There are many tasty things on the menu; however, the tastes which lingered in my mouth and thoughts go to the grilled veggie kabob and the barbecue chicken, no sauce.  My grandfather would roll over in his grave knowing that his grand-daughter enjoyed squash.  For parents out, key to vegetables lies in preparation sometimes.  MCCN’s Chef Jay Bonilla is strong believer in puree for vegetables for kids.  This way they do not know what they are eating.  At Mr. Cecil’s the slightly blackened look to vegetable kabab including red onions, eggplant and squash is pure delight.  The barbecue chicken goes through the rotisserie process and the smoky flavor permeates the meat.

There were many other delightful foods tried such as the hush puppies, moist homestyle cornbread, meats such as pork baby back ribs and beef ribs paired with an aromatic glass of a red Louis M. Martini wine.  The hush puppies were a balance flavoring of sweet and spicy put atop a modest puddle of honey.  My dining companion and I loved the meats.  They were smoky and tender.  We didn’t need the sauces provided on the side.   We also tried the chili lime buttered corn.  The corn tasted very fresh but we were left with asking ourselves, “Where’s the Chili Lime?”

I Love a happy ending in the form of dessert. To top it off the manager introduced us to a treat to have with our chocolate lava cake.  This can only be found at the Sherman Oaks’ Mr. Cecil Ribs, coffee paired with chocolate chips as your sweetener.  We were won over by presentation even before we tasted it.  The chocolate cake comes with ice cream.  It is quite good.

Mr. Cecil’s is open on Thanksgiving, offering deep fried turkey and orders for catering are available.  Thanksgiving is busy so make reservations.

Specialty Drink: Raspberry Lemonade Martini strikes a good balance of not overwhelming with alcohol but not weak, classifying as an adult’s lemonade.  Mr. Cecil's Rib's is open for Happy Hour.

Website: http://www.mrcecilscaliforniaribs.com/index.html

Locations: Sherman Oaks, Manhattan Beach, West Los Angeles