Urban Stomach

I Might Paint A Flying Pig Above My Bed

First off, let me say that Richmond, VA is a really cool place, way more fun and interesting than I anticipated before arriving there for a conference recently. I was expecting a rundown, boring city and I was completely wrong. I’m not a history buff by any stretch of the imagination but was completely fascinated by the state capitol building, designed by Thomas Jefferson, and the garden of statues that surround it. Carytown, a roughly five block shopping district, reminds me a bit of Ann Arbor with Plan 9 music as good of a record store that I can think of outside of Amoeba or the old Schoolkids. The University of Richmond, our host, has one of the prettiest campuses around with first rate facilities and trees and water seemingly everwhere. I even caught a Double A baseball game, the Giants affiliated Flying Squirrels, at The Diamond, where $8 buys you a 32 oz. lager. Finally, the beautiful, new Westin hotel, my home for three nights, has the hottest, strongest showers outside of my mother-in-law’s new bathroom on the Upper East Side. But, of course, I was most excited about the food. I was hunting for two things: Southern barbecue and Virginia ham.

Ribs Dinner At Buz N Ned's

Buz N Ned’s Real Barbecue, properly junky in appearance with two large smokers and a pile of wood out back, might be the most famous restaurant in Richmond, what with its many accolades and “Throwdown” victory over Bobby Flay. On a warm Tuesday night, I sampled a half-rack of baby back ribs with hushpuppies and mac and cheese, a pulled pork sandwich and an order of sweet potato fries. The ribs were good, not great, as they were a bit tough and overly basted with a just too sweet sauce. I tasted little smoke. The hushpuppies and mac and cheese were fine but nothing that I would go out of my way for. The pulled pork, super tender and smoky, was enhanced, not dwarfed, by a dousing of vinegar based sauce. It was delicious. The sweet potato fries stood out from their San Francisco cousins (Pacific Catch’s are my favorite) by being tossed with cinnamon and sugar. Totally addictive. Buz N Ned’s gets major points off for their over the top promotion of their “Throwdown” victory with one tv playing the episode non-stop on a loop and “Flayslayer” t-shirts for sale. Annoying. If I’m ever in Richmond again, I’d stop by for a pulled pork sandwich and an order of sweet potato fries and eat outside to avoid the tv.

Country Ham And Eggs At Dairy Bar

The Dairy Bar, opened in 1946, was originally the cafeteria for the Curles Neck Dairy plant workers and then became a restaurant when the plant closed in the ’80s. I was here for a traditional country breakfast of ham, eggs, grits and a biscuit and I wasn’t disappointed. The standout was the ham, fattier and saltier than I’m used to. If this ham was served in a San Francisco brunch spot, there’d be a health police rally going on outside. In Richmond, I enjoyed every bite in peace and quiet. Calories don’t count when away from home. The bonus surprise at The Dairy Bar was the peanut butter and chocolate milkshake. Made of Garber’s ice cream from Winchester, VA, this shake blew my mind. Maybe the best thing that I ate in Richmond.

How Old Is This Sign?

Sally Bell’s Kitchen opened in 1924 and is a Richmond institution. Serving only Monday-Friday from 10-4, they are best known for their box lunch, comprised of a sandwich of your choice on a fresh baked white roll, potato salad, a deviled egg, a pecan topped cheese wafer and a cupcake. There is really nowhere to eat so I took my food outside and ate atop my rental car. While everything was good, the potato salad was really incredible. It was on the creamier side and, while the first bites were sweet, it gradually gained a kick of spice and a little onion. This was like no other potato salad I’d ever tasted. The Smithfield ham was salty, similar to Dairy Bar, but not as fatty. Good thing since it was on a sandwich. The cupcakes are unique as they’re completely covered in frosting. I chose the Orange Cream and it was a little less soft than I prefer. Fine but not memorable.

The Smithfield Ham Sandwich Box Lunch At Sally Bell's Kitchen

Part of the joy of Sally Bell’s is just the experience. NOTHING has changed here. Many of the women behind the counter, and it was all women, looked and acted as if they’d been working at Sally Bell’s for years, and I say this as a good thing. When I pulled out my camera, I was told that I had to ask the manager before I started snapping shots. Love it!

You Know The Brisket Is Good When The Pepsi Machine Looks Like This

At one year old, Alamo BBQ was the newest restaurant that I tried in Richmond and came highly recommended by the manager at Sally Bell’s (yes, she did give me permission to take photos but only of food, not people). I opted for the Texas brisket sandwich with a side of jalapeno mac and cheese and both were winners. I had to clear off most of the onions and jalapenos in order to truly enjoy the expertly smoked meat in the sandwich but it was well worth the effort. Why ruin beautiful meat with ballpark jalapenos and raw onions? The jalapenos were much better suited for the creamy mac and cheese, where they added a nice zing without taking away from the cheesiness that we all love. Alamo has a charming junk pile in the back (see above picture), a working smoker on the side, and just 7-8 tables on an outdoor patio in front. The fact that it sits in a residential neighborhood adds to its Southern charm.

The Beef Brisket Sandwich At Alamo BBQ

So thanks Richmond for being a great surprise on many fronts. The fact that I ate as much as I did yet want to come back to try other places that I heard about, and revisit some new favorites, is a ringing endorsement from the Urban Stomach.

Buz And Ned’s Real Barbecue
1119 North Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23230
804-355-6055
www.buzandneds.com
Monday-Thursday, Sunday: 11:00AM-9:00PM
Friday-Saturday: 11AM-10:30PM
Half-Rack Baby Back Ribs Dinner $17.99
Pulled Pork Sandwich $4.99
Sweet Potato Fries $3.99

Dairy Bar
1602 Roseneath Rd
Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 355-1937
www.dairybarrestaurant.com
Monday-Saturday: 7:00AM-3:00PM
Sunday: 7:00AM-2:00PM
Country Ham With Two Eggs $7.39

Sally Bell’s Kitchen
708 W Grace St
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 644-2838
www.sallybellskitchen.com
Monday-Friday: 10:00AM-4:00PM
Box Lunch $7.60

Alamo BBQ
2202 Jefferson Ave
Richmond, VA 23223
(804) 592-3138
www.alamobbqva.com
Open Everyday From 11:30AM-9:00PM
Beef Brisket Sandwich $6.00
Jalapeno Mac & Cheese $1.75

A 23 year old Stomach (on the right) at Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous in Memphis

My friend loved Rendezvous BBQ so much, he never ate meat again

Last night, I licked my television. Why you ask? I was watching Tony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and he was doing a food porn piece on barbecue. A beautifully crusted, slow-smoked brisket was shown being carved, juices dripping with each cut. I wanted to hop on a plane and fly to this barbecue pit, in New York of all places, and dive naked into an orgy of smoked meats. Mmmmmmm! Ooooooh!

I love barbecue. Barbecue makes me emotional. Barbecue makes me lick televisions. We don’t have much barbecue around these parts. The best barbecue that I ever ate, in 1994 at The Rendezvous in Memphis, brought me to to a food orgasm that I wasn’t sure I could ever achieve, and have rarely achieved since. Don’t even mention “dry rubbed ribs” to me or my knees will go weak and my eyes will roll back. The worst barbecue that I ever ate, in 1980 at The Great American Beef Rib Company in L.A., was an insult to the genre. Dry, tasteless ribs made even a ten year-old Urban Stomach angry. It’s been thirty plus years since that debacle and I’m still pissed.

A pile of meat: The 3 Meat Combo of Ribs, Chicken and Pulled Pork

Housed in an orange train car in Pacifica, Gorilla Barbeque is serving my favorite barbecue in the Bay Area. If you’re a first timer, I suggest that you bring a friend, your family, or both and order a 3 Meat Combo. On a recent sunny Sunday afternoon, the Stomachs started with a pile of pulled pork, chicken and pork ribs (beef ribs are nothing but pretenders). The ribs are large, meaty, and have a great bark on them. I’m not sure what’s so satisfying about eating big hunks of meat off of a bone but if I could eat pasta off of a bone, I would. The chicken is nice and juicy and the skin gets a little crispy but not burnt. I found myself using my index finger to scrape bits of skin off of the bottom of the styrofoam container. When I’m eating barbecue, I’m not a sauce guy. I’m a firm believer that the meat should be able to stand up flavor- wise on its own. However, I was happy to drench my pulled pork, a little blander than the other meats, with Gorilla’s vinegary sauce that provides a nice kick of spice about three seconds after every bite.

Beef Brisket and Mac & Cheese at Gorilla Barbeque

What you see above is a kid’s portion of brisket. My kids couldn’t finish it between the two of them! Gorilla’s brisket is dry-rubbed and then spends fifteen hours in the smoker, resulting in smoky, tender slices of pure joy. I was picking this stuff up with my hands, dangling it in my mouth, and taking bite after pleasurable bite. Of all of the Gorilla meats that I’ve tried, the brisket tastes the most of smoke which is a big plus in my book. You can see the red smoke rings around the edges of the meat. The macaroni & cheese is one of the cheesiest versions I’ve ever encountered as Gorilla uses four kinds of cheese and then bakes the noodles under a crust of ground cheddar goldfish crackers. Let me repeat, they put cheddar goldfish crackers in a grinder and then use the finely ground bits to bake a crust on top of the macaroni and cheese. Who thinks of this stuff? Brilliant. And very, very rich. Cole slaw is on the traditional side with plenty of mayonaise to cool down the smoke from the meats and the heat from the sauce.

Smoked Brisket Cheesesteak deserves its own visit

I can’t conclude without mention of Gorilla’s cheesesteak. It’s completely untraditional both as barbecue and as a cheesesteak but it completely works. They combine a hefty portion of chopped smoked beef brisket with white american cheese, onions and peppers and sandwich it in a well griddled soft roll. I’m generally not one for food trickery but this sandwich is worth the drive to Pacifica alone. I’d suggest eating it on a separate visit as it’s a little much when combined with all of the other smoked meats and the mac & cheese. Well, maybe a lot much.

This was my fifth visit to Gorilla over the past year or so and I’m really impressed with their consistency. On weekends, there’s almost always a line but it moves fairly well. You should know that Gorilla is take-out only and they don’t take phone orders. There are a few picnic tables up on a small hill and you’ll want to dress warmly if you plan to use them. It’s Pacifica. However, cold weather aside, Gorilla Barbeque is a godsend for Bay Area barbecue lovers like me.

Gorilla Barbeque
2145 Coast Highway
Pacifica, CA 94044
650-359-RIBS (7427)
www.gorillabbq.com
Wednesday-Monday: Noon-8PM (if visiting after 5PM, call to see what they have left)
3 Meat Combo with choice of 2 sides, cornbread and beans and rice:$19.50
Kid’s Combo with choice of 1 side and cornbread: $6.25
Philly Cheesesteak Combo with choice of 1 side: $8.25