Starting this week, Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que — a chain of restaurants started by a Cal State Long Beach graduate — will celebrate its 25th anniversary by bringing back several fan-favorite menu items and launching a slew of new beverages.
For a limited time, loaded comeback fries, cajun chicken pasta, Mardi Gras chicken and beef ribs for two will join the menu at Lucille’s 19 locations throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, including its two Long Beach locations: one on Second Street and one in the Long Beach Towne Center.
Craig Hofman, who graduated from CSULB in 1973, founded Lucille’s in 1999. Before opening the first location in Long Beach, Craig went on a barbecue tour, which included Texas, Kansas, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
His father, Harold, started a burger stand in Long Beach in the 1940s. His success eventually grew into Hof’s Hut, a restaurant and bakery with locations in Long Beach, Seal Beach and Torrance.
In 2015, Hofman Hospitality Group, of which Craig serves as CEO, also opened the Saint & Second restaurant in Belmont Shore.
Be warned, the dishes being brought back for Lucille’s 25th anniversary are decadent.
The loaded comeback fries come topped with shredded jack cheese, applewood bacon, tangy “comeback” sauce, smoked jalapeños, sour cream and green onions.
The cajun chicken pasta features smoked pulled chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, and fresh garlic tossed in a creamy blackened tomato sauce with penne pasta and Parmesan cheese toast.
Lucille’s most-requested dish, Mardi Gras chicken, contains fried chicken breasts topped with spicy Creole cream sauce with shrimp, Texas hot link sausage and sweet bell peppers, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed seasonal vegetables.
Beef ribs for two comes with Lucille’s signature BBQ sauce and a choice of three sides.
For dessert, Lucille’s is bringing back the Snickers ice cream pie, which was on its first menu in 1999.
It includes chopped Snickers bars mixed with vanilla bean ice cream in a crisp chocolate cookie crust and topped with caramel and chocolate sauce.
Three “Free-Spirit” mocktails will also be joining the Lucille’s menu permanently: the sassy apple, strawberry symphony and watermelon splash.
Lucille’s is also adding another alcoholic drink option, the espresso old fashioned. It blends Old Forester Bourbon, Caffè Borghetti Espresso Liqueur, maple syrup, a coffee ice cube, Angostura bitters and a Luxardo cherry for a modern twist on a classic cocktail.
“This anniversary year, we’ve shared our gratitude with guests through special menus, giveaways and promotions,” said Joan Hansen, Lucille’s vice president of marketing. “These ‘Throwback Favorites’ are a testament to the deep and lasting connection we’ve built together over the years.”