Perdue's Barbeque

Perdue's Barbeque

456 E Orange Grove Ave

Pasadena, CA 91104

Once more unto the breach, dear friends. I have spent years eating meal after meal at barbecue restaurants in Pasadena, hoping that I could call one of them great, to no avail. I have had many great meals at Robin's, but I have had some truly awful meals there. The one time I tried barbecue at Hutch's I was disappointed; they make my favorite burger in the universe but I will never try their 'cue again. Barn Burner, owned by the same folks who own El Cholo next door, is to barbecue what El Cholo is to Mexican food - acceptable if you've never had it prepared for you by someone with passion for what they are cooking; bland and disappointing if you have.

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I first read about Perdue's Barbeque a few months ago but I did not rush to try it. It seemed like more of a catering company that set up a storefront to work out of, or, perhaps, sell leftover food. (Do not think me too cynical, I have seen this done in many places.) After the recent disappointments of Dickey's and Baby Blues, I have been returning to old favorites lately when I have been craving barbecue, so I haven't considered Perdue's.

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Yesterday I made plans to have lunch with my mom, who is volunteering at a non-profit organization on Lake Ave. As it turns out, she is just a few blocks from Perdue's, and I was in a bit of a hurry, so I suggested we give it a try. She doesn't love barbecue as much as I do - most people don't - but she does love it, so she agreed.

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From the moment I walked in I liked the place. This was not a restaurant trying to evoke an image of the South; this was a restaurant that could be in the South. There are mismatched tables and chairs in no particular pattern, wooden shelves on the wall, and pictures everywhere. Inside the front entrance are pictures of Satchel Paige, a photograph collage of the Negro League teams, and an old-fashioned baseball glove nailed to the wall. If you don't understand how cool this is, perhaps this isn't the blog for you.

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There is abundant Southern hospitality inside Perdue's. If you have been to the South you know what I mean. I was greeted by no fewer than three people - as near as I could tell, the only three people working there. They were all friendly but moved and talked in that particularly Southern way, that "You're going to get a great meal but we're in no hurry and you shouldn't be either" manner of service. (Once, at a Denny's in Memphis, it took my friend Ryanne and I about ten minutes to complete our order after the waitress actually arrived at our table, and about another 45 minutes to get our breakfast.)

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You order at an awkwardly-placed stand in the middle of the restaurant. I asked for the pulled pork sandwich and my mom ordered the brisket sandwich. We were asked what kind of sauce we would like, hot or mild. I asked for hot, my mom mild. We grabbed our drinks out of a large cooler full of ice and sat at the coolest table we could find, which wasn't easy. (Another thing that seemed Southern about this place: it was very hot and humid.)

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The food came out in about ten minutes. On my plate was one of the most impressive sandwiches I have seen in quite a while, a massive pile of pork on a soft bun. (There was zero doubt in my mind that this place would not be serving barbecue on any ridiculous ciabatta bun.) This probably weighed close to a pound. Holding it in my hands, it felt about the size of one of those mini basketballs you win in arcades. I almost wanted to admire it for a few minutes. But I was hungry.

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I immediately noticed two things on my first bite. First, this was the best pulled pork I have had in months. There were no chunks of fat and the pork was not drowned in sauce in an attempt to cover up its dryness. And second, damn this sauce was hot. Of course, I had asked for the hot sauce, so I couldn't complain. But I have had enough "hot" barbecue sauces at barbecue restaurants in Southern California to know what to expect: an overly-sweet, slightly spicier version of their regular sauce. This was genuinely spicy. (One of the best pieces of advice my dad has ever given me: never make assumptions, they're always wrong.) Not too spicy to detract from the pork, though.

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My mom's brisket sandwich came on Texas toast. I took a bite of that and, not surprisingly at this point, it was the best brisket I have had in a long time, probably years. Her sandwich was large, too, although not the monstrosity mine was. I passed the point of being full while eating, but it was too damn good not to finish it, so I did. And then I helped my mom finish hers. My cole slaw, which, when asked, I requested on the side instead of on the sandwich, was also fantastic. It wasn't drowning in a creamy sauce, it had just the right touch of it.

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I will be returning to Perdue's soon to try their chopped beef sandwich and hot links. It's possible that I just got very lucky on my first trip and my subsequent meals here will not be as good. But I would say it's much more likely that I have found not only my favorite barbecue joint in Pasadena, but in the San Gabriel Valley.