7395 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy
Aloha, OR 97006
(503) 356-1452
http://www.reosribsbbq.com/
As I’m fond of saying: baby, you know I love the cue. I adore the sensation of gnawing succulent meat from a rib, I love the personality inherent in a sauce prepared with love and attention and I even love the jovial atmosphere of a good BBQ joint. Once our esteemed editor David informed me of Reo’s Ribs, a notable local institution (funny how recent transplants always seem to be able to sniff those out) famed for its BBQ and its owner’s avuncular relationship to Snoop Dogg, I couldn’t help but make a trip out. Despite a brief argument on the merits of the new Star Trek film and the baffling number of accidents we passed on the way there (seriously, at 5 pm on a Saturday in Aloha), we arrived at the ramshackle place in anticipation.
From the outside, it’s rundown: all faded signs, gravel and plywood. Inside, it was pretty much the same. The booths were cramped, the equipment used and battered and we received barely a glance as we stepped past the handwritten “ORDER AT THE COUNTER” sign. Incidentally, I have a pet theory that most regionally-specific food has an inversely proportional deliciousness to the dinginess of its surroundings: danker the place, often tastier the goods. We scanned the single-page menu, but I quickly opted for the Five-Meat Sampler: a selection of beef brisket, a beef sparerib, a pork sparerib, pork roast and BBQ chicken. Along with choice of two sides (I went for the coleslaw and paid a buck more for the potato salad) and a soda, it rang up to $17. If that seems like a lot, remember that’s a whole lot of BBQ on your plate. My editor and eating partner went a la carte and ordered the pork spareribs with brisket and macaroni salad.
Admittedly, the meal took a while to arrive and we had to put up with the alternating squeals of a pair of hyperactive children and the piercing laughter of a matron at the next table (I’m a cranky guy, all right?), but BBQ is meant to take time. If you want fast food, I’m sure you can find a KFC by following the stench. That said, when it arrived, it was warmly received; the pork ribs were the highlight of the show, rich and practically falling off the bone. The brisket was a close second, its tenderness accented nicely by the sauce which was a little on the mild side, but still piquant and plentiful. The beef rib fared less well; the largest bone was also the least meaty and a little stringy, but both the pork roast and the chicken were surprisingly moist. Often we both find the latter to come off dry and overly seasoned when done BBQ-style, but Reo’s treat their chicken right. The sides were a mixed bunch; the coleslaw was a little watery, but had a pleasant tang. The potato salad was full of flavor, clearly blended with a few pickled veggies, but was also nearly a puree – I expect a little bit of substance, if not evidence of actual potato. Fortunately, the macaroni salad made up for both. The noodles were just done and the dill was pleasantly even, not overpowering in the least.
I can see some people having a beef with Reo’s Ribs: the service was definitely more geared to getting the job done than to hovering at one’s elbow, and the restaurant itself can be charitably described as dingy. But neither was what I came for: I came for the cue, and it was all there. Indulge your bone-picking side and go for the pork ribs, and don’t forget the macaroni salad.
by Nathan Kamal
[Photo: Ken Anderson]
