Campbell: Andy's Bar-B-Que

Andy's Bar-B-Que is one of those places that many of us have undoubtedly driven past a thousand times and wondered about. At least, that's the way it was for me until it became a regular stop of mine a couple of years ago.  The place has been around since 1965; I remember seeing it as a kid and having the vague suspicion that I'd been in there with my parents at some distant point, but too long before to allow me to remember any details.

Visible from Highway 17, Andy's occupies a nondescript, flat-roofed blue stucco building on Campbell Avenue, hard against the elevated freeway and opposite the Pruneyard. You can look down at it as you zip past on your way to Los Gatos or Santa Cruz.

The entrance to the restaurant takes you into the bar, which is soothingly dark; no blond wood, ferns, or _faux_ Tiffany lamps here.  It's a full bar, offering hard liquor as well as wine and a selection of respectable beers including Bass Ale, Sierra Nevada, and Samuel Adams.  There once was a compact piano bar in an alcove, but it was removed recently. Sadly, so was the last table-type Ms. Pac Man game that I'd seen in ages.

The moderately-sized dining room off to the right.  The decor is comfortably informal featuring varnished wooden tables and paneling mixed with cinderblock walls.  The acoustics are such that the noise level can be a bit high at times, especially if you're sharing the room with a boisterous group or there are small children present.  The slightly greasy smell of cooking meat permeates the place unapologetically.  Seating is usually immediate.  I've had to cool my heels in the bar for maybe ten minutes a time or two, but that's not common during the week.

If you're one of those people who occasionally gets weary of trendy California Cuisine or the ethnic cuisine du jour and feels the oh-so-shameful urge to tear into a healthy hunk of animal flesh, this is the place for you.  The only vegetables you'll get are in your salad.  Oh, there's also the baked potato -- available with a real sour cream, chives, melted cheese, or a scooplet of gen-yoo-wine butter.  Or any or all of the above.  Basically, this is a restaurant by and for  Republicans and Republicans at heart; sprout-chompers, tofu twinks, and red meat 'phobes need not apply.  Here, they serve only The Food That Made America Great(tm).  We're talking strictly traditional values, foodwise.

Here's how the menu works.  There's a modest selection of beef, pork, and chicken entrees, all cooked on the indoor grill that you can hear sizzling and popping in the background. There are steaks, beef brisket, burgers, pork ribs, pork shoulder, sausage (mild and spicy) and half chickens, and probably a couple of other things that I don't remember off the top of my head.

You can order a full portion of one of those, or opt for a combination of two or even three items.  Salad, baked potato, and garlic bread are included; the garlic bread arrives promptly as an appetizer.  Prices typically run from about $10.00 for a single item to $16.00 or so for a New York steak or a triple bypass^H^H^H^H^H^Hcombination.  Service is prompt and friendly, even though there's usually but one waitress on duty.

The only dessert is a huge quantity of peach cobbler for $3.50, which can be had _a la mode_.  I've only had it once, but it was wonderful.  Be forewarned that it's enough for two people, though.

There are only a couple of downsides to Andy's, but I'd hardly consider them show-stoppers.  One, as I mentioned, is the acoustics. The place isn't always noisy, but it _can_ be a bit loud depending on the size and composition of the crowd.  Also, there's an annoy- ance that I think is becoming far too common in restaurants nowadays: busboys who make ridiculous and unnecessary amounts of noise with clattering dishes as they clear vacated tables.  Again, the acoustics tend to accentuate this.

The other pitfall is that depending what you order, the leanness of the meat can be the luck of the draw.  The beef brisket and pork shoulder, particularly, can be either wonderfully lean or very fatty.  I've also had the pork shoulder arrive either shredded (which I prefer) or thin-sliced like London broil.  Maybe the style depends on who's cooking that evening.  All in all, Andy's is a very satisfying experience, and a convenient alternative to the Cattlemen's Restaurant across the highway at the Pruneyard.

Andy's Bar-B-Que
700 E. Campbell Avenue
Campbell, CA 95008
voice: (408) 378-2838
fax:   (408) 378-1160

Geoff