WHERE THERE'S SMOKE ...Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic Willy's Smokehouse has opened in Agoura Hills. It's named after the late Willy Harris, a North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. native and onetime military cook who cooked for Bob Hope during the entertainer's USO USO: see United Service Organizations. (UNIX Software Operation) AT&T's Unix division before it turned into USL. See Unix. tours. He gained fame as a barbecue chef at his own restaurant in Tacoma, Wash. Owned by barbecuers Dennis Ofsthun of the original Rib Ticklers in Saticoy and Marco Gonzalez, who joined him in a late '90s Rib Ticklers venture in Agoura, the rustic Willy's uses the original Harris recipes, which have won the Ofsthun-Gonzalez team a championship at the 1996 Best in the West Rib Cook-Off in Reno, Nev. Incidentally, the Rib Ticklers' barbecue sauces (regular, spicy and turbo) are still served with the ribs at the new Willy's. And note that the location on Roadside Drive in the former Agoura Valley Inn building is only a hop, skip and jump a game or athletic sport in which the participants cover as much ground as possible by a hop, stride, and jump in succession. a short distance. - Addison. See also: Hop Hop from Agoura's powerhouse barbecue restaurant, Wood Ranch. Distinguished competition Guess Ofsthun and Gonzalez, brave to say the least, believe their fare is good enough to compete with one of the local biggies (10 Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, locations) in the field. It's certainly competitive in price. And, to me, it appears to be on a par and sometimes superior to anything its well-known neighbor comes up with. Except, perhaps, its barbecued chicken ($12.95), especially the breast, which, on a first visit, came forth too dry and had to be dipped in barbecue sauce to achieve a modicum mod·i·cum n. pl. mod·i·cums or mod·i·ca A small, moderate, or token amount: "England still expects a modicum of eccentricity in its artists" Ian Jack. of moistness. At a second visit, it was a little better, but not much. Perhaps the dryness is due to the smoking and grilling. But rib fanciers will love its meaty, award-winning pork babybacks ($17.95 per half-rack, $21.95 per full rack) and its tasty, 20-hour smoked, pulled pork ($12.95). Similarly impressive are the tri-tip ($13.95) and brisket brisket the mass of connective tissue and fat covering the anterior part of the chest in ruminants. Lies at the most ventral part of the neck, between the front legs and covering the anterior end of the sternum. ($12.95) entrees, both slow-smoked, the latter as long as 14 hours. For anti-barbecue types, there's a well-executed sauteed shrimp offering ($15.95) some seven crunchy ones in a nicely done white wine, butter and garlic sauce. Willy's also cooks a couple of untried steak plates -- a ribeye ($21.95) and a prime New York strip Noun 1. New York strip - steak from upper part of the short loin strip steak beefsteak - a beef steak usually cooked by broiling ($23.95) -- also a Cajun-seasoned, grilled salmon ($16.95) dish. No combos But, sorry to say, no combinations. Hot links ($11.95) that could have been hotter (spicy hot, that is) come forth with a gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. garnish of grilled onions and peppers. Conversely, a bowl of soup du jour ($4.95), called brisket soup by the waitress but listed vaguely on the bill as barbecued beef vegetable soup, sported a real spicy nip to its broth, along with an unexpected quantity of wonderfully tender, tasty cubes of beef brisket. Entree plates come with two side options that include a generous house salad, baked beans, coleslaw cole·slaw also cole slaw n. A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette. , sauteed fresh vegetables, a sweet corn mixture, garlic mashers or fries. Worthwhile shareable starters here are the excellent pulled pork quesadilla que·sa·dil·la n. A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of quesada, ($7.95) and neatly fashioned crabcakes ($8.95). As for endings, warm pecan pie a la mode ($6.95) is probably the best choice. Willy Harris would, I think, be pretty proud of his namesake barbecue spot. < Larry Lipson, (818) 713-3668 larry.lipson@dailynews.com WILLY'S SMOKEHOUSE BAR & GRILL Food: Three and one half stars - Service: Two and one half stars - Wine: One and one half stars Where: 28435 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills. Phone: (818) 991-7227; www.willysbbqandgrill.com. Meals/hours: Open for lunch (weekdays), dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Food type: American/Texas barbecue. Cost: Starters $5 to $9, salads and sandwiches $8.25 to $13, entrees $13 to $24, desserts $6 and $7. Credit cards: AE, MC, V. Patio dining: Yes, in front of restaurant. Parking/valet: Free parking in rear lot. No valet. Full bar: Yes. Wine/corkage: List on the back of the menu. Fifteen wines by the glass ($5 to $8), heavy on merlots but only one zinfandel and no syrahs or petite sirahs. Eleven beers on draft ($3 and $4 each) and at least a dozen bottles of brew. Separate, expanded wine list in the works. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere : $7. Music/entertainment: Yes. Rhythm and blues rhythm and blues (R&B) Any of several closely related musical styles developed by African American artists. The various styles were based on a mingling of European influences with jazz rhythms and tonal inflections, particularly syncopation and the flatted blues chords. or jazz bands Fridays and Saturdays 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Takeout/delivery: Yes on takeout, no on delivery. Reservations: Helpful. Needed on weekends. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Dennis Ofsthun, left, and Marco Gonzalez with some of the fare at Willy's Smokehouse Bar & Grill. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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