July 12, 2002 - The Undertoad
You will find occasional moments in you life when things just seem to be going the way you always wish they'd be, when you're just this side of content. And that small envelope you're in is a pleasant moment where you are held happily above life's worries. These aren't the days of highlights and miracles, of a first kiss, first love, of a first-born child. Rather m it is the softness between those moments. Those hard to define but simple, quiet times, the kind you see in lemonade commercials on television when you're back home again, sitting on the front porch swing, on a languid summer day passing time sipping lemonade. The next door neighbor has just mowed the lawn and the sweet smell of grass permeates the late afternoon air and you are young and with your grandfather and listening to Curt Gowdy talk about how the Splendid Splinter just fielded on off the Green Monster.
Those are the moments we long for. At the time they don't see to be the defining moments of our lives, but deep down they may very well be. For they are the moments that get us by while passing from highlight to highlight. Were you to bottle such times you'd call it "simple pleasures" and you'd be rich. For we all need those simple pleasures.
Here in Newburyport, we have the opportunity for many such moments. There's chatting with friends at the Caffe di Siena, Danny Harrington at the Waterfront Park with a July breeze easing in off the river and the sun slowly dipping toward the horizon, a walk on the beach at sunrise, or a stroll through the South End at night.
More often than not these are the moments that cost nothing at all, just the willingness to spend a little more time to afford them. And yet, there are times when we can buy a small bit of happiness, a moment to remember between bigger moments that define who we are.
Just recently we found ourselves in such a peaceful place in time, just about ten minutes outside of town. Think back to when you were a kid and the summer had you happy and free and your parents took you on vacation, away from you hometown, the world you knew. It was off to the mountains, the Cape, or the lake. It was exciting because it was time away from everything. And during those days, those lazy, happy days, the simplest things seemed a bit more special. A campfire, wading through a mountain stream, a drive0in movie, supper at a quaint road side joint where everyone was happy and the food tasted like food you haven't had since. And the meal was special, not because it was fancy, for these were days before the word gourmet dripped so easily from the lips, but because of its simplicity. It was American food. Simple, filling and everything just seemed to be the way it was supposed to be.
This past week, we stumbled upon just such a little roadside place about ten minutes outside Newburyport, down-along Route 1A in Rowley. There standing and looking like nothing special on the corner of Railroad Avenue is The American Barbecue and unlike most of the new restaurants that have opened in Newburyport where it has taken them time to iron out the kinks to get it right, the American Barbecue hit the ground running and it is simplicity at its best.
As you step inside you will step back in time. You'll find tables built like they were meant for real barbeque-with glass tops and rolls of paper towels hanging underneath.
Imagine a slow cooked, wood smoked B.B.Q half chicken served with two sides (sweet mashed potatoes, baked beans, cole slaw, Southern greens, grilled corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, roasted onions and mushrooms and peppers, rice, French fries) and a slab of cornbread. It is a full meal, the kind you were brought up on if you were brought up by a mother who cook or a father who loved to barbeque. Now imagine the cost of that being less the $9.00.
Don't think for one moment you'd be finding anything like that in Newburyport. No, here the new restaurants are striving to be not just more expansive but more expensive and the Black Cow's $42 Cowboy Steak is outdone recently by Aqutani's $22 appetizer.
But don't limit yourself at the American Barbecue not when you can order Memphis Ribs ($8.95 or $11.95), Beef Brisket ($8.95), Pulled Pork ($8.95), Pulled Chicken ($8.95), Texas Smoked Sausage ($7.95) or combo plates with two or three of the meat choices at $10.95 or $12.95.
And for those of you not into B.B.Q, there are grilled tenderloin tips, turkey tips, grilled shrimp, grilled swordfish tips, grilled salmon. And again, all these come with two sides of country goodness and cornbread.
There are also salads, clam chowder, chili, sandwiches (from $3.95 to $6.95), and desserts (from $2.95 to $3.75). The food is wonderful! But it's more than that, more than the country music or the men's room with the "Bubba" sign, or the wood paneling. There's something about the food, more that just the taste or the price. It's nostalgic. A piece of the past that will carry you back to simpler days and an innocence long forgotten. Tastes and smells do that like nothing can.
If the folks at The American Barbecue were smart, they would sell themselves as just that, a little bit of the past rolled up onto a quaint little corner of today on the corner of Railroad Avenue and Rte. 1A.
Boston Globe Review
August 25, 2002 - Meredith Goldstein
There is something about steamy August nights. They don’t go well with food.
They can be miserable and sweaty and generally the last thing one wants to do is eat a heavy meal or anything, for that matter, besides ice cream. But grab a cold beer or soda and a large platter of pulled pork dripping with barbecue sauce to the mix and suddenly eating while feeling sticky and sweaty isn’t so bad.
Thankfully, there is anew place up north for pork and other barbecued guilty pleasures. The American Barbecue opened in Rowley about two months ago, and features a full menu for lunch and dinner as well as a catering service. The owners used to won Jacob Marley’s restaurant in Marblehead.
My dining companions and I found out quickly that this is the place to get a lot of meat for not a lot of money. We ordered the B.B.Q. Combo with three meat choices ($12.95) and were happy with the very large platter of Memphis ribs, pulled pork and sliced beef brisket.
The ribs were the best! They were juicy, not at all fatty and most important, filling. The plate came with cornbread and two side orders. Patrons have a choice of everything from French fries to home-style macaroni and cheese. We went with the cole slaw and baked beans.
The cornbread and beans were nothing out of the ordinary, but the cole slaw hit the spot.
Another favorite meal was the Grilled Jamaican Chicken sandwich ($6.95). We weren’t convinced the sauce was much more Jamaican than regular barbecue sauce, maybe just a bit sweeter. But the meat was tender and Jamaican or not the flavor was delicious!
The place also serves seafood meals such as grilled swordfish tips ($11.95) and grilled salmon ($(9.95). If that’s your thing, make sure to try the grilled shrimp with chipolte may ($6.95) as an appetizer, which is hard to eat but seasoned scrumptiously.
If you are a vegetarian, go elsewhere. But if you happen to be dragged to Rowley for barbeque and have no choice in the matter, there are salads and the restaurant does serve a veggie burger with salsa mayo ($5.95).
A rule of thumb for American Barbecue patrons: save room for dessert. We didn’t expect the epilogue of the meal to make much of an impact, especially because we were already so satisfied with pork and chicken goodness. But when we all had a bite of the cheesecake with strawberries ($3.25), there was a temporary moment of blissful silence.
Pecan pie lover will not be disappointed with their take on the dish. They do it right, especially with ice cream ($3.75).
We left full, content and a little dirty, which means the folks at American Barbecue know that they’re doing.
Our only criticism was the self-service, over-the-counter setup. Patrons wait in a line (sometimes one that’s a bit too long, even though there is a bucket of complimentary peanuts for the wait) and then must pick up their orders when their numbers are called.
The whole process can be awkward and requires several trips for diners who plan to order appetizers and deserts. If you’re in the mood to lazily eat barbecue until you reach that I-have-to-unbutton-my-pants level of full, the last thing you want to have to do is stand up, walk to a counter and order your own pie.
Overall, The American Barbecue is worth a visit, especially for those who aren’t afraid of all things dead and cooked. We ate two appetizers, three meals and three desserts for about $50.00 and all of it was tasty.
On a hot summer night, you can’t beat that!
The Phantom Gourmet
May 17th, 2003 - The Phantom Gourmet
The American Barbecue is true to its identity, with domestic old world style and a heck of a lot of heart. Although the counter service makes customers work for their meal, the wood smoked barbeque is awesome, and the prices cannot be matched.
| Date : 5/17/2003 Rating: Gourmet Greatness |
FINAL SCORE 81 |
Atmosphere: 9
The American Barbecue in Rowley, Massachusetts is festively decorated with nostalgic Americana like antique advertisements, animal horns, ceramic pigs, and all kinds of
clippings. Rustic woods, a tin wall, and swirling fans, add to the country atmosphere of the spacious dining room.
Menu: 8
The carnivore-friendly menu is not extensive but offers a nice range with slow cooked, wood smoked B.B.Q., meat tips, and fish. Peanuts are free for the taking while
customers wait for their orders, and they’ve got beer, wine, and margaritas for the thirsty.
Appetizers: 8
Phantom started with the awesome Grilled Shrimp, kept moist in their shells with fiery celery seed spices and paired with chipotle chili mayo added a cooling sensation,
followed by another hot kick. The Sweet Potato Fries achieved crispness without a greasy residue, but seemed a bit under-salted unless dipped in honey mustard. And the
cornbread was too fluffy and sweet, with an unwanted likeness to yellow sheet cake.
Entrees: 8
For entrees, the yummy Beef Brisket came in thick slabs that separated easily into tender bites, soaked in meat juices and lathered with barbeque sauce. Also remarkable, the
Half Chicken remained moist the whole way through, completely protected by supple skin and a seal of mild barbeque sauce. A side of Southern Greens came beautifully
wilted and bursting with flavor from lots of garlic, meaty morsels, and onions.
Desserts: 8
To finish, the Key Lime Pie packed a delightful surge of lemon in its smooth cream cheese filling, all atop a graham cracker crust, and the Apple Crisp was a hefty mound of
thick fruit slices, soaked through with cinnamon and lovingly topped with crumbly oats and brown sugar.
Portions: 9
Hefty portions satisfy the hungriest of Bubbas and Bellies, since every entrée comes with two sides.
Service: 6
Service is less favorable since customers have to place their orders at the counter and wait for their ticket number to be called over the intercom. Lines can get long, and all
courses come at once or you have to wait in line several times.
Cleanliness: 8
The dining room was designed with cleanliness in mind, as tables are plastic coated for easy wipe-downs and paper towel racks are built into each table.
Value: 10
Appetizers are a mere $4, sandwiches are $6, and absurdly inexpensive entrees range from $8 to $13.
Location: 7
The American Barbecue is just out of sight from Route 1A on Railroad Ave. in Rowley, MA. They have their own lot.
