Tickling Your Fancy--Again

Dennis Ofsthun is again slathering meats with his award-winning sauces and serving them up to the barbecue-eating public.

Ofsthun’s Rib Tickler’s Barbecue Restaurant recently opened in the Ponderosa Shopping Center in Camarillo. You might remember him from the mid- to late ‘90s when he operated a joint of the same name in Saticoy. He also prepared dishes at the Adobe Cantina in Agoura Hills.

The new menu includes hickory-smoked staples like ribs (pork and beef), chicken and tri-tip.

Ofsthun marinates his ribs and chicken in something called a vacuum tumbler. The stainless-steel contraption vacuum-pressurizes the meats, speeding up the marinade process to just a half hour. From there it’s on to the smoker where all of the meats are slow-cooked.

Other Rib Tickler’s specialties include Southern-style beef brisket, pulled pork and “Taste of Ventura Barbecue Tacos.”

The taco and its moniker were inspired by the area food festival last year, during which Ofsthun served his barbecued meats on corn tortillas with beans and coleslaw. “It was an inexpensive way to give out samples,” he said. “When I opened the restaurant people were coming in and wanted to order them, so I had to put the tacos on the menu.”

Now about those sauces. The recipes trace back to Ofsthun’s old days in Gig Harbor, Wash., where he acquired a hankering for barbecue prepared by a small restaurateur named Willy Harris. Ofsthun later acquired Harris’ recipes and took them on the road to cook-off competitions.

Along the way Ofsthun garnered several respectable awards, including the American Royal Barbecue competition’s Tastemaster’s Choice award in 1994 held in Missouri. In 1996, he returned home with the title of Best of the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off, held at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks, Nev.

Ofsthun is currently trying to market his line of sauces to stores around California, but for now you can purchase them at the Camarillo restaurant.

The Rib Tickler’s line includes Marinade, Mild, Spicy, Turbo, Nitro, Thermo and a Polynesian-style sauce.

DETAILS

Rib Tickler’s Barbecue Restaurant is at 305 Arneil Road, Camarillo, tucked near the back in the Ponderosa Shopping Center. Hours: Sun.-Thur., 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., till 9:30 p.m. Call 987-RIBS (7427).

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New Hire: Guy Bartmess is shuttling around the northern coast of Oregon visiting friends and family before setting off for Ventura in about a week to sink new roots.

The 30-year-old Eugene, Ore., native will arrive here with big expectations from enthusiasts of handcrafted ales and lagers: Bartmess was just named head brewer for Anacapa Brewing Co., which is currently under construction on downtown’s Main Street.

Bartmess was hired by the restaurant-brewery’s founder, Paul Miller, whose search attracted applicants from as far away as England and the Caribbean.

Miller liked the fact that Bartmess had experience at Steelhead Brewing Co., a chain of brew pubs, and at his most recent job in Gardnerville, Nev., where he helped launch Carson Valley Brewery. But there were other considerations besides keen taste buds and brewing acuity.

“A lot of these brewers are quiet and introverted, and we wanted somebody who was outgoing,” Miller said. “We want him to promote the beer as well.”

Pursuing a brewing passion in Ventura was a bit of a no-brainer for Bartmess, a lifelong surfer who was landlocked at his last job in Nevada and grew up in all that Oregon rain. “I’m really looking forward to working four blocks from the beach,” Bartmess said. Anacapa Brewing Co., which is expected to open in March, also offers Bartmess the opportunity to craft his wares using a new, state-of-the-art brew system scheduled to arrive from Slovakia in a few weeks.

Brewing will commence about two weeks before the yet-to-be-determined grand opening date, and Bartmess said he will begin with a line of brew styles familiar in Southern California. Compared with the Pacific Northwest--the Holy Land of uninhibited handcrafted brewing--Anacapa Brewing Co. will take a more mainstream approach. Catering to marketplace tastes will be requisite.

“Where I’m from there are brew pubs making beers with heather flowers, rose petals, juniper and sage. We’re not going to be jumping into that,” Bartmess said.

Anacapa has named some of its brews to come, including Hurricane Hefeweizen, a German-style unfiltered wheat beer; Pierpont Pale Ale; Anacapa Amber Ale; Seaward Stout; Foghorn Porter; and Pacific IPA, an India pale ale. But that’s just a start. There will also be seasonal concoctions and other creative specialties.

The brews will complement a menu created in part by executive chef Sandy Smith, which will include appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, gourmet pizzas, entrees and desserts.

Visit the restaurant-brewery’s Web site at https://www.anacapabrewing.com.

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Bon Appetit: 71 Palm Restaurant in downtown Ventura, operated by chef Didier Poirer, will offer regional French specialty dishes to augment the regular menu throughout January.

First up, cassoulet, the classic dish from the Languedoc region, with white beans and various meats. Served Monday through Jan. 15.

Bouillabaisse, the celebrated seafood stew from Provence, Jan. 17-22.

Choucroute--sauerkraut garnished with all manner of sausages and other meats--from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. Served Jan. 24-29.

All dishes are $25.95 for dinner and $16.95 for lunch, excluding tax. The restaurant is at 71 Palm St. Call 653-7222.

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or by e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com.