Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 28, 2011

10

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 28, 2011 

PACIFIC DINING CAR

Old School Steak meets Urban Young Professional.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BBQ IDEAS 

Recipes by Chris Lilly

LOW AND SLOW 

SOUTHERN-STYLE PORK RIBS

Ingredients:

2 slabs baby back ribs

1 cup KC Masterpiece® Southern-Style Barbecue Sauce

Dry Rub:

••• cup dark brown sugar

4 teaspoons garlic salt

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

••• teaspoon celery salt

••• teaspoon red pepper

••• teaspoon cinnamon

••• teaspoon white pepper

Liquid Seasoning:

••• cup apple cider

••• cup apple jelly

••• cup honey

••• cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon dry rub mix (above)

Instructions

Remove the membrane from the back of the rib slabs. In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients 
and mix well. Reserve one tablespoon of the rub for the liquid seasoning mixture. Generously apply the 
dry rub onto the front and back sides of the ribs. 

Build a charcoal fire for indirect cooking. Add a small aluminum pan to the void side of the grill and fill in 
halfway with water. When the charcoal grill reaches 250°F, place ribs meat-side up on the grill grate and 
cook over indirect heat for two hours and 15 minutes. 

Remove the ribs from the grill. Place each slab meat-side down on its own doubled aluminum foil square. 
Mix the liquid seasoning in a small bowl. Pour ••• cup of the liquid over each slab. Then, tightly wrap and 
seal each slab with aluminum foil. Place the wrapped ribs back in cooker for one hour at 250°F. 

Remove the ribs from the charcoal grill and discard foil. Brush sauce on both sides of the ribs. Place the 
ribs back on the grill for 15 minutes, or until sauce caramelizes.

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SMOKED STUFFED CHICKEN 

WITH RANCH VEGETABLES

Main Dish:

1 large roasting chicken (5-6 pounds)

1••• teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1••• teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons KC Masterpiece® Barbecue Seasoning

4 large garlic cloves, quartered

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup sliced zucchini

••• cup diced red bell pepper

••• cup diced celery

••• cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

4 medium red potatoes, chopped

1 cup KC Masterpiece® Barbecue Sauce Original

Instructions

Light grill using Kingsford® Charcoal with Sure Fire Grooves®. Rinse inside and outside of chicken. Season 
inside with salt and pepper. Season outside with barbecue seasoning. 

Place garlic and all vegetables, except potatoes, into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle vegetables 
with dressing mix, salt and pepper; mix together. 

Stuff cavity of chicken with half of vegetable mixture. Place chicken in shallow baking dish. 

Mix potatoes with remaining vegetables. Place onto pieces of foil; fold sides over and seal tightly, forming 
small cooking pockets. Poke a few holes top of pocket. 

Mound coals on one side of grill. Place chicken on side of grill without coals; grill. Baste outside of chicken 
with barbecue sauce every hour of cooking. Grill for 3 hours until internal temperature of chicken reaches 
165°F. 

After 2 hours, place foil pouch with potato-vegetable mixture on grill. Remove from grill with chicken.

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RED BELL PEPPER STUFFED WITH 

HICKORY BROWN SUGAR BAKED BEANS

Ingredients:

8 red bell peppers

Hickory Brown Sugar Baked Beans mix (see below)

Aluminum foil

Hickory Brown Sugar Baked Beans:

1 large onion, chopped

5 strips uncooked bacon, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cans pinto beans (16 ounces each)

3 cans kidney beans (16 ounces each)

••• cup brown sugar

••• cup maple syrup, real

••• cup KC Masterpiece® Hickory Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

••• cup ketchup

1 tablespoon mustard

Instructions

With a paring knife, cut a circle around the top edge of each bell pepper. The top of each pepper should 
then lift off like a lid. Remove pepper core, veins and seeds and discard. 

Wrap a doubled sheet of aluminum foil around the outside of each pepper leaving the top of the peppers 
uncovered. Fill each pepper with ••• cup baked bean mix. 

Preheat charcoal grill to 400°F. Place peppers on the grill uncovered and cook for 45 minutes. Remove 
pepper from the grill, unwrap the foil and serve.

In a small frying pan, sauté onion and bacon for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté an additional 30 
seconds. Drain bacon grease from mixture. Combine contents of frying pan with all remaining baked 
bean ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.

If you have been following my columns in the newspaper and watching my segments on CNN, you 
know that I haven’t given into the trends, and you also know that I love a great steak. The given names 
of these steaks seem populate many of the best area restaurants in Los Angeles: The Baseball Steak, 
The Kansas City Cut, and the Cowboy Steak, are all found as menu items at various locations. There 
are many restaurants that I have written about as well that come to mind when discussing great steak, 
Taylor’s in La Canada and Morton’s in Burbank are two. Both offer delicious cuts of beef with Old 
Style service and a real expertise for the craft. But one restaurant that deserves to be in this manager’s 
starting line up is the Pacific Dining Car in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. This fourth generation 
owned restaurant has all the swagger and homerun power of all the very best in our city. It doesn’t hurt 
that they serve an incredible Maker’s Mark Manhattan as well. You are definitely taking a trip back in 
time here as you lounge upon Red Leather Booths, the same ones that generations have come to enjoy 
in comfort.

Most of us Angelinos in the know have been frequenting this fine establishment for years. Enjoying 
its family style atmosphere, vast menu and availability - 24/7! However, just like everything and 
everyone in this town, sometimes it’s necessary for a little nip and tuck and that’s exactly what owner, 
Wes Idol III, decided to do. Wes told me on my last visit that you could add the Pacific Dining Car 
to your list of “hot spots.” Wes has implemented 
specials enticements, such as free corkage every 
Wednesday, wine tasting (check website for 
scheduling) Fridays, Date Night (couples receive a 
complimentary dessert), REALLY??? And a grand Happy Hour, every Monday through Friday from 
6PM-9PM. With a variety of entertainment including live music 
on Saturday nights. The late night menu, now available every 
night beginning at 10PM, will still include all your favorites from 
a great steak; to the health conscience salad, or the extravagant 
chocolate chip pancakes and unbelievable drink specials for 
under ($15). A “What’s Happening” section will be added to the 
website and shared through Facebook as well.

A favorite for everyone in the family, Sunday breakfast still 
remains a must at the PDC. There are so many delicious dishes 
to satisfy every palette, whether you’re indulging or counting 
calories. Kids 12 and under can build their own brunch by 
choosing one egg, turkey or regular bacon, and one crab. It’s the 
perfect balance for a nutritious meal, and only ($10).

Back to ordering, here are of few of my selections that my guest 
April, ”The Queen of Maker’s Mark Manhattans” and I sampled. 
First we both agreed to share the Crab Cakes made with fresh 
blue crab meat and the heirloom tomato salad from the great 
beginnings portion of the menu. For the neophytes in the group, 
that is an appetizer. 

I couldn’t wait any longer, so I ordered the Cowboy Steak, 
and it was delicious, the closer I nuzzled to the bone, the more flavor greeted me. A Steak that John 
Wayne would have said, put’er here pilgrim. My partner in this downtown journey apparently didn’t 
get enough of the crab as she was talking about ordering more. She moved along to the Filet of Oscar, 
describing its tenderness to me in each bite. The dish is coupled with Dungeness crab, fresh asparagus 
and a Béarnaise sauce. All steaks are prime beef, with the burgers using the same prime label as well. 
For salad lovers, there is a fantastic grilled Shrimp Salad that I will try on my diet days. As far as the 
Wine List goes, Wine Spectator Magazine gave them very high marks! I shall return!

Pacific Dining Car 1310 W. 6th St. Los Angeles (213) 483-6000. Please e mail your thoughts 
thechefknows@yahoo.com. Listen to KABC Radio Sunday at 5 PM for My radio show!


TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills


Sierra Madre Public Library440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
Sierra Madre, CA626.355.7186Sierra Madre Families are invited to theChildren’s LibraryFamily Pizza PartyFundraiserSaturday, June 25th from 3 – 6 p. m.
Pizza . Silent Auction . Storytelling . Face paintingFun for the whole family!
RSVP to Meegan Tosh, Youth Services Librarian626.355.4672or 
mtosh@cityofsierramadre.com
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