Blondies is a barbecue joint with a sense of humor.
Named for the blonde tresses of its owner, Wendy Dohner, the new Pacific Beach eatery is sandwiched in between a Thai restaurant and Subway sandwiches at 2015 Garnet Ave.
“This is a fun place,” assured Dohner, who referred to her eclectic establishment as “my little barbecue place.”
The décor of Blondies is as novel as its owner, who previously had a barbecue place up in the Sequoias, five hours drive away. But she opted to trade the rain, cold and snow of Northern California for San Diego’s sun, surf and laid-back beaches.
“This hole-in-the-wall place became available in this little shopping center and I decided to take it,” said Dohner, who’s brought the woodsy décor with her to the beachfront with its faux wood walls and handmade wooden tables and chairs.
“This is me,” Dohner said, pointing to her busy walls that are covered with personal photographs, saucy sayings, Mickey Mouse memorabilia, license plates and publicity shots of heyday Hollywood stars Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
“I’m a country girl with a little bit of New York flair,” said Dohner, noting her decorations are participatory in that people are always contributing items to add to it.
Dohner said hers is the only barbeque restaurant now in the Pacific Beach area.
Some people expressed doubt that her outdoorsy décor would fit in with the beach, but Dohner disagrees.
“This is something people will talk about,” she said.
The slogan for Blondies barbecue is “best butt at the beach.”
“It’s because my speciality is pulled pork,” Dohner said of her slogan, noting her special is exactly that.
“I smoke it for 10 hours and stick it in the oven for another 10 hours so it’s very tender, very juicy, with a very smoky flavor,” she said.
She also offers a beef brisket marinated in honey barbecue sauce.
Blondies’ menu also includes a full line of steaks including rib eye, tri-tip, New York and filet mignon, as well as a full selection of half-pound burgers and a one-pound, Western Bliss burger with bacon, cheese, onion ring and jalapeno peppers smothered in barbecue sauce. Rounding out the menu is barbecued chicken and baby-back ribs.
Dohner said she’s only been open a couple of weeks but is surprised by at least one thing about her Pacific Beach clientele.
“It’s all been take-out, not a lot of dining in, ” she said. “PBeans are used to having things delivered.”
With a flaming pig as her logo, Blondies already is catching fire in PB.
“It’s downhome, very casual, warm, friendly, family oriented,” Dohner said.
For more information, call (858) 274-4211.