Skimp on the barbie

Can I just say that I am so glad that John Birdsall is back and writing for the East Bay Express?   He was easily one of the best things about the alt weekly.    About a month ago he wrote up a review for a barbecue joint in Berkeley which had some general history about his opinions on California barbecue.  Notwithstanding the reaming he received in the comments sections from the overzealous foodies that populate the internet these days attempting to show that they indeed know so much more than paid food writers, the piece was interesting and, to be honest, I like reading restaurant reviews as much as the next person.

However, the review about this barbecue restaurant made me sort of sad about Alameda’s barbecue restaurant scene which went from bright to rather grim.  At one point Alameda had no less than four operating barbecue restaurants: Great American Barbecue, Everett and Jones, Bonnie’s Southern Style Barbecue, and Ben’s Barbecue.   Now, only Great American Barbecue is left open, the other three have since closed.

I don’t know if it says more about the Alameda appetite for barbecue or the actual barbecue itself, but it’s rather sad that small joints like Bonnie’s and Ben’s couldn’t stay open.   I don’t feel too much pity for E&J since it’s technically a chain even though family owned.

I never ate at Bonnie’s, but Ben’s and E&J were okay, it wasn’t “ohmigod this is the best stuff ever” food, but face it, there aren’t a lot of restaurants in Alameda that can really lay claim to that sort of reaction.   Basically, having Ben’s and E&J’s on the West End was better than having no barbecue joints on the West End.  So it makes me sort of sad when I read reviews of restaurants opening in places that already have a pretty good saturated market for that sort of cuisine.

The best Alameda can do, apparently, is burger joints.   Recently the Park Street Association blog noted that the Original Red Onion would be opening soon on Park Street in the old aquarium spot.  The Original Red Onion holds a special place in my heart since apparently this is the same Original Red Onion that has been operating in Pinole for as long as I can remember.   Original Red Onion was where all the kids would get these bags of fries (yeah yeah) for lunch but it’s essentially yet another burger joint.   Alameda is fairly saturated already with burger places between Burgermeister, Pearl’s, Alameda Grill, Nation’s, and Scolari’s offerings.   Not to mention the ubiquitous burger that shows up on most menus anyway.   Although I have to say, having recently tried TrueBurger in Oakland, that burger is divine and the fact that they have a sign on the wall with Kelis lyrics makes me smile.

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