Cuisine type: American classic BBQ
Atmosphere: very casual
Meal: lunch
Overall score: 7.5
Nina
Strange choice to seek BBQ in Napa valley, in a world of fine dining and fancy wines, but we just felt like it after an entire morning spent in an orchard picking nectarines and apricots, and talking about making a bourbon fruit barbecue sauce later (which, by the way, turned out quite delicious). We found Red Rock Cafe in a small, unassuming building, where the most prominent features were the signs for the take-out window (which at first made us doubt that there was a dine-in area). Their dining room is a small space with plain tables covered in plastic sheet and with an old looking bar spanning the length of the room. I have to say it added to the authentic feel of the place, which might as well have been a dive bar somewhere in Texas.
I ordered the pulled BBQ pork sandwich with a side of coleslaw. This dish was impressive if nothing else in sheer size. I was presented with a large bun which was crunchy on top and soaked in pork cooking juices on the bottom, hugging what must have been nearly a pound of soft, tender shredded pork. I felt like I needed to add more sauce as I ate this since there wasn’t much to begin with, and I did feel like the sauce was a little on the runny side, but I did have plenty of it to satisfy my palate. The coleslaw was refreshing. though nothing out of the ordinary. Ben’s ribs, which I tasted, were beef ribs and a little too tough for my taste, but they also came in a generous portion size, served with a side of mac&cheese and a corn muffin with butter and honey. The corn muffin was soft and moist, though nothing memorable. However, the mac&cheese was rich, creamy and had an unusual (though not bad, don’t get me wrong) flavor which I could only explain by the use of cream cheese or some other unorthodox ingredient like that.
Overall, it was a little more expensive than what I would hope a BBQ dive would be, but it’s a good Napa substitute for a solid BBQ meal you could get somewhere in the deep south.
I ordered the pulled BBQ pork sandwich with a side of coleslaw. This dish was impressive if nothing else in sheer size. I was presented with a large bun which was crunchy on top and soaked in pork cooking juices on the bottom, hugging what must have been nearly a pound of soft, tender shredded pork. I felt like I needed to add more sauce as I ate this since there wasn’t much to begin with, and I did feel like the sauce was a little on the runny side, but I did have plenty of it to satisfy my palate. The coleslaw was refreshing. though nothing out of the ordinary. Ben’s ribs, which I tasted, were beef ribs and a little too tough for my taste, but they also came in a generous portion size, served with a side of mac&cheese and a corn muffin with butter and honey. The corn muffin was soft and moist, though nothing memorable. However, the mac&cheese was rich, creamy and had an unusual (though not bad, don’t get me wrong) flavor which I could only explain by the use of cream cheese or some other unorthodox ingredient like that.
Overall, it was a little more expensive than what I would hope a BBQ dive would be, but it’s a good Napa substitute for a solid BBQ meal you could get somewhere in the deep south.
Food 7
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 7
Service 8
Value 7
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 7
Service 8
Value 7
Ben
This is an instant classic, clear to see why it’s a local favorite. This reminds me of much of the midwestern/Texas BBQ dives; cheap, generous portions, and a small place with a bar and TV. The beef BBQ ribs were very good, huge and pretty tender. They were served with a generous amount of sauce (seemingly homemade, may have been bbq sauce based). It’s hard not to have a good corn muffin, and theirs was no exception though it wasn’t my favorite (a little dry, bland). Nina’s BBQ pulled pork sandwich was fantastic - an impossible amount of pork stuffed (and soaking into) fresh, crunchy buns. This is definitely the way to go if you are checking this place out, the sandwich was one of the best pulled porks I’ve had (the ribs were good but not among the best). A pretty small place with about 10 tables and a long bar, it’s an affordable place to go for any meal and a great place if you are craving classic barbecue. They also have takeout, which seemed quite popular (the food is more of a highlight than the atmosphere).
Food 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 8
Value 8
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 7
Service 8
Value 8
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