Phat Matt's BBQ

As a worshiper of the pig and the bounty of meats it provides, I get pretty excited about BBQ. Now, tell me you'll buy if I fly and I'm over the moon. Needless to say I was pretty excited about trying Phat Matt's wares.


This place is easy to get to and has plenty of parking (joy!). The interior is roomy and Raider Nation themed. I noticed a bar so it looks like a good place to watch the game. I also noticed that each table had its own roll of paper towels which struck me as good planning. Honestly, that's all I have say about the interior of this joint because as soon as I got 10 feet in I was stuck with the sweet sweet smell of slow cooked meat. 

2-way brisket & ribs, baked beans & potato salad

We got our order to go and had a bag tip over in the car so the beans got all up in Brett's potato salad. But did he complain? No sir! Both of these sides were tasty and he ate every bite. The Memphis style pork ribs got good reviews too. Pork ribs can be hit or miss and Matt was spot on here.

2-way brisket & ribs, greens & coleslaw

Do you see the chunks of meat in those collard greens? The meat to greens ratio was almost 50/50. That's one way to get folks to eat their veggies. Delicious! And how about the meat portion? HUGE! She put in a mighty effort, but was unable to consume it all.

Brisket plate, coleslaw & mac and cheese

So the coleslaw was good but no one went crazy for it. The Mac and cheese was deemed good but not awesome. We all had brisket in our orders and all agreed it was super tasty. Cooked to perfection with a good bark on it and a reasonable layer of fat. 

2-way brisket & pulled pork, beans & yams

I've saved the best for last...the pulled pork. Dear sweet baby Jesus it was fantastic. It had a vinegar based sauce and was so moist and delicious. I am pretty sure I was humming or moaning when I ate it. It's a good thing I tried the beans and yams (tasty) before diving into the pork because it had my full attention once it hit my mouth. Dang it. I want some now. And again, do you see the huge portion size? I could barely get any brisket down I was so stuffed with pork. I will be a repeat customer for this meat alone. And you can buy it by the pound/piece if you don't want sides.

What could have possibly made this meal better? 

This photo sucks.

Freaking candied bacon! I wanted to push everyone else out of the way and gobble this down in the corner like an animal. But I have learned to control my base instincts so I shared like a proper lady. Dry like a jerky, not too sweet and smokey flavored; this was a treat. 

These folks are doing BBQ right and I am so pleased they chose Oakland to set up shop. Matt started in Chicago 30+ years ago and by some kind of magic here's here. All of his fantastic ketchup-based sauces and rubs have no added salt. I didn't even get into their weekly specials or talk about their desserts...I will leave that for you to discover. 

Get down to Phat Matt's (family owned and operated) and try it for yourself. You know you love BBQ and you love Oakland. Spend your money here and support them both.

http://www.phatmattsbbq.com/ 

3415 Telegraph Ave
(between 34th St & I-580) 

Bside BBQ lunch

Celebrated my 6 year anniversary at the real job here. 

Sweet glorious animal flesh! You warm my heart and fill my belly with your juicy goodness. It's possible I love you more than a choice parking spot.

I'm a gal of many names, one being Bacon Princess and I'm married to a man some call Meat Daddy so I've got a bit of cred when it comes to the meat... I was pretty excited to try this West Oakland BBQ joint run by the same lady chef who brought us Brown Sugar Kitchen.

The vibe inside is good and the decor simple...lots of wood and barn type understated western theme but who really cares about that. It smells good inside and the lady took our order right away. We started with the baked chicken wings with Rogue Creamery blue cheese dip and the fried okra bites. Both were a hit but the corn meal batter on the okra was a real stand out. So crisp and sprinkled with a bit of salt...I took the crumbs and mixed it in with what was left of the blue cheese dip proclaiming I could have kept up at any Roman feast. Or maybe I said I'd make a great Roman Emperor and demanded candied hummingbird tongues. You get the idea.

Dark & Stormy pork ribs

I ordered the brisket with a side of baked beans and my friend had the dark & stormy St. Louis pork ribs with a side of spicy coleslaw. We decided we could share if we each got something different. The brown sugar rubbed brisket was done just right and the BBQ sauce was pretty good but I didn't want to lick the bowl. The ribs were just alright but honestly, I'm just not that wild about pork ribs. The coleslaw was delicious and not a big sloppy milky mess. The beans had good flavor but weren't thick enough for my taste...more ketchup and brown sugar demanded my dining companions. The mac and cheese was so good my other companion finished that instead of her last rib and the potato salad was pretty good but was still on the table with the beans at the end of the meal.

Brown Sugar rubbed Brisket

The pickled veggies deserve a shout out of their own. Not one bit of those were left behind and I pined for more...my mates and I are all pickle lovers and these had us clucking like hens over a fat worm. Sweet and spicy with some clove and obviously homemade and fresh. Yum!

All in all, it was a good meal with good companions and we all felt satisfied. The portions are just right and the prices are decent. Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think. http://bsidebbq.com/