Everybody Likes a Good Buck (Buckeye Roadhouse -- Mill Valley, CA)

"You guys ever go back to the roadhouse?" That is the question, without fail, that my father-in-law, R, asks us each and EVERY time the subject of restaurants comes up. What he is referring to, of course, is the Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley.

You see back when Jon first spent a summer here in the lovely bay area, he took his dad to the BR. And he hasn't stopped talking about it since. I finally got thoughtful enough to make a reservation on his last trip out here. Yeah, we're jackasses.

Whenever we're hitting Muir Woods, we can often be heard saying: "Hey, you want to go to Fuckeye after this?" Did I mention that we're still in 5th grade? Or did you figure that out on your own already?

Anyway, Buckeye is one of those places that just feels comfortable and warm. And the food's not half bad either. Here are some of my favorite things (if one of you starts singing about whiskers on kittens someone's going to lose a vital reproductive organ):

• I can almost never go there without ordering the slow smoked spicy pork sandwich. This is just all kinds of good. The roll is good, the pork is good, it's all good. It's spicy and smoky just like a good pork sammich should be. I luuuurve it. The pork is smoked for a loooong time in their outdoor smoker. I totally dig it, and when I get a jones for it (like now), there's almost nothing that can cure it until I get that sammich in my belly. The juices dribble on down and you don't even care because it's so good. And before long I'm lickin' my fingers and moaning with pleasure while the waiter quietly asks me to get a room. Jon loves the cole slaw that comes with it (I don't, but I don't like slaw anyway), because he says it reminds him of "Good east coast slaw." Whatever you say honey. The chipotle chips that come with it are great, but I usually sub in fries instead because I'm a slut for fries.
  

• The "Brutus" salad. A Caesar with chile flakes -- you can see why I love it.

• Thin and crispy and piled high. These are the onion equivalent to Zuni's shoestring potatoes. Just shove 'em in by the fistful. You can use the fork as a weapon to fend off the other folks at the table as they try to grab some.
  

• Madras curried mussels. This was the dish that brings Jon back again and again. For once, an innovative mussel preparation. The mussels are typically very good quality, and the grilled garlic bread that comes with is a good tool for cleaning out the bowl.
  

• S'mores pie. Must I remind you of how I loves the s'mores? What's that you say? I'm nothin' but a two bit white trash ho for diggin' the s'mo love? Why, thank you. Buckeye's pie is a graham cracker crust with chocolate puddin' and some meringue style marshmallows. Shit yeah.
  

• The drinks and wine list ain't half bad neither, although the vino selections are heavy on California wines, which are hardly ever my boozing preference.
  

Those are by far my faves, and I pretty much stick to them. But the thing that brings my pops-in-law back and jonesin' for more are their ribs. You can get yourself a good rib or forty there at the roadhouse. I like 'em, too, but if it's all the same to you, I'll stick with my sammich.

Service is very good but not super memorable on any particular visit. Friendly, but not like I-want-to-be-your-best-friend-forever kind of friendly. They're nice enough, though.

There is lots of other stuff that looks good, sounds good, tastes good, but I just really like my staples. And not everything actually IS good. Most of it is, but I really think anything from the smoker is where your buck should stop.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with a pork sandwich.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld