Stonies Taphouse & Bistro

When is a grilled cheese sandwich not a grilled cheese sandwich?

The pulled pork grilled cheese version served at Stonies Taphouse & Bistro in Salinas does resemble the American classic, in that it consists of buttery toasted bread and a layer of melted cheddar. It’s just that the proportions are flipped in favor of the meat, and by a significant margin. Loaded with willowy stands of pork laced with soft wisps of smoke, the meat is so delicate it almost calls for an adversary, a tangy sauce to stir up some drama. But that’s not how pitmaster Hondo Hernandez does things.

“If it were up to me there’d be no sauce,” he says, applying the statement to all meats he prepares. And when a pitmaster who has competed nationally – and picked up the name “Hondo” along the way – is so readily dismissive of dressing, diners should probably pay heed.

There are vegetarian options at Stonie’s, but there’s an emphasis on low and slow barbecue. Meat shows up everywhere: fries topped with carne asada, for example, or macaroni and cheese studded with bacon.

In the brisket and bacon burger, you begin to understand just why the barbecue veteran scorns heavy sauces. The patty is dusky, but timid. Applewood-smoked bacon lends a sweet trill. Yet the trio of meats do not so much complement each other. Rather, they build to one brawny crescendo. It’s when you sample some of the brisket by itself that Hernandez’s wisdom (and the reason the burger stands out) becomes evident. The beef is meltingly tender, but with a rugged tone – an earthy, woodsy savor that speaks of slowly drifting smoke and the wild backcountry of Texas.

“I was trained in San Antonio,” the pitmaster says. So he stays true to the ethic of low, slow and basic, seasoning with just salt, pepper and maybe a little garlic, basting with smoke from oak and cherry. “It’s really simple – let the smoke do it’s thing,” he adds.

Even the pork (he uses Boston butt, which is hewn from the shoulder) lingers in the smoker under low heat for around 15 hours, sometimes more. The resulting meat almost dissolves, leaving a nebulous campfire memory so gentle you are compelled to seek it again. It’s just enough to stand up to a sauce on the pulled pork taco, which is topped with cubes of mango that blunt its vinegar bite while lending depth to the natural sweetness of the pork.

Hernandez’s caution about sauce still stands, though. Even mild salsas and aioli drizzled over the mango fusion shrimp taco bullied otherwise beautiful shellfish. And an equally reserved dressing smothers delicate, hand-battered sea bass in the fish taco.

The menu at Stonies is a glimpse of traditional barbecue, Cal-Mex, burger joint and hot dog stand, with a cool-vibe taphouse bar. Open for a few months, the kitchen has worked out some kinks and is now looking to tweak – maybe one day selling barbecue by the pound (please, the brisket is so right). And maybe admitting that it’s a grilled pulled pork sandwich – with cheese.

STONIES TAPHOUSE & BISTRO 1366 S. Main St., Salinas. Tue-Fri 11am-9pm; Sat 8am-9pm; Sun 8am-3pm. 202-0632.