Summer BBQ Fridays @ Clementine

Not the usual babyback-babyback

By Lucinda Michele Knapp, Special to Metromix

August 16, 2007

 

In the racing heart of the city—Century City, that is—we’d found a little eddy of quiet at a wooden table under Clementine’s cheery, tangerine-colored awning. The beloved neighborhood restaurant, which is a cozy blend of café, deli and bakery, has premiered a Friday BBQ menu this summer. Indie rock filled the interior, along with the mingling smell of sugary baked goods and rustic barbecue smoke. Mmm…B-B-Q.

Clementine’s idea of “BBQ” isn’t the “Babybackbabybackbabyback” coughcough-bullsh*t-cough version, dried out and slathered with sugary syrup. Theirs is the “come on over, y’all—we’re grilling in the backyard” kind. The menu bumps things up into the land of gourmet, where hot dogs are Niman Ranch quality or a Wisconsin-style bratwurst on a homemade roll that was buttery, fragrant, soft—simply, outstanding. No burgers; instead, beef brisket in a tangy, savory barbecue sauce that is also sold by the pint. Yes, that is sauce-by-the-pint. Our plates were rounded out with grilled corn-on-the-cob that came with a flutter of cumin butter; slices of sweet watermelon; and calorific deviled eggs that are irresistibly priced $1 per.

The archetypal summer meal was enhanced by the charming scene. The staff is comprised mostly of twentysomethings, with stretchers in their ears or bandannas over their hair. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, waving hello, inquiring about kids and work. One man pecked away at a screenplay, getting up occasionally to wander over to where a couple lounged with a yappy toy Pomeranian. The Pomeranian circled our table like a shark, if sharks were wee and black and very fuzzy.

Back inside, we went for dessert: popsicles, homemade and perfectly molded in Dixie cups offered today in two flavors of lime-ginger and plum. “I haven’t had a popsicle in…um…ten years, maybe,” I said to my companion, as we slurped and slurped, trying to keep ahead of critical meltdown, occasionally switching off, attempting to decide which flavor we liked best. Plum juice trickled down our fingers; the lime-ginger pop, almost completely gone, looked dangerously close to falling off its popsicle stick, before I gamely popped the rest in my mouth.

Heartbreakingly, the place closes at 7:30—another small-town flair. But summer BBQs at Clementine are nonetheless. a great way to kick-off the weekend.

Where: Clementine, 1751 Ensley Ave., Century City

When: Fridays, 11a.m.-7:30 p.m. through Labor Day

Insider Tip: Go for the barbecue, stay late for the exceptional pastries and sweets. As we rushed in to grab some goodies before closing, the studly attendant waved off payment and threw in an extra cookie.

 

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