Maple Block Meat Co. is throwing open its parking lot for an all-you-can-eat barbecue blowout this Sunday, Oct. 25, as the Culver City smokehouse celebrates 11 years slinging Texas-style brisket and ribs on Sepulveda Boulevard. Blocktoberfest runs from noon to 4 p.m., with $10 admission covering entry and the option to buy barbecue a la carte, or diners can spring for a ticket that unlocks unlimited plates for the afternoon.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, early bird all-you-can-eat tickets run $55 when bought in advance, while the all-inclusive option costs $65 at the door. Guests who go the unlimited route can work through hot honey glazed baby back ribs, wood-grilled smoked tri-tip, smoked chicken, two varieties of house-made sausage links, and smoked brisket tacos, alongside classic sides, the outlet reports. The event will also feature craft beer for purchase from Skyduster, Big Noise and Common Space Brewing, plus live music, a DJ, a cornhole tournament, games, and free pumpkin decorating for kids, per the same report.
A Decade-Plus of Peach Wood and Pitmaster Craft
Maple Block opened in 2015 at 3973 Sepulveda Blvd., founded by restaurateurs Daniel Weinstock and Mike Garrett along with opening chef Adam Cole, according to Los Angeles Magazine. Daniel Weinstock was a Spago kitchen alumnus, while opening chef Adam Cole had experience at The Bazaar; Mike Garrett was a restaurateur. The restaurant has leaned on indigenous Southern California peach wood ever since, prized for its hot burn and a sweet, balanced smoke that doesn't overpower the meat, the magazine notes. Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn took notice shortly after the 2015 debut, rating the smoked brisket among the finest in California, a nod Los Angeles Magazine says helped put Culver City on the Southern California barbecue map.
These days Executive Chef and Pitmaster Rudy Suazo leads the kitchen, and he's pushed the menu well past straight Texas tradition. As L.A. Taco reports, Suazo has folded in Mexican-inspired dishes like wood-smoked brisket birria tacos and smoked carnitas tortas, expanding on the restaurant's central Texas roots. Local chefs have worked with Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood youth cooks, and the Chef Grande, Chef Pequeño taco competition was held at Ovation Hollywood.
Maple Block Beyond Culver City
The restaurant has also built a reputation beyond its own parking lot. In April, Maple Block served its signature barbecue on the turf at the Rose Bowl for the eighth annual Masters of Taste, a culinary fundraiser that has raised more than $3.5 million for Union Station Homeless Services, according to Pasadena Now. Hoodline previously covered Culver City at Rose Bowl fest, where Maple Block represented the city alongside other Westside restaurants.
Last year's Blocktoberfest marked the restaurant's 10th anniversary with a neighborhood beer garden and live rockabilly music from The Rayford Bros, according to SoCalPulse. This year's edition keeps the same community-party formula, with a cornhole tournament and games alongside the DJ and live music set, per the Daily News report.
