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E-mail StoryTittl review: Nikki's Smoking BBQ not ready for prime time
| Wednesday, Feb 13 2008 11:44 AM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Feb 13 2008 6:42 PM
Nikki's Smoking BBQ has moved into the old Barbecue Factory on 30th Street near the Garces Circle, and though the menu is diverse enough to include authentic Texas sheet cake and a wide variety of smoked meats, the inconsistency in the kitchen keeps me from recommending the place.
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1616 30th St., 325-4400
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers $4.99-$8.99, salads and soups $2.99-$8.99, sandwiches $6.49-$7.99, steaks and seafood $8.99-$20.99, barbecue items $5.99-$19.99. Child’s plate $4.99.
Payment: MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover and The Californian’s Press Pass discount accepted. Does not accept personal checks (business checks only).
Dress: Casual.
Amenities: Wheelchair accessible; full bar service; few vegetarian options.
Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 21⁄2 stars
Next week: RJ’s at Riverlakes (Weekend breakfast)
Photos:
A slice of Texas sheet cake from Nikki's Smoking BBQ.
If you say old Barbecue Factory, many may think of its former home near the Icehouse north of the Garces Circle, where it was located for a long time. But you may remember that it moved into the Elks Lodge, south of the original location, a few years ago, taking up part of the space to help the group pay its overhead. Along the way it closed. Now new owners are offering pretty much what the Barbecue Factory had, with some innovative touches such as a twice-baked potato casserole as one of the starch options, or mashed potatoes mixed with butter and garlic and topped with gravy. Fresh-fried potato chips are also available.
The atmosphere is interesting. There's a fireplace painted on the wall and a mural that just dominates the room, with a tree that has some initials carved into it. There are three kites attached to the ceiling. There's a bar that wasn't too noisy through a door in the wall on the east of the dining room, and an odd sign on one of the doors to an office that says "Authorized Management Only. Nikki, Tammy and Kristin. No exceptions." Makes you wonder what the story behind that sign is.
In the interest of trying as many things as possible, we sampled the pulled pork sandwich ($6.49), the barbecued beef ribs ($8.99, for three ribs) and a barbecue sampler platter ($14.99) which included chicken, pork and tri-tip (also available were pork ribs and beef brisket). The pulled pork was too dry, and the beef ribs were so tender and tasteless that I would swear they were pre-boiled (regular readers of this column know I consider that to be one of the seven deadly culinary sins). We saved the ribs for the dog.
The chicken fared best, though the smokiness was exceptionally restrained, and it was a bit dry. My tri-tip was dry and not hot at all, which surprised me because the kitchen nuked the sourdough bread, the peach cobbler ($2.49) and that Texas sheet cake. The cake was good — more like a brownie with frosting and nuts on top, as real sheet cake should be. That and the twice-baked potato casserole (rich with cheddar) convinced me that someone back there knows what's going on.
With Famous Dave's coming to town, that meat has got to be the strength of the restaurant in order to survive. Hopefully some tinkering will turn things around.