Excellent Barbecue Off the Beaten Path

Like many shops in Old Town, Sweet Lumpy's serves excellent food with an identity crisis.

The mishmash of cultures and ideas is one of the things I love about Southern California, and this is probably what was behind the Spicy Beef Burrito I had.

It was full of moist beef and a sweet, slightly spicy bbq sauce all wrapped up in a tortilla with nacho cheese and onions.

The atmosphere is very comfortable and just as jumbled. It's checkered table cloths, statues of pigs and peanut shell-strewn floors smack of the deep south. The saddles, lassos, horseshoes and pictures of cowboys on the walls ring of the wild west.

But, like other restaurants in Old Town -- Nitza's Pizza, I'm looking at you -- they pull it off wonderfully. Read about Nitza's Pizza by

There are a few downsides. Though only a few of the place's 16 tables were occupied, the server seemed rushed.

And despite having probably the second-best patio seating area in Old Town, it's so far off the beaten path, there's no chance for people-watching. It's on Mercedes and Third streets in front of the parking garage.

It was on Front Street until a recent move. That was, incidentally, the best patio in Old Town.

Sweet Lumpy's is a great place, but with the recent move, I worry they won't stick around. If you want some great barbecue, go there and help it stay -- unless you're allergic to peanuts.