RESTAURANT REVIEW BUSTER’S : Grill Thrill : To a question about the barbecue sauce, the cashier replies with a smile and says, ‘That’s our secret.’

You’d probably have to say that Buster’s is the corner of California 118, where its two narrow lanes make the ninety-degree turn east of Ventura and go on into Saticoy. On one corner there’s an empty lot, on the other there’s a fruit stand, and backed up against the old lemon-packing house, in a building that used to have a watchmaker in it, is this down-home kind of place where you can smell the meat-flavored barbecue smoke before you turn in to the parking lot.

Off the highway, in the parking lot, you still have to exercise a bit of caution. Try not to get asphyxiated by the clouds of smoke coming off the giant outdoor barbecue grill, and don’t step out of the line and into the path of one of the pickups, lowriders or just plain old Ford Galaxies that make this a busy, busy place.

This, you think as you stand in line in the parking lot, making your way toward the grill with maybe 15 or 20 people in front of you, is authentic. And that’s exactly what Buster Davis’ place is. If you didn’t know Saticoy, you’d think the joint had been here for years. In fact, Buster’s Original Bar-B-Q and Bakery has only been here about two years. They’ve apparently been a successful two years, since Davis just opened an operation in the Channel Islands Harbor area.

But it’s hard to imagine this kind of down-home environment there. It’ll be interesting to see how the transplant works.

Now this is not, one can say, on a par with some of the more serious barbecues in the country--like Leo’s in Los Angeles, or the famed Arthur Bryant’s in Kansas City, Kan. But for being in the middle of a bunch of citrus groves, it does the job.

At Buster’s, some of us disagree vigorously with Certain Restaurant Companions who say that Buster’s sauce is hot. Real Texans, for instance, and even a few Southern Californians, would say that the sauce here--you get a choice of hot or mild--is for sissies. It’s a heavy sauce, and whether it’s got molasses or sugar or whatever in it, and whatever spices, it’s good. A humble question about the ingredients brought a smile and a “That’s our secret” from the cashier.

And as to the savory, slightly sweet three-bean salad, she wouldn’t even settle our bet as to whether it was rice vinegar or just sugar that gave it its sweetness. The crunch came from the onions.

Buster’s pork ribs are just all right. They’re certainly not the tender baby back ribs favored by a few of us, but they are meaty and tender. The chicken has its juices sealed in on that hot grill, making it moist on the inside and giving it a spicy, crisp skin.

After your meat is piled onto your plate at the grill, you walk inside to pick out salads, drinks and desserts. Unfortunately, beer or wine is not among the available drinks, and there are those of us who do suffer from not being able to hold a cold beer in one hand and a dripping barbecued rib in the other. Buster says that they’re going to remodel one of these days and add beer and wine.

This is officially billed as both barbecue and bakery, and who could resist trying the baked goods? Your first exposure to these is the garlic bread served with every full meal. The bread, baked on the premises, works fine--soft and fresh--but the garlic flavoring is just about indiscernible. The miniature pies work well in the peach and apple varieties--the crusts are moist and doughy--but sweet potato pie, that staple of barbecues, is too sweet and lacks the firmness of texture that some of us remember from the South.

Don’t go away, because we’re coming to the bottom line. Here it is: At Buster’s more people eat the tri-tip sandwich than any other item.

For good reason. Between slabs of that thickly sliced fresh bread, the tri-tip is tender and juicy. Its edges have a savory, spicy crust; not too much of it gets caught between your teeth; and the flavor hasn’t been cooked out. This may be the best tri-tip you’ll find south of Santa Maria. Maybe the best in California.

* WHERE AND WHEN: Buster’s Original Bar-B-Q and Bakery, 1201 S. Wells Road, Saticoy, (805) 647-2103. Open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday. No alcoholic beverages. Parking lot. No credit cards. Lunch for two, food only, $10-$20.