Sunday afternoon, my husband and I had to head up to Santa Rosa to have lunch/dinner with the in-laws for my father-in-law’s birthday. The restaurant they chose was Tex Wasabi’s, a venture of Guy Fieri of Food Network fame. I had high hopes, since I’d liked what I’d seen of Guy, but as both a BBQ and a sushi elitist, I was skeptical.

As it turns out, I had reason to be. The food wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something I’d drive to Santa Rosa for, either.

My husband and I split a Red Dragon Roll ($12, spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber & black sesame seeds with crunchy tempura bits & maguro on the outside). The spicy tuna did have a kick, but I felt like there wasn’t much else to the flavor of the roll. The maguro on top didn’t have much taste at all, though it was clearly fresh. Even the avocado - which is one of my favorite things - left me a bit flat. It was good, but not as spectacular as I would expect from a menu item which brags “over 20,000 sold”.

I, being the optimistic Memphis girl, ordered the Pork Slyders ($7.50, pulled pork with BBQ sauce & slaw on potato rolls). I’ll admit it: I’m a snob when it comes to my BBQ, especially pork BBQ. I’m spoiled from growing up in a town famous for it, but I’ve learned to be tolerant. My first warning, however, was the fact that they used the umbrella term “southern-style BBQ”. That phrase is more than a little misleading, as there is no single “southern” style when it comes to BBQ. For example, there’s Memphis, Carolina, Texas, and many more, some that are hiding in small towns that you’d have difficulty finding on a map. I’ll say this: the pork was tender and the potato rolls were soft. It warmed my little Memphian heart that they even had the slaw on my sandwiches. What didn’t impress me, however, was the sauce. It certainly wasn’t anything like any of the southern BBQ varieties I’ve tasted. It wasn’t the tangy, vinegar-based sauce of Carolina, and nor was it anything like the sweet smokey sauce of my hometown. It had a kick, certainly, but there wasn’t much actual flavor to it beyond that. It taste more like a spicy tomato sauce than anything else. I will say that the slaw mellowed it out some and add a little much-needed sweetness, but it wasn’t the same. I think my expectations would have been different if they had not pretentiously used the moniker “southern-style”, as the BBQ wasn’t what I’d call bad, but it wasn’t what someone who has had pulled pork in the south is going to expect.

My father-in-law, however, did not finish his beef brisket. He did not say exactly what he found unpleasant about it, but for a man who has a hearty appetite and a love of BBQ beef - and makes a darned good tri-tip himself - he did find it lacking.

My husband ordered the Johnny Garlic roll ($6, cucumber, avocado, seared albacore and garlic mayo). This was, aside from the tempura onion rings, the best thing I sampled all night. The albacore was perfectly seared and the garlic mayo added a wonderful flavor to the roll.

Overall, my feelings were mixed. While Tex Wasabi’s does both sushi and BBQ passably, it doesn’t do either particularly WELL. If I were in the area, or if I had a craving for both sushi and BBQ at the same meal, I’d consider it again as a place for a decent meal. I certainly wouldn’t refuse to go if invited again, either, as for all extents and purposes, the experience was pleasant enough. For BBQ, I’ll stick to either making it myself with my family’s “secret recipe” sauce (or my coveted Neely’s sauce I brought back from my last trip home to visit my family), or visit Everett and Jones in the East Bay. In addition, there are tons of far better sushi restaurants a lot closer to home right in Marin, and the prices are comparable for a better quality product (including Sushi Ko, a mere hop, skip, and jump from my front door).

I guess I just wasn’t hearing the “rock and roll” at Tex Wasabi’s.