Tasty Q Barbeque

A while back I had the pleasure of escorting Kevin, a freelance writer for Variety Magazine, to a couple of BBQ joints around Los Angeles. He was on a BBQ odyssey of his own in this great city, and I was fortunate enough to accompany him to a couple of his pit stops. He offered me free BBQ in exchange for an open dialogue on the subject. How could I resist?

It was a Tuesday evening and he had decided that we should try Tasty Q on Crenshaw. This was a restaurant I had never been to, so I was totally down with the idea. We weathered the evening traffic and found ourselves confronted with an affliction common to many BBQ restaurants — irregular hours. For some unspecified reason they're closed on Tuesdays. Not the best start to a BBQ adventure, but fortunately we were resourceful. We resorted to an on-the-fly plan B, Bad to da Bone BBQ on Century Blvd. We knew that eventually we would have to return to Tasty Q, so we rescheduled for a lunch meeting.

The first thing I noticed about Tasty Q was the architecture — not so much in a Frank Gehry kind of way, but more of a fast food franchise style. The restaurant is actually housed in an old-school Taco Bell building with arched windows and a functioning drive-thru. That's correct — drive-thru BBQ. The exterior is quite unique, adorned with hand-painted signage informing you of their Louisiana heritage and a mural on the backside depicting the owner deep-frying some turkeys. The architecture is offset by the large weather-beaten road sign which reads "T s y Q arbe ue, drive thru" with an arrow directing traffic off of busy Crenshaw Ave.

I walked in and noticed they had a couple of trophies on display. I didn't know this, but The Beat L.A. FM used to host BBQ competitions for local restaurants. I don't think The Beat does this contest anymore, but it was nice to see that Tasty Q had acquired a couple of the awards. The lady at the counter was very nice, as was the owner. They had no problem answering questions about the menu, their BBQ, and the restaurant. I wasn't sure if it was part of the employee dress code, but everyone behind the counter had on a Bluetooth headset.

They had a pretty good-sized menu as well as some specials on hand-written signs placed around the entrance. The one that caught my eye was the lunch special for seven bucks, which included a spare rib, two beef ribs, chicken links, beans, potato salad and two slices of bread. Sign me up. Kevin ordered the same thing but also added a BBQ turkey drumstick. I hadn't seen one of those since the Los Angeles County Fair. They do a lot of turkey at this restaurant, especially during the holidays when they offer deep-fried turkeys. They ask you how you want your BBQ sauce — hot, medium, spicy, and you-gotta-sign-a-waiver-before-you-taste-this-hot.

Overall, I was impressed with the meal. I started with the spare rib, which perhaps wasn't as tender as I would have liked, but it was still very delicious. The chicken links were lively and flavorful — the herbs mixed in with the meat really brightened up the flavor. But links and a rib weren't the only things worth ordering. The beef ribs were pretty amazing. Tender, with a great BBQ flavor. The owner mentioned that he would prefer to use hickory for his smoke, but getting it here in California is too expensive. The oak he uses is working pretty well for him. All the meats carried solid smoke flavor.

I was equally impressed with the side dishes, as was Kevin. He smiled and said, "These beans are the best I've had in L.A." The BBQ beans were flavored with pieces of smoked turkey — really scrumptious. The potato salad was no joke either. A splendid blend of seasonings and potatoes, much like a recipe I would make at home to complement a piece of meat that's been cooking for hours. It worked well with the meal.

After we finished eating, we spoke with the owner and he showed us his Ole Hickory smoker in the back of the restaurant. He is very proud of his BBQ as well as his Louisiana heritage. The great BBQ and the personal touch all contribute to the uniqueness of this restaurant. The turkey menu also sets it apart from the rest. Overall I was impressed with Tasty Q's BBQ — and they have drive-thru. How many BBQ restaurants in Los Angeles have a drive-thru? If you do happen to visit, let me know how it goes.