I was craving some good BBQ - not grilled meats, but real smoked tender goodness. Ribs in particular sounded great... I checked out Yelp and decided to try CJ's. The smoky aroma hit me as soon as I walked in! :) The place was pretty empty when I got there around mid-afternoon and I was surprised that it was half market and half restaurant. The decor is cute and country-looking though and very clean. I asked about ribs and was informed that they only have them on Fridays and Saturdays and you better come early or they may run out. I put that in my memory bank and decided on what to order. I picked the pulled pork sandwich which I thought would also quell my craving for BBQ. It came with coleslaw and I also added an order of fries and an Arizona Iced Tea which added up to $11. (See photo 6) I sat at the bar while my meal was prepared. To my amazement, they got a plastic bag of meat from the refrigerator and took out a portion to heat up on the grill. They sauced it and put it on a toasted, store-bought bun. A pretty tiny serving of coleslaw and my fries accompanied my sandwich of a very cute country-style plate. The amount of meat on the sandwich was not generous. I went to the condiment bar and picked out some pickles and tomatoes and extra sauce. The bar was not in the best shape and the tomatoes were mushy and the sauces had "stuff" in them from previous users. I decided to keep an open mind and give this sandwich a shot. The meat tasted very smoky which I liked. The texture was strange to me, as it was very wet from the heat-up, but was definitely cooked well. Not over-cooked or under-cooked in my opinion. Unfortunately, all of the "wetness" made the bottom bun pretty soggy, which was disappointing. The coleslaw was different and tasty - not a mayo based slaw, but a tangy vinaigrette style. The fries were shoestring and tasted good. The service was friendly and helpful. That smoky aroma I had noticed was from pork being smoked. Apparently, they only smoke it on certain days of the week. Based on the limited choices in Chico for good BBQ, I would come back to CJ's again sometime. I would really like to try some "fresh" BBQ here and think I will come back for the ribs on a Friday or Saturday. read more