Randolph's Smoke House
8472 S. Central Ave.
Los Angeles
323-587-9698
I've been wanting good BBQ for awhile, and after the disaster ribs from Larkin's, I was craving good BBQ even more. So, I found Randolph's Smoke House online and decided to test my Bulletproof Glass Theory of BBQ. What is my Bulletproof Glass Theory of BBQ? It's simple, I've found that if there is bulletproof glass between me and the cashier, it's a very good chance the BBQ is going to be damn good. This is proven , Phillips BBQ and Woody's BBQ.
Of course, since I've never been to Randolph's, but when I walked in and saw the bulletproof glass, I had high hopes for some good BBQ.
I got the pork ribs dinner, $11.85, with double mac and cheese. I forgot to ask them to put the sauce on the side. Anyways, out came about 5 bones of spare ribs. They use hickory wood to smoke their meats. Either the rub or the sauce has a lot of chili powder because there was some spicy heat. The sauce was too sweet for my taste, too much molasses or honey or sugar.
As for the ribs themselves, there were too tender. They had no give to them. I know to some people they love "fall off the bone" meat, but that is actually downgraded during BBQ competitions. The ribs were ok, but a bit too much gristle and fat.
The mac and cheese was pretty good, macaroni was cooked perfectly, well seasoned but they could have use more cheese sauce.
Service is good. The people are nice people and friendly. But, they had the radio turned up so loud, you had to practically yell at the guy taking your order. The radio was right by the door and in that small front area, it's like being at a concert.
I'm glad I tried Randolph's Smoke House, but I won't be coming back.
