T-Rex BBQ, Berkeley

I've been here quite a few times now, ever since I found out that my friend Kete is an investor. T-Rex is owned by the same group who created Lalime's, Sea Salt, Fonda, and Jimmy Beans. For some reason I felt like pigging out on Tuesday night (this is after eating Picante AND Crixa Cakes in the same day...what can I say, the A's lost and I'm an emotional eater), so I dragged Andy to go get some BBQ (or not...).

Sorry Catherine, I don't go for the BBQ despite the place having barbecue in their name. I've had the ribs before with my friend Margaret and I wasn't impressed--$16 for a half rack of dry pork ribs with not enough sauce (which was mild even though we ordered hot). For ribs, go to Everette and Jones (or Doug's, per Catherine) to get way more meat that is way better.

Anyway, I go to T-Rex because I love their sides. The mac and cheese is usually really good and so are the greens. I love getting the cornbread for dessert (a huge slice of delicious cornbread soaked in maple syrup) but after Crixa Cakes, nothing can really compete. I ordered the mac and cheese and the kale. Andy got the brisket sandwich sans horseradish sauce. We also got the spicy drumsticks appetizer.

One thing I that has always impressed me at T-Rex and the other restaurants owned by this group is the service. Everyone is always friendly and laid back, and I've never had a bad waiter. Tuesday was no different. The food on the other hand, at T-Rex and Sea Salt, is inconsistent. I've had some amazing meals at both, but sometimes the chefs are not on their best game. I don't want to make too much of a generalization with this though because the majority of the time, especially at Sea Salt, the food is great. This review is about T-Rex though, so I'm going to move on.

The drumsticks came first. They were garnished with some lettuce, radishes, celery and apple with a little cup of bleu cheese dressing. The bleu cheese was good, and the drumsticks, though not spicy, were really good. The chicken was tender and tasted like it had been smoked all day and covered in bacon. Mmmm.

Then, our regular food came. I wasn't able to eat as much as I originally thought (thanks to Crixa Cakes), but my depression about the A's was mounting so I dug in. The mac and cheese at T-Rex is usually amazing. The mix of cheeses is so good that even I like it (I hate cheese--I know, it's weird.). The only complaint was that it is usually cooked longer to get a better browned crunchy texture on top. Flash forward to now, as I sit in front of my recently reheated leftovers of the mac and cheese, I have one more complaint. I reheated it in the microwave (probably not the best idea, but I'm at work), and there is now a puddle of melted butter sitting in my cardboard take-out container. Not too appealing. I drained my mac and cheese in the sink and now it tastes fine, but it still could be more crunchy. Grr. My recommendation: eat all of your mac and cheese at T-Rex so you don't see how much butter they put in it.

The kale was also good, but again too oily. Last time I remember having veggies at T-Rex, they were cooked really well and tasted a lot lighter. This time, the kale came with little squares of what I think were roasted yams, which were very tasty, but the kale itself was too oily. My Auntie Carolyn's greens are wayyyyy better than this, so maybe I have high standards, but honestly the greens were just dripping in oil.

Andy's brisket sandwich looked really good, but he scraped off all of the horseradish sauce that the waitress mistakenly brought which disappointed me. I didn't try any because I was too immersed in my mac and cheese, but he said it was good. He wasn't thrilled with the cole slaw on the side--he said they didn't put enough flavor in it, but that the potato salad was decent. He also had some pilsner (sorry I don't know my beers, nor can I hold them--I'm part Asian!), that he said was good...They have a huge selection of beers, wines and specialty drinks at T-Rex which look awesome but I was not in the mood to drink. Sorry, I know to be a food critic I should be trying everything but this is why this is a free blog that I'm doing while I'm bored at work thank you very much.

Long story short, this meal was okay. I've had a lot better at T-Rex, so I don't want to discount the place. But if you are in the mood for ribs, remember what I said before--go to Everette and Jones; T-Rex is overpriced for those. For sides, T-Rex is usually really good and I always go home full, regardless of whether or not I had Crixa Cakes beforehand. I know from this review they don't sound that great, but I know I'm going to go back there eventually...I think I was just there on a bad night considering my previous experiences.

There also has to be some credit for the ambiance at T-Rex. It's a really fun place to go with friends, either to the bar or you can eat upstairs--they have couches that are great for lounging at eating appetizers (which are the highlight of their menu anyway). Thanks everyone for your comments on my blog so far, keep 'em coming!

T-Rex is open Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (bar until 10:30 p.m.); Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (bar until midnight); Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (bar until midnight); and Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (bar until 10:30 p.m.).

They are located at 1300 Tenth Street (at Gilman) in Berkeley, CA 94710.
Phone: (510) 527-0099

Website: www.t-rex-bbq.com