Just the other day, John Gorzik fielded a call from an Ohio resident flying into Los Angeles who wanted to make a side trip to Big Bear.

    Not the easiest thing to do, mind you, what with the road conditions after last month’s massive storms, but the guy was adamant. “He said he heard we have the best barbecue on the West Coast,” Gorzik, owner of B’s Backyard Bar-B-Que, said.

    Indeed with fork-tender pulled pork, savory beef brisket, ribs and other barbecue delights, a side trip to Big Bear for a tasty meal makes sense. Yet while it’s no secret B’s has terrific barbecue served with its tremendous lakeside views, what a lot of folks don’t know is that it has plenty of other delicious offerings as well, comfort food that warms the soul.

    Fish dishes, like salmon or mahi mahi char-grilled, blackened or sauted, and even catfish served Southern-style with corn meal breading. Build-your-own pasta selections featuring combinations of angel hair, fettuccini or penne pasta with artichoke hearts, mushrooms and broccoli, topped with alfredo, marinara or meat sauce. Add shrimp, chicken or salmon as options too.

    Then there’s steaks, like ribeye, and New York, an array of salads, a double array of sandwiches available day and night. For a real treat delight in smoked prime rib—more on that one later—while there’s veggie and diet delights as well. Indeed B’s is much more than just a barbecue joint, with roughly one-third of its sales emanating from someplace other than the massive 3,500 lb. wood smoker straight from Kansas City.

    Which is why B’s is often the restaurant of choice for large families or groups dining together. Simply put, it has it all, from tasty chicken and beef pot pies to chicken fried steak and meat loaf. “Sometimes it’s hard to get 20 people to agree on anything,” Gorzik said. “We’ll slide a few tables together and there’s something they can all find they’ll like.”

    All of which has helped B’s become Big Bear’s most-reviewed restaurant on yelp.com. Nearly everybody agrees that the beautiful lake views and crunchy homemade potato chips and sauce that greet every B’s guest are worth yelping about. Certainly wife Sandy and I find them addicting on our many visits, to the point neither of us can stay out of them. Way better than tortilla chips or other starters, and on our visit last month a second basket meant we only ate more of the darn things.

    While I’m among the roughly 70% that usually opt for barbecue—the pulled pork is out of this world, slow smoked for 16 hours, and comes with the restaurant’s homemade sweet or spicy sauce—chicken pot pie proved an irresistible temptation. It’s only a winter offering so don’t’ look for it during summer as the boaters pull up and folks lounge on the adjacent beach with cocktails and volleyball in full swing.

    Mine arrived with light, fluffy puffed pastry on top of an eclectic collection of veggies and a flock’s worth of bird, swimming in succulent sauce. The pastry is almost dessert-like, popular enough that guests can (and I did) request a second layer served on the side.

    Sandy meanwhile went with the aforementioned smoked prime rib ($19.99) we’ve heard so much about, served weekends. It’s a relatively new B’s offering, smoked at a higher temperature than pork to ensure the juices are locked in and the meat is tender. Her huge 12 oz. cut arrived flavorful and tasty with just the right amount of smoky aroma to it, and was served with flaky homemade biscuits and delightful homemade honey butter.

    By the way, side dishes are more than an aside at B’s. Particularly the beans, in which a full pound of pork and another pound of real bacon go into every batch. You can bet folks “yelp” about that!

    Along with all-you-can-eat fish and chips starring Icelandic cod each Friday for just $12.95. Then there’s endless beef ribs on Wednesdays for $11.95, slow smoked five-and-a-half hours till the meat is flavorful and fork tender.

    Saturdays and Sundays see breakfast at B’s, with traditional favorites served with a side of beautiful lake views. As an added bonus, catch the popular Bloody Mary bar, where guests choose from different mixes and fixin’s to create their own custom morning jumpstart...just $3 each!

    —by Marcus Dietz

    Celebrate Valentine’s weekend overlooking views of beautiful Big Bear Lake as B’s Backyard Bar-B-Que holds special dinners and Sunday brunch buffet on February 13-14.

    Cuddle with someone special Saturday and Sunday night for dinner from 4:30 p.m.—early birds get the sunset views over the lake. The prix fixe menu includes appetizer—steamed mussels or clams, shrimp cocktail or spinach artichoke cheese dip that’s yummy—then heads to soup of the day or dinner salad.

    From there’s it’s time for prime rib, half rack of baby back ribs, salmon (grilled, blackened or sauteed) or smoked chicken, accompanied by choice of two sides. Cap the repast off with chocolate lava cake or strawberry cheesecake.

    The feast includes a bottle of champagne and all the lake views your eyes can take in. Price is $37.95 per person and reservations are highly recommended.

    On Feb. 14 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., B’s is serving Valentine’s brunch buffet for just $14.95 per person ($7.95 under age 10). There’s free-flowing champagne or mimosas, eggs made to order, smoked pulled pork and beef briscuit, seasonal fruit, granola with yogurt, assorted pastries and much more to choose from.

    B’s is at 350 Alden Rd, on the lake side of Big Bear Blvd. Call (909) 866-5400.