i mewn ‘r ardda

On the spur of the moment I wrote this review of The Wrangler, a BBQ restaurant in Escondido, CA. It is good enough to put here too, so enjoy.

The Wrangler is a symbol, indeed a bulwark that stands against the contemporary and all that change entails. The decor hasn’t changed much in 30 years and the food hasn’t changed at all.

Imagine: you drive up to a 60′s strip mall and true to form there is no vegetation in the parking lot. Apparently all the trees where cut down by The Wrangler to feed the interminable fire that smokes all their meat deep and black. It is the only place I know that smokes food only with oak. That might be by necessity since Southern California has no other plentiful source of hardwood. Carrying on, you approach the storefront and see by the cheeseball sunworn cartoon decals that this ain’t Starbucks, it ain’t froo-froo; priggery simply isn’t tolerated here.

Inside one is immediately struck by the blandness of color and texture. You sense that someone put an eight-track in a loop and it has been playing ever since. Even the radio dial hasn’t changed. There is a water spot in the ceiling that hasn’t ever been fixed. The cement block wall lining one side of the long room has been painted and repainted in the same cream–no–soft mustard hue. The knick-knacks on the walls have been updated to kitschy country circa 1983. Rafia. Pie plate art. Painted wood scrollwork.

The food is well-smoked. For the longest time it was one of the very few places in San Diego county where one could get pit-smoked authentic barbeque. Beef, ham, and beef ribs are listed as the main entrees. The beef is sometimes a little dry, but always has good flavor. The baked beans are good, dark, a tad spicy, but a little too sweet. The slaw is well done, no weird stuff in it, and not too sweet. I don’t order the other side dishes enough to recall them, but I would expect similar results. The iced tea is not overly strong. They do soup pretty good too.

For barbeque the prices are excellent. The most expensive thing on the menu is the combo platter at $10.99 (December 2008) which is a good load of all three entrees. Lunch item for about $5 include a sandwich and a side and drink.

Strangley, there is no place to leave dirty dishes even though you aren’t served at your table. This leaves you with the idea that you should clean up after yourself but at a loss as to where to leave your leavings. I’ve concluded that they want you to bus your own food, though if you leave your mess on the table they’ll gladly clean up after you.

Take the time to use the bathroom as a pretext to see the large brick lined pit in the back. It impresses me.

Eat your food at the restaurant if possible because the smells contribute greatly to the flavor.