Restaurant Review - American Barbecue

[elrap]

Hi folks;

I finally fell off my diet long enough to stop at this place on Route 1A along the coast near Ipswich. You know, this ain't Tennessee, and while you can debate over whether or not clams should be breaded, battered, buttered, basted, or simply shucked and sucked, really good barbecued ribs are about as rare in these parts as pupusas.

So - The American Barbecue in Rowley is a really fun place that stinks of smoke, has free peanuts, good prices, Sam Adams Summer Ale in season, rolls of paper towels stuck onto the ends of the tables, and very seriously tender and delicious ribs. It also has darned good pulled pork, surprisingly tasty barbecued shrimp, bacony baked beans, a light, cakey version of cornbread, and surprisingly sweet and fresh grilled corn.

It doesn't have table service, a full liquor license, or reservations. You order from a counter, then sit down, drink beer, shell peanuts, and listen to country music until your food is ready.

I really don't want to bother trying to find anything negative to say about this place. I guess there could be a few things here and there, but to be honest I'm really so pathetically grateful to have cold beer and tasty ribs in a place I can easily drive to and eat at while wearing a sweaty t-shirt that I would feel like a traitor to my own cause if I started quibbling.

Hope you enjoy the place as much as I do,

L. Rap

[Chris Amirault]

Sauce report, if you please.

[elrap]

Funny you should ask - the sauce was not the high point for me. They had two kinds, red and 'yellow.' The red was a bit above average, I'd guess a commercial sauce with a little doctoring. It had a bit more vinegar and spice than most of the bottled brands I know.

The yellow one was new to me - seemed like the red sauce with a lot of plain yellow mustard mixed in. Not something I personally liked, but seemed to be a regional thing that went with their style.

They had an array of commercial hot sauces as well, none of which I used this time around.

--L. Rap

[Chris Amirault]

That yellow one sounds like a bad take on South Carolina mustard-based sauce.

[elrap]

That yellow one sounds like a bad take on South Carolina mustard-based sauce.

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I looked up some recipes and do believe you're right. Thanks for telling about those, sounds rather interesting. Maybe I'll try and make one with dijon instead of Gulden's. Unlike the restaurant's version, the recipes I saw used no tomato products, just a little sugar for sweetness.

Still and all - a very good and fun place, though sauce not the high point.

--L. Rap