Spring Street Smoke House640 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-0535
www.sssmokehouse.com
Sorry, I know, I suck. I haven't written an entry in over a year. I'll blame it on the economy. This past year has rendered me penniless, forcing me to survive off Teddy Grahams and Nutella. Not that I'm complaining, I love Nutella. But now I'm all grown up and back on track with my life, so I can resume my culinary quest.
Let me start with Spring Street Smoke House, located right in the heart of Downtown LA, just blocks from Union Station. Oh my God. No. That's not right. OH MY GOD!!!!! Hang on, let me wipe the drool off my keyboard.
It all started a couple months ago, when my boyfriend and I went on an expedition of the concrete jungle formally known as El Pueblo de Nuestra Reina de Los Angeles (I swear to you that's LA's full legal name, look it up). Famished after a day full of subway rides, roaming the LA Public Library, and wandering around Koreatown trying to figure out how the frickin' hell we got there in the first place, we returned to Union Station in hopes of finding a good spot to fill up. We knew our chances were good; after all, we were right next to gastronomic landmarks like Olvera Street and Phillipe's. But we were tired of Mexican food (had a bomb ass quesadilla from Leo's Taco Truck the night before) and I wasn't feeling French Dips. We wanted to try something new. And we had technology on our side. Thanks to the Layars app (buy a Droid), we found barbecue heaven. And it was walking distance.
We walked into a small spot decked out with picnic tables and metal chairs reminiscent of a middle school assembly room. That was the first good sign - they didn't give a shit about the decor, so the food had to be good. Each table was stocked with a loaf of sliced bread and a roll of paper towels. Good sign #2 - they're prepared for a sloppy hot mess of sauce-orgy. And finally, the ultimate nod of approval: the patrons were blacks and fat white people. The ultimate authority on barbecue. It's not a stereotype; it's a fact.
We decided to go for variety to get the most of everything, so we split the Sampler Plate, a massive meat pile of 2 spare ribs, a hot link, pulled chicken, and smoked brisket. That alone was more than enough for 2 people, but we just had to indulge ourselves; we also got a 1/2 pound of pulled pork, a side of baked beans, collard greens, fries, and cornbread. On top of that, they also had beer samplers, only $12 for six 6 oz samples. Holy begeezus. We literally rolled out on our stomachs when we were done, and still had leftovers for days.
Not only was the feast bountiful, but delicious as well. The ribs were great, but where they really shined was the brisket and pulled pork. They smoke their meat for over 8 hours, resulting in tender, moist, juicy, succulent meat smothered in a sweet and tangy sauce (also available in spicy). Their sides paired perfectly with the entrees, only helping to enhance to flavor. It's always a good thing when you can take everything on your plate, swirl it all together into a soupy mess, and it still tastes good. In fact, it tastes even better. But the icing on the cake were the prices. The Sample Plate was $14, but was more than enough to feed two adults with trash compactors for stomachs.
So go buy a Droid, download the Layars app, and load up on pork and beef at Spring Street Smoke House. NOW.
