Every year, for the last 14 years, the Community of City Heights and the City Heights Community Development Corporation have put on the City Heights International Village Celebration.
For those not familiar with the community of City Heights, it is considered one of, if not the most, racially diverse communities in the United States. It would not be unusual to hear ten or twenty different languages being spoken while walking down University Avenue. Along with the benefits of diversity comes problems. And the International Village Celebration attempts to address these problems. A large portion of the celebration is dedicated to a Health Fair, which offers free screenings, and much helpful information on various health care related subjects. And a Job Fair.
The fair takes place on University Avenue, and stretches all the way from Fairmount to Euclid, which can seem like forever on a hot Saturday afternoon. There are three stages, with entertainment ranging from various dance performances, to local Jazz and R & B groups performing throughout the day. And of course, there are those rides for the kids.
So where’s the food? Well we’ve kind of got that covered as well. There were many temptations, but we decided to minimize our calorie load….well somewhat. The Missus couldn’t resist an refreshing Agua de Sandia(Watermelon Drink) from this booth.
They also had Tijuana-Style Hot Dogs going at the same booth. But my nitrite-meter wouldn’t allow me to get them.
As I was passing by this booth, something caught my eye.
Here’s the close-up:
Let me tell you, it’s very hard to resist Al Pastor cut fresh from the Trompo. But, we kept walking….
Until we saw this:
Check out the custom made trailer, and the smoker in the back. As I was snapping a photo, "Ernie"(I’m assuming it was Ernie), waved us in:
For a closer look at his spotless cooking area, and His smoking "gear".
Now "Ernie" told me His style of BBQ is called Louisiana Style BBQ, which I’d never heard of previously. So based on Ernie’s hospitality, and basic curiosity, we had to give it a try.
The Missus ordered the Rib Sandwich($7.95):
This was generous plate of 5 smoked ribs, 2 slices of wheat(gads!) bread. Some BBQ sauce, and Potato Salad. The ribs had a mild smoky flavor, with a very light "rub", they were on the chewy side.
The "BBQ" sauce was kind of interesting:
It was a chunky tomato based sauce, with distinctive chunks of onions in it. It slightly tangy, but not very spicy. As a whole, we decided not to use the sauce. The potato salad had a generous amount of egg and herbs in it, and was rather light on the mayo. I liked the salad, but the Missus didn’t care for it.
I ordered the Brisket Sandwich($7.95):
Now this was pretty good eats. Nicely smoked(dig the "smoke ring"), tender slices of beef brisket in a roll. No need for sauce, dressing, or whatever. Not the best BBQ brisket I’ve ever eaten, but it’s good for "fair food".
After eating we made our way to the other end of the Fair, at Euclid, and walked back. (Had to burn off that brisket) All the while enjoying watching people of all races, ethnicity, sizes, and shapes, walking side by side. All the while talking about how the City Heights International Village Celebration seems to get better every year.