Bonnie B's

Bonnie B's Smokin

1280 North Lake Ave.

Pasadena, CA 91104

Bonnie B's opened a few months back, but until a few days ago I had not been, for many reasons. First, and perhaps most importantly, almost all desires for barbecue in Pasadena have been filled in the last year by Perdue's, which is only a few blocks away from Bonnie's. Second, the menu on their website features stock photos. This is somewhat of a red flag for me: if a place has pride in the barbecue, why are they using someone else's photos of someone else's food?

So I never made it in. Just the other day, however, I was having lunch with my mom and I suggested we give Bonnie B's a try. The inside of the restaurant, while a much different look than the down-home style of Perdue's, nonetheless reminded me of the legendary Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City: photos of world leaders on on the walls and an assortment of out-of-place signs ("Friend of Bill W"). Of course, at Arthur Bryant's the photos are of famous people who have actually visited the restaurant; I'm guessing the people pictured on the wall at Bonnie's have not been there. Perhaps someday.

My mom ordered a brisket sandwich. I ordered a half pound of chopped pork. The woman told me they did not have any. I asked if that meant they did not have any that day, or if they no longer offer it. She said have stopped offering it, they just have not changed the menu yet. Disappointed, I changed my order to a hot link on a bun. Hot links aren't the best measure of a 'cue joint's ability, but I do love them. And, at any rate, I was relatively sure my mom would let me try the brisket.

We sat down. Also reminiscent of Arthur Bryant's, there were three squeeze bottles of barbecue sauce on the table: mild, medium, and hot. I figured they would probably just be the same sauce with varying levels of heat added to them. I was incorrect. More on that in a second.

The food was ready in a little over five minutes - something else that distinguishes it from Perdue's, in a good way. I first took a bite of my mom's brisket. I was not very impressed. It was good, but tasted as if it had been cooked in an oven instead of smoked. A few minutes later I took another small bite of a piece, however, that had a bit of smoke ring to it and tasted much more of barbecue. My guess? That the brisket was smoked, but perhaps at least a day earlier, and then reheated. I would be glad to try this again as long as it was fresh out of the smoker, but not if it was a leftover.

My hot link, on the other hand, was fantastic. It is the best one I have ever had in Pasadena. This town isn't exactly a barbecue paradise, I understand, however I have had at least a half dozen hot links from other places in town, and this beat them all. It was slightly smokey, a little bit spicy, and very dense. I will absolutely be having one of these again.

Now, about the sauce. I first tried a splash of the "hot" sauce on my hot link. I had to double check to make sure I had grabbed the right one, because it was not spicy at all. Just a basic, too-sweet sauce. I tried the mild next. It was almost the same, although not quite as spicy. Reluctantly, I tried the medium last, thinking it would certainly be the same as the other two.

It was not. It was a much-thinner sauce, and it was delicious. I have written many times that I prefer vinegar or mustard-based sauces, but if it's going to be a tomato-based sauce, this is very much how I want it to taste: thin, a little spicy, with the taste of black pepper.

I liked Bonnie B's more than I thought I would. The potato salad we both got was not anything special, but was passable. I wish they had more pork options, and there was no slaw on the menu, but the hot link was so good that it guarantees I will return.