Bonnie B's Smokin' Barbeque Heaven

Has it really been 13 months since I wrote about my maiden trip to Bonnie B's? I know time goes faster and faster as the years go by, but this is getting ridiculous. It seems like maybe it was two months ago that my mom and I had lunch here one afternoon. But it wasn't - it was May of last year.

On Saturday, Elizabeth and I both felt like barbecue. We had been feeling that way since the previous weekend, when we stood around at Zeke's for several minutes and weren't acknowledged (and we went elsewhere for lunch). We considered going down to Long Beach, but we had several errands to run in town and we wanted to stay close. That certainly narrows the options; Perdue's and Barner Burner are closed, Gus's isn't real barbecue, Zeke's apparently doesn't want our business. Robin's is pretty good most of the time but we wanted something quicker. I suggested Bonnie B's.

It was pretty busy when we walked in. Several women were waiting for to-go orders and only one table was vacant. We looked at the menu briefly then Elizabeth sat down while I placed our order at the counter.

There are three bottles of sauce on the table at Bonnie B's: mild, medium and hot. As usually happens at places like this that serve three tomato-based sauces, all three taste mostly the same. The mild is too sweet and the medium and hot taste almost identical. None of the sauces were bad, but none stood out. I much prefer a place that offers a mustard and/or vinegar sauce in addition to the ketchup-tasting sauce.

Elizabeth had the brisket sandwich with a side of potato salad. She was really enjoying it and offered me a bite. I stabbed at a piece and ate it - it was way too fatty.

"I don't think this is fatty at all," she said. So I took another piece and it was very good. So I took a third, also very good. I guess that first bite was an aberration.

I had the hot link on a bun. It was great: dense, meaty and smokey. I easily could have eaten two of these. I added some spicy sauce to my last few bites and it was an okay complement, but really the link needed nothing else.

The potato salad was awesome. It wasn't overloaded with dressing; the taste of potatoes was dominant. I sprinkled several shakes of pepper over my portion just to add some spice, and I ate every bite of mine and finished off Elizabeth's.

I wish they offered some pulled pork at Bonnie B's, as well as slaw and a different kind of barbecue sauce, but those are small complaints. Overall I like the place. They are very friendly and the 'cue is good.