Not Where We Thought We Were

My sister and bro-in-law (in from Chicago) decided to follow Richie's suggestion and have lunch at Creme de la Crepe (previously reviewed) in Manhattan Beach. Off we went. We followed Richie down the sidewalk, talking away. When he turned in at a red-painted doorway, we followed. Briefly, the thought flickered through my mind that the other Creme de la Crepes were painted yellow...

We chose a window table, sat down and the waitress brought menus. They all said, "Mr. Cecil's Ribs" in bright, red letters. Our server said, "Oh, the crepe place isn't here any more." We all love bbq, so we shrugged and ordered drinks at Mr. Cecil's Ribs, 1209 Highland Ave., MB, 310-546-5400 mrcecilscaribs.com

Richie had the BBQ pork with baked beans ($9.95) Jane had the BBQ Brisket with cole slaw ($9.95) and I can't remember what Jim had - something healthy; either chicken or salmon. I ordered the hush puppies with butter and honey (8 for $5.95) to share and a Cajun shrimp dish, four huge prawns with a dipping sauce composed of (I'm pretty sure) melted butter, habanero chili powder and SALT. $13.

The hush puppies were crispy brown (and go better with the "hot" bbq sauce on the table than with butter and honey.) Richie's beans were thick, smoky and flavorful. The cole slaw was praised for not being "too mayonnaise-y." My prawns were tough and then chewy; perhaps due to their size. Even though I knew it was loaded with salt, I couldn't resist the prawn sauce...

Jane, however, was less than pleased with hr brisket flavoring. She said, calmly, "My recipe is much better. Leslie (my niece) and her friends love it and ask for it." So here's her recipe, good for pork, chicken and beef:

BITE ME, MR. CECIL!
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T rosemary
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Combine, pour over the meat and marinate for 24 hours. Roast or grill the meat and heat the remaining marinade and serve over the meat.