On 8/14/20, KM and I visited Ben Cenarussa's restaurant in Hagerman. There is actually another…read morerestaurant in Hagerman that I've been wanting to try for some time because they have alligator on the menu, but we chose to Ben's place because we both love barbecue and Ben is a new member of Southern Idaho Foodies. It was a good decision. Our experience far exceeded our expectations.
Ben Cenarrusa is the nephew of Pete Cennarusa, one of Idaho's most beloved and distinguished citizens. He served continuously for over half a century in elective office, first as a member of the Idaho Legislature and then as Secretary of State.
Ben shared that many members of his family have been involved in the restaurant business over the years. As a result, cooking is second nature to him. His mother makes all of the bread, pastries and desserts for his restaurant. Ben is a single dad, who will be the first to tell you that this restaurant belongs to his sons, Zane and Zander, which is the reason for the unique spelling of the restaurants name with the double Z's.
KM and I ordered The Bull Sampler ($16), which is a full pound of meat that includes smoked sausage, pulled pork, brisket and tri-tip. It comes with a choice of two sides and Basque bread. For the sausage, we chose the smoked jalapeño cheddar. For our sides, we chose the coleslaw and mac & cheese. We also purchased additional sides of potato salad, baked beans and bacon fried cabbage. For the extra sides, all were regular ($3) except for the potato salad which was large ($5.50). The platter comes with one choice of barbecue sauce but we wanted to try them all, so we paid $.50 each for the four additional flavors.
We loved all of the meats. KM loves brisket. It isn't my favorite but I thought Ben's was excellent. I loved the tri-tip and pulled pork. The Smoked Jalapeño Cheddar sausage was the best version I have ever had, and one of my favorite spicy sausages ever. I love that Ben didn't dial down the heat and that when you cut into the sausage, you can actually see generous green pieces of jalapeño and melting cheddar. We enjoyed all five of the sauces: Sweet & Spicy, Smokey, Tangy, Honey Bourbon and Bullspit ( extra spicy.)
The coleslaw was a simple version but outstanding in its freshness and great flavor. The potato salad contains noticeable amounts of onion and dill, but they were worked well with the other ingredients. Next time, I would like to try the french fries which Ben puts a homemade seasoning/rub on. The mac & cheese was a very simple, child-friendly version. The baked beans were excellent. I liked that they were not overly sweet. The bacon fried cabbage was phenomenal! Imagine the best collard greens you ever ate, full of chunks of smoked bacon.
The Garlic Basque bread that accompanied the meal was delicious. So much so, that we both bought a loaf. It makes great garlic bread and French toast.
Ben graciously offered us a sample of his smoked Gouda mac & cheese, which he serves on Friday and Saturday nights with his smoked prime rib. He kindly gave us a sample of his smoked prime rib too. Both were outstanding!
KM and I also bought one of each of the three flavors of turnovers to share: Apple, Cherry and Caramel Apple. The latter had just come fresh out of the oven. Each was excellent!
In addition to the items listed on the menu, Ben offers an appetizer of smoked fried wings for 1$ each. He also has a Thursday night special of Smoked Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes & gravy, coleslaw and a dinner roll for $13.50.
The restaurant is also open for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings. On Saturday mornings, it's just Ben and his younger son Zander. Menu items include chicken fried steak, shoulder bacon, smoked applewood bacon smoked sausage, smoked jalapeño cheddar sausage and Basque Chorizo, all of which come with eggs, hashbrowns and toast. There are also Biscuits and Gravy and French Toast.
Like and follow Bullzz-Eye BBQ on FB to keep updated on specials such as Ben's Birria tacos. He uses the same recipe for his Birria as the famous Teddy's Red Tacos in California.
Ben's food is so good that it is worth traveling for. For me, a perfect day would be getting to Hagerman early enough for breakfast at Bullzz-Eye BBQ, exploring the surrounding area including Twin Falls and heading back to Hagerman to have dinner at Bullzz-Eye BBQ, before returning to Boise.
Ben recently bought a state of the art food truck and is considering shutting down his brick and mortar restaurant in the next 6 to 8 months and driving to the Boise/Nampa area to offer his menu, which will allow him to spend more time with his boys.
