March 12, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Smoke signals

by Grace Rauh

Stepping into Armadillo Willy's is like walking into the heart of Texas.

Oldies tunes play in the background, a basketball game flashes on the overhead television and cheerful servers ferry oversized plates of barbecue, ribs and steaks to hungry diners.

Say goodbye to California cuisine. This is rib country, and meat -- in all forms -- rules supreme.

Barbecue shacks may line the streets of the Lone Star State, but they are a novelty in the Bay Area. There are few places to head when you're hankering for a messy barbecued pork sandwich dripping with spicy sauce or a rack of ribs. But Armadillo Willy's pulls through -- connecting displaced Southerners with the flavors of their youth and giving every diner a reason to lick their fingers clean at the end of a meal.

Everything at this expansive Los Altos restaurant is huge. The portions are enormous; massive plates crowd tabletops; and even the drinks arrive in large Mason jars.

The menu even boasts an item called "The Belly Buster," which allegedly includes enough food to satisfy four barbecue lovers or one NFL lineman. And the folks at Armadillo Willy's should know. Photos of San Francisco 49ers are displayed on a wall above two checks the pro-football team wrote to the restaurant for a catered event: $16,416.11 for a team tailgate party at Stanford University and another $4,741.3 for Joe Montana's retirement bash. That's quite an endorsement from people who know how to eat.

While I didn't dare try the Belly Buster, I was eager to sample what Willy's considers its best barbecue sandwich. Our server recommended the Memphis in May pork roast ($6.95). Hunks of tender pork arrived on a simple white bun smothered in spicy barbecue sauce. It was messy and the sandwich quickly became soaked with sauce -- but nobody ever said eating barbeque was a tidy affair. The side of spicy peanut slaw was crunchy, light and an excellent complement to the hearty sandwich.

My boyfriend opted for the 20-ounce cowboy rib eye steak with chipotle-garlic butter ($24.95). The massive slap of beef arrived medium-rare (as requested) with a side of french fries and mixed vegetables -- zucchini, squash, green beans and carrots. The fatty steak was incredibly flavorful, and the butter gave it some extra zest. Potato skins were left on the crispy fries, and we ended up fighting over them.

But before we got started on our Texas-sized entrees, we ordered beer-battered onion rings ($4.95). Fried to a crispy, golden brown, the thick onion slices were tasty and filling. I also sampled a cornbread muffin ($1.50), which arrived warm but a tad on the dry side.

Given the portion sizes at Willy's, you don't need to order appetizers unless you are out with a group of hungry linebackers. That said, I am a big fan of doggie bags, and we made ample use of them on our first visit.

Our drink orders led to the only missteps of the evening. The bar's blender was down, so a Willy's margarita ($5) on the rocks was our only option. But my date wasn't too disappointed, especially once the pint-size glass arrived filled to the brim.

I ordered a mojito ($6), but should have stuck with the tangy margaritas. I am a devotee of the Cuban rum drink made with fresh mint and sugar, and I couldn't resist ordering one. But the drink was so strong -- and not in a good way -- that it almost knocked me over. The rum completely overshadowed the mint and sugar.

All was remedied once the barbecue arrived, and the drinks were definitely forgotten by the time I dug into warm apple bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce ($4.95) for dessert. It was a small miracle my belly didn't bust just then. Somehow I found room for the sweet, gooey indulgence, which was fortunately neither too rich nor too heavy.

After a short break from my first meat-heavy meal at Willy's, I returned for lunch with a friend. He was a shoe-in as an Armadillo Willy's date because he is training for a marathon and has no problem devouring a marathon meal. We shared a platter of thick, meaty Texas BBQ pork ribs ($12.95) and the 18-hour Texas beef brisket sandwich ($6.95).

Unlike the ubiquitous baby back ribs, Texas ribs come from the chest area (rather than the groin) and dwarf their smaller counterpart. Stringy pink meat fell from the bone with little effort, but the pork was not as flavorful as that on baby backs. The ribs came with fries, a slice of garlic bread toast and a small dish of spicy barbecue sauce. Willy's does serve baby back ribs, which I'm told are very popular.

Like the pork sandwich, the beef brisket was served on a white bun with spicy barbecue sauce. The thin slices of beef had been smoked for 18 hours and were tender and flavorful. I chose the Nawlins' red beans as the sandwich's side, but they arrived lukewarm and were unremarkable. Luckily, the peanut slaw also accompanied our ribs, so I ate that instead.

On both visits to Willy's, I found myself lingering over the barbecue sandwiches with their spicy sauce. It's tender meat on a bun with rich barbecue sauce -- a simple creation, with no distractions. I could happily work my way through the barbecue sandwich menu, swapping between sides of fries and the spicy peanut slaw.

A trip to Armadillo Willy's is not for vegetarians or those with small appetites. But if you want to try some top-notch barbecue, there's no need to head for Texas. Just stop by San Antonio Road.

Armadillo Willy's, 1031 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos; (650) 941-2922

Hours: Open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Reservations not accepted Credit cards accepted No valet parking Beer, wine and full bar Takeout available High chairs available Wheelchair accessible No banquets Catering available No outdoor seating Noise level: moderate Bathroom cleanliness: Good
E-mail Grace Rauh at grauh@mv-voice.com

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