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Cheap Eats By Todd Inoue Uncle Frank's Barbeque Pit 2417 Pulgas Ave., East Palo Alto 650.321.6369 www.epacity.com Open Mon-Thu 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun noon-5pm I NEARLY GOT PLOWED into on the way to Uncle Frank's. A car had crossed over the center line near Runnymeade and was staring me right in the face before the driver jerked the car back over at the last second. Whew! If we got in a wreck, my jaw might have to be wired shut, and then how would I be able to eat Uncle Frank's delicious barbecue? Located on the border of industrial and residential sections of East Palo Alto, Uncle Frank's Barbeque Pit puts the "mo'" in modest barbecue shacks. There are a couple of tables, a jukebox with Biggie and Backstreet Boys, a magazine rack with Vibe. Out back is a patio and a meat-smoking contraption belching and chugging like a locomotive. Uncle Frank's smokes its meat for 30 hours over a combination of woods, including sweet almond and peach. The sauces--one mild and one ass-burning hot--are sweet, thick and drizzled over the meat at the last second. The result is ridiculous--supertasty and juicy. Beef links ($7 for two, perfect for lunch) are actually Louisiana hot links, specked with chile flakes, which hurt so good. The beef brisket platter ($14 with collard greens, potato salad and corn bread) was cut thick but easily sliced with a fork. The pork ribs were big, cut from some bionic pig. There's chicken, catfish, red snapper and all manner of combos, too. Uncle Frank came by our table to introduce himself and ask how everything was. I tried to speak, but I was too busy licking the sauce off my fingers to say anything intelligible. The smoky smell and sweet sauce lingered on my fingers for the rest of the afternoon, and it was the ultimate souvenir. I could have taken some bottles of their sauce or marinade home ($5-$10), but like shaking hands with Elvis, I wasn't going to wash them ever again. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]