I had a lot of trouble finding the restaurant, though if I knew what to look for (a big sign, ugly white lettering on a green background, saying "EL PASO CITY LIMITS" -- a lot like an oversized highway sign) I'd've spotted it a lot sooner.  It looked a bit hokey, and I began to doubt whether this would be a good place to review.  I'd been assured the place had the best ribs in El Paso, but...

I was led upstairs and seated in the loft.  I chose the "Family Feast", a platter of beef ribs, sausage, and brisket; all you can eat for $11.95.  I then waited.  And waited.  I asked the waitress whether a salad came with the meal; I don't think I was entitled to it, but she gave me one anyway.  Still, I went hungry 'til the platter was served, and the salad arrived shortly afterwards.

The salad was -- eh.  Not awful, but nothing very special.  The bread too -- eh.  It was served hot and fresh-baked, but it was spongy and tasteless.  The side dishes, beans, cole slaw and potato salad, also rated as lukewarm; the beans were mostly tasteless, the slaw had an odd flavor, and frankly I never really liked potato salad.

One bite of the beef rib made up for all the mediocre food that came before.  The rib was big -- it looked like it came from the rack that overbalanced Fred Flintstone's car -- and had quite a bit of meat on it.  When I called for seconds, the rib that arrived was even bigger, with over 8 ounces of meat hanging off it.  The meat was of a decent quality, and it was covered with a zesty barbecue sauce.  Yum!

With the plate came several large chunks of flavorful sausage; dipping the chunks in the barbecue sauce only made them better.  The brisket was also very good, not gristly, and went well with the sauce.  After seconds I was asked whether I wanted dessert, and I had absolutely no room left for it.

The City Limits Restaurant may be a bit too focused on its barbecue; improving the side dishes would be a good idea.  Still, I feel they deserve a solid 4-star minimum.  If you want decent barbecue, the City Limits is tough to beat.