There was scuttlebutt about bar-b-que and I needed to know more.
You know that intense smell of outdoor cookin, some righteous sawce and carnivorous treats oozing with goodness? Yeah, I was in the mood for some of that.
So, we rolled out for Wednesday lunch and parked across the street from the boxy looking joint called “The Bearded Pig.” We walked right into a crowd of hungry lunchers waiting in line. This is a good sign. It’s one of those walk up and order then they bring you your food places. Sure, I miss slowly reading through a menu, but this does speed up a work lunch which helps from missing too much time away from the office. I order the ribs with corn caprese as a side. I chose the dish because they didn’t have salads and the only other vegetable was collard greens, which I have never had. I didn’t want to risk a new veggie AND a new bbq flavor all in one meal.
We squeezed out of the indoor part of the restaurant (which includes a bar) and went to the large patio to find seats. There is both a covered area and a grassy picnic table area. I LOVE outdoor seating so I am all about this. It happens to be a perfect day so things are even better.
Finding the Missing Rib
These were maybe the best ribs I have ever had. I got a ¼ rack which included five large rib. The skin on every rib was the exact perfect amount of crispiness and flavor. It was a decadent feast of greasy bones covered in meat. It was tender, juicy and the sauces on the table were just an added bonus. I tried 4 of them and chose the mustard like one and the spicy hot one. Using two hands and attacking these ribs I made quite a mess.
Yum. The corn caprese was an unusual dish, but I did enjoy it because of how unique it was. Little tomatoes, some mozzarella and corn with a sweet vinegar and basil flavor. I left the restaurant full and satisfied. I even got to have some fun writing with chalk on the wooden walls by the grass.
When I returned to work I still smelled like bbq and my hands were sticky from the ribs. I had to do a pre-scrub in style hand (arm) wash to really clean up.
Chalk Sadness
I happened to go back to this spot 2 days later. What can I say. It was good and I had packed a very uninspiring lunch of tough steak and avocado. I wanted more smoked, savory, sweet sawce. This time I got the pulled pork. ALSO delicious. Shredded just the right amount with some big pieces to really chew on and take in the flavor. Now this trip I was going to try collard greens, but they were out of them. I wanted two sides so I got the corn caprese again and then coleslaw. The coleslaw was pretty standard, nothing exceptional or revolting. Overall, enjoyed my meal full tilt. The pulled pork was (dare I say it) better than 4 Rivers.
The story of chalk disappointment is simple. I scrawled on the wall during my last visit. And two days laters it wasn’t even there. My reviewjax.com shameless plug was completely erased. Alas.
Future goals: Try the poutine and mac n cheese.