Barbecue Bliss at Blake's Place?

Blake's Place

2905 E. Miraloma #3

Anaheim, CA 92806

Ever since we got back from our vacation to Dallas, Katie and I have been on our own personal journey to find the best barbecue that Orange county has to offer. We have tried several places, chain restaurants, hole in the wall places, and reader recommended joints. One thing that all these places had in common, was the fact that they were not as good as anything we had in Texas. I am not saying that all of these were bad, but they all were lacking in one aspect, either the meats were not good, or the sides were weak, or a mixture of both. Let's see if Blake's can break our streak.

Blake's Place is located off the beaten track to say the least. Located in a very industrial area, and opened 14 years ago, they have a rabid following and glowing testimonials from local magazines, newspapers, and fellow bloggers. So needless to say, I was very excited to see what Blake's Place had in store for us.

My Mom has a small appetite, so she opted for the Half Sandwich and Salad. For her sandwich, she got the pulled pork. This sandwich was killer. The crispness of the Coleslaw, the right amount of sauce, and the tender meat made this sandwich a winner. Mom gushed, "the sandwich had a really good flavor, and the sweet sauce was a good compliment to it."

My indecisive Dad went with the Sandwich Sampler, a great deal at $7.99. The sandwich sampler had three half sandwiches of smoked beef brisket, turkey, and pork. My Dad felt that these sandwiches were great, and made better when he added extra sauce, because he likes things, " a little messy". I also thought that these sandwiches were good. The meats were moist, and you could taste the smokiness, but it did not overpower the meat.

Katie and I decided we would split two items. I was really hungry, so our first dish was Blake's Big Rib Plate. This mountain of ribs featured baby backs, pork spare ribs, and a beef rib. Also included were Blake's BBQ beans, Coleslaw, French fries, and garlic bread. I could have eaten this all by myself, but I had a little something else on the way. The meat fell off of the bone with all of these ribs. They say that they slow cook all of there meats, some up to 16 hours, and it shows. The baby backs were my favorite, with the beef rib a close second. The sides here were good as well. The fries were crisp, the Coleslaw had a good flavor, with a decent amount of dressing on it, and the beans had a sweet tang to them. Excellent rib plate!

Pictured above, and definitely worth a second look is The Beast. This two and a half pound sandwich is the type of food that makes a place a legend! The sandwich has pulled pork, pulled BBQ chicken, chopped beef, Coleslaw, pickle, red onion, and BBQ sauce. They have an eating challenge with this sandwich, (the record is four minutes and five seconds), but I wanted to be able to enjoy it, and I am so glad I did. The meat was so tender and flavorful, even the bun was good. I tackled this sandwich with a knife and fork, and could not get it down quick enough.

I think I have found my barbecue nirvana. All of the items that we tried were really good, and there is definitely more on the menu that I would love to try in the future. The prices were not exorbitant, they may even be too cheap. Even writing this post has made my mouth water. I think it is time to go back!

Out of five Fred's, (because that was the name of Robert Blake's cockatoo on Baretta), five being best to zero being worst, Blake's Place gets four solid Fred's.

For more information on Blake's Place, click here: http://www.blakesplacebbq.com/