Hey, wanting the best BBQ in town Blazing Saddles BBQ Catering is opening Wednesday, November. 19th they are located at 821 Russell Ave, Santa Rosa. They do pick-up, dine-in and delivery.

Ok bbq lovers! If you live in Santa Rosa near the 12/ downtown area...you need to try Colibri's Grill Cafe! It's on Montgomery right by the Summerfield stop light. This place has the best ribs I have ever had! I suggest the Mild sauce. It's fall off the bone, "mmmm mmm" ever bite type good! Any time we have guests from out of town (Texas) we blow their socks off with an order of ribs and giant cut fries. They have other sides as well. This place is best for take out. The decor is sub-par with bright orange spunge painted walls and pig figures adorning the inside, and the staff is less than enthusiastic, but don't let any of that stop you. Man the food is unbelievable! They have pulled pork sandwiches, great burgers, and chicken dishes as well, and it's all reasonably priced!
You have to check this place out!

Good. Porter Street had terrible BBQ. Overcooked, dry it hardly passed for good BBQ. Poor service too and did I mention over priced?

You want good BBQ here in Sonoma? Go get yourself a Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker and make it yourself.

I agree. Their sign in the window says higher rents and a bad economy are the reasons for closing. How about bum food?

Dear Bite Club, please retire this:

"Get your (insert truncated name for a dish or type of food here)on"

It's gotten old and stale.

Thank you.

Oh man. I love that one! You're totally right though. I need to get my inspiration on. Er. Or something.

Lombardis in Petaluma the best anyway!!!Plus great Chicken .

Porter street's glory days have long passed.Poor quality,bad service and DIRTY facility.Can't believe the health dept didn't close them down long ago!Bluegrass is marginal at best.Pricey and rather boring.Forget the Red Rose. Best thing about the place is the charm but the fried chicken is fab. Also forgetable is Porter STATION in S.R. Good smokey flavor but after the ribs are grilled they are wrapped in foil and placed in a "holding" oven until served. Falling off the bone is an understatement. "Can we say mushy?" Lombardi's rocks but a little pricey. I've heard they have a second location in Cotati but don't know where. Has anybody tried K.C.'s grill in Windsor? I've heard their ribs are good. For a quick and satisfying rib fix try the Niman Ranch fully cooked rack of St. Louis style ribs available at Trader Joes.

Hilarious! Glad you can have a sense of humor(get your funny on?) about this.

go to lombardis never liked porters.

After reading about The Red Rose, we thought we'd give it a try tonight. Our dinner was almost $60, with a tip, for two people(no alcohol).
I have to say I was disappointed with everything we ordered except the iced tea and our waitress!! The pork ribs were not crispy at all, and they had that flavor of reheated old meat. The catfish had a VERY strong fishy taste, and we could NOT eat it. The tarter sauce was horrid! I've had catfish before that was very good, but this was NOT. The hotlink was just a store-bought product. I was expecting something more traditional or home made. The beans were soupy and lacked any flavor other than a strong overwhelming bellpepper flavor. I've never seen bellpepper in bbq baked beans! The hushpuppies were nice and crispy on the outside,but very mushy on the inside, kind of like raw dough, ugh! No onion or corn in them either... And then there's the all-important sauce...it had WAY TOO MUCH vinegar in it, NO spice heat to it at all, and very watery.
I like to see family-owned restaurants make it here in Sonoma County, and that is where I tend to spend my money. I'm sorry to say that I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone, which is typically what I do when I find a new great place to eat in town. I hope they will take this feedback to heart, and make the necessary changes to the quality of the food they serve. If not,they won't make it for much longer here in So.Co. With the economy the way it is, dining out is becoming more of a luxury even for those of us with disposable income. I still have fond memories of Pac Jacks...

To bad the writers for the PD can't get their facts straight. It is Porter Station that went under not Porter Street there is no affliation between the two.
And Porter Street BBQ still makes the best Tri Tip sandwich around. I have friends that come up from Mountain View just for the PORTER STREET BBQ.

Ah yes, Pac Jacks. Where they also made the BEST pecan pie on the planet. The Red Rose is indeed terrible!! I still can't figure out how they've managed to stay in business for a year or so.
Porter Street, Porter Station. Who cares.They both suck. At least Porter Station (the one closing)is clean. You don't dare sit down or touch anything at Porter Street unless you're really into cooties.

We love the Red Rose! Go for lunch on Wed or Thurs for the down-home buffet, for $8.50 - inc. incredibly moist, crispy fried chicken; succulent little catfish fritters; tasty okra gumbo; great beans and fabulous mashed potatoes and gravy, among other dishes. Even the obviously canned veggies - like corn or green beans, are doctored up with a little zing. Maybe you guys have all become jaded with this poofy Sonoma county fare....

Buster's is the BEST.

There are TONS of dumps and dives and throw-backs in town that get it right. I just don't think Red Rose is one of them. The fried chicken is hard to beat but NOBODY beats the Washoe House in the chicken dept. Check the other side of Piner and a couple blocks down for Piner Cafe. FANTASTIC breakfasts. Great burgers. No dinner served. XLNT service.
For"new in town"....you've picked a great spot to research eats in our bountiful city and county. Your choices are endless. Welcome.

There is a huge sign in the window at Porter Station that reads "Our Cotati location is still open"

For Jessica at the top and all other seekers;Went to Blazing Saddles today. Big sign on the street reads "OPEN-BBQ TODAY".It was late afternoon. They were alredy closed for the day!
I'll try again but their bbq better be Damn good to make up for this bad first impression. Here's another wannabe who can't decide on a concept. They only have 4 bbq items on the menu. The rest is breakfast, ($2.75 for a plain bagel?!!!!)some salads,sandwiches,a burger and EVEN a chili verde burrito.Their website is just ridiculous an it indicates these folks are from Vineburg.That might explain why they chose this horrible location.MANY a restaurant have come and gone there since the center was built approx.17years ago. Should have done their homework. My advice; stick with just the catering thing.emmajay

Porter Street BBQ is on E. Cotati Avenue on the northwest corner of the complex that includes Oliver's Market. The BBQ is a bit inconsistent but when they're on they're really good.

There used to be a great BBQ place in Cotati run by a Jamaican or rastafarian guy. I've forgotten the name (anybody remember?) but he'd sell out everyday. His ribs were tender, his sauces terrific, and hot meant hot.

dwight

rasta dwight's..........very.very.good "Q"........best mac&chesse and green's in nor ca......

Rasta Dwight's was so good we used to drive up from San Anselmo to satisfy our craving. Anyone know what happened to him?

Best BBQ around is the hardest to find. Bro's BBQ at the Petaluma farmers market (wednesday night, now over) has the BEST ribs and pulled pork EVER! 2 years ago they had wild king salmon to die for, but had to forgo it this year due to no king salmon. In talking with them at the market, they said they would like to one day open a shop up, but i haven't seen or heard of it yet. I think one of them worked at Whole Foods in town. Anyone know of anything about them?