Elegy for Valley Ranch Barbeque

Welp, another San Fernando Valley landmark is no more. The delicious and fabulously kitschy Valley Ranch Bar-B-Q, which I'd previously blogged about, has joined the long list of old valley haunts to fade into history. Why it closed seems to be a mystery. The foodies over on Chowhounds are of the mind that the quality had gone down, and the closure is permanent. It certainly LOOKED permanent when I stopped by yesterday to poke around and snap some pix... So sad. I'll miss the waitresses, the plastic horses, and the general mish-mosh of bizarre tchotchkes. Not to mention, the yummy BBQ.

Tour of Cool Valley Haunts, Episode 1

Having lived here my whole life, I'm a huge fan of "the old Valley." Those of you who've been here a long time know what I mean. Not only are there beautiful, old, under-appreciated neighborhoods here in the San Fernando Valley, but there are also extremely cool old restaurants and dive bars! I'm sorry to say, I've only had the pleasure of visiting a handful of these places in my life. I'm gonna make it a point to go to more, before they're all torn down!


Just last night, me and the fam tried out one of these classic places for dinner: Valley Ranch Barbeque in Van Nuys. This place, and its decor, have been in the same place for at least 30 years. The food was good; the ambience was FREAKIN' FANTASTIC!!! I hope if you're ever in the area, you'll check it out. I had a pork sandwich; potato salad, and a nice iced tea.