just the kind of "barbecue" you get in a plastic Lloyd's BBQ container at Ralph's. The bun was stale so I just ate a few bites of the pork with a fork. Nothing special at all. The cole slaw, however, was very good.

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I'm glad I tried the sandwiches, and the Brander's pork was pretty good, but I don't see any need to ever get them again.