RESTAURANT REVIEW:

By John Reger

Dec. 17, 2008 12 AM PT

The central coast of California is one of my favorite places to visit, and when I trek up there one of the stops I would plan on making was to a little barbecue place called Alex’s in Pismo Beach.

They had great barbecue, and overlooking the Pacific Ocean wasn’t a bad way to eat a plate of ribs.

Their style was a Texas barbecue with lots of sauce on boiled ribs that were then baked.

Lou Gaydos went a little more traditional in bringing the central coast’s old-time style of barbecuing when he opened Lou’s Red Oak BBQ in 1992.

Gaydos was fascinated with the cooking style of the Santa Maria Valley region, which dated back to the early 1800s.

With red oak trees abundant in the area, ranchers would take the wood and use it to fuel the flames for the meals that were cooked.

Gaydos took that and tweaked it a bit, using the red oak, but cooking in a rotisserie oven.

The taste is extremely unique, and the barbecue is some of the best in the area.

Lou’s is what a barbecue joint should be: smaller, homey and with an emphasis on the food.

I took my friend Warren, who spent many years living in the area, and is a fan of barbecue.

We sat outside, in the area separated by lattice, which gives a bit of privacy but is still open enough to not feel hemmed in.

The waitress greeted us warmly and came bearing gifts. She put bite-size pretzel bread in front of us with two types of dipping sauce.

The first was the barbecue sauce that is served with most of the meat. It is a smoky flavor, with a touch of sweetness and very good.

The second sauce was a unique combination of sour cream and Dijon mustard. The tang of the mustard with the sour cream was perfect for the bread, and I found myself asking for more, hoarding it for possible dipping with my main meal.

When I go to barbecue places I like to pick a combination plate, and Lou’s has three different variations.

The first is a mixed plate with tri tip that is cooked medium, a quarter of chicken and grilled linguica sausage.

The linguica sausage is a Portuguese meat that is cured with spices. Lou’s puts cumin and cinnamon in theirs.

I was pleasantly surprised when the waitress asked me how I wanted my tri tip. I thought I was stuck with medium, but she allowed me to get mine medium rare.

She also earned points for asking me if I wanted dark or white meat chicken. Usually when you get a combo plate with chicken you are at the whim of the cook, but I was able to order dark meat.

Another combination is the tri tip combo plate, which has a choice of sausage, chicken, pulled pork or shredded barbecue beef. The rib combo plate has the same options, but it comes with St. Louis pork spare ribs instead of tri tip.

While most of the meat comes with the smoky barbecue sauce, the Southern platter has pulled pork in an apple cider vinegar barbecue sauce that is perfect for someone who isn’t in the mood for the traditional sauce.

While the barbecue is authentic, the side orders need desperate attention.

The Santa Maria Valley Pinquinto beans are great, as are the sweet potato fries, but the cole slaw is bland and the macaroni and cheese is from a box.

Some updating of these would make the meal that much more enjoyable.

Of course all was forgiven when the waitress brought warm, fresh-baked cookies with the check.

The personal touches here are exactly what every restaurant should be doing. I know it makes my decision to recommend Lou’s an easy one.

LOU’S RED OAK BBQ GRILL

ADDRESS: 21501 Brookhurst St., Huntington Beach

PHONE: (714) 965-5200

CUISINE: barbecue

SPECIALTY DISH: Tri tip

ALCOHOL SERVED: beer and wine

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $8.99 to $16.99

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa