For the Carnivorous Foodie in all of us….by Jessica Chang

Big Kahuna BBQ

7123 N. Lombard St., Portland, Oregon 97203

www.bigkahunasbbq.com

A BBQ place that’s close to our house?? Woohoo!! We had to check it out!  A new restaurant.com coupon showed up and we were there in no time!

What we ordered:  Luau Sampler:  Feeds 3 people.  Includes:  Kalua pig – Grilled huli huli chicken – Pork ribs – Grilled beef tri-tip – Smoked           sausage - rice – Macaroni salad - Island slaw – Paniolo beans

How we ordered it: Substituted Mac Salad and Beans for Tropical Fruit and Steamed Vegetables.  No rice please!

What we got:

Cost:  Luau Platter – $28

Quality:  Wow, this meat was good!  The brisket, ribs and chicken were all tasty and moist and flavorful.  The sausages were just typical sausages.  But it was a good combo of lean and fat meats.  The Sides however, were a different story.  Clearly this place is a meat place which is awesome!   The steamed vegetables were nothing great.  They looked and tasted like they were from a bag.  The Tropical Fruit was definitely out of a can.  Island slaw was nothing great….at least it didn’t have mayo in it!   Booo, but the meat was pretty awesome!

Quantity:  That platter had a ton of meat!  Both of us could not finish all of it.

MEAT-O-METER

The meat was good, but the restaurant itself was tiny and awkward.  There were only 4 tables, one consisting of a long and narrow table that faced the other three tables, not facing a window or anything.  Very awkwardly spaced.  The summer may be a bit better because there is outdoor seating.  Regarding the food, however, the meat was pretty good, but the sides were terrible.  I know this review is supposed to be about the meat, but I couldn’t NOT take in consideration everything else to give it a really good review…..It’s a give and take.  Not our favorite place.  If we wanted good barbecue we’d probably drive to Podnah’s.

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