The Park’s Finest BBQ + Tuesday Night at the Cafe = Bucket of Awesome

The Awesome Backdrop of Blogger Night

Initially, this post was called “The Park’s Finest BBQ + Tuesday Night Cafe = Gastroentertainment Symbiosis,” but I wasn’t sure anyone was going to search for “Gastroentertainment”. “Bucket of Awesome,” however, is a different story.

Recently, the WE eatz team had the pleasure to attend a blogger night hosted by Tuesday Night Project, the organization responsible for the longest-running free public art series in Los Angeles: Tuesday Night Cafe. So we, along with other representatives of the blogosphere such as 8Asians, Gourmet Pigs, Channel APA and flavorpill LA zoomed over to Little Tokyo for some live comedy/tunes/poetry al fresco and grilled meat stylings from none other than The Park’s Finest BBQ! BBQ Catering… yes way.

I’ve been wanting to check out the grub at The Park’s Finest for quite a while, especially after all the positive reviews I’ve heard about Chef Johneric’s BBQ. I really do have to say that I was not disappointed. I mean, it already sounds good on paper: BBQ with a Philippine island flavor twist. A sauce passed down from generation to generation with grill skills honed by backyard family BBQs sure sounds like a winning combination to me. The spread laid out by The Park’s Finest was quite impressive, and included their Batangueno Beef Ribs, Mt. Malindang Pork Rack of Ribs, the aptly named Mt. Mayon Hot Links and Ann’s Cornbread Bibingka. Big names for big cuts of meat… and er, cornbread. Interested yet?

But, big question… does it have the taste to match?

The Man Behind The Park's Finest BBQ

“Mmmhmm!” I say as I shovel more ribs and rice into my gaping maw. The first thing that hit me about the BBQ is that it’s got quite a bit of kick! As a self-ascribed sucker for Scoville units, I was definitely appreciative of the heat–particularly in the hot links. The two types of ribs were both cooked well, not super “fall-off-the-bone” but still tender and quite flavorful. Topped off with the Park’s Finest signature BBQ sauce, both are happy dance-inducing. The aforementioned hot links were very tasty. Fair warning: They’re not for the weak of palate. What really impressed me was the Cornbread Bibingka. Not quite one or the other, it’s definitely in a class of it’s own, in both classification and taste. It’s fluffy and light in texture, not super dense like other cornbreads I’ve had, with just the right balance of sweetness. Thank you Johneric for laying out some vegetables, which were cooked so they still had some snap to them – which is my preference. I was in dire need of some GI-tract lubricant after that awesome meat-fest.

This is what it would look like if the camera was in my mouth.

Oh my, how could I neglect talking about the sauce? It’s awesome. A bit different from your traditional store-bought BBQ sauce, The Park’s Finest sauce is much less syrupy in consistency. With hits of tropical fruits and a fair amount of heat, it really is something to experience. And at only 20 calories per 2 tablespoons… it’s a big thumbs up from me. As I understand, they’ve started bottling it!

And when I had gorged myself on awesome barbecue, I still had a night of live entertainment waiting for me! Improv, acoustic jams, spoken word, poetry and indie bands. Amazing. Entrance to the Tuesday Night Cafe is free-99. Donations appreciated. Events occur every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at the Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso Way in LA’s Little Tokyo. If you like what you’ve read and want to help out Tuesday Night Project and check out The Park’s Finest BBQ, Saturday, July 31st, 2010 is the perfect time to do so. Swing by the TNParty in Little Tokyo for good food, good music, good art, and good peoples. Check out the flyer below, y’all! I hear you’ll be able to buy bottles of The Park’s Finest BBQ Sauce at the TNParty too. You should totally go.