BBQ & Beer

Finally, my post Boston Marathon BBQ craving has been fulfilled. As you may know, my appetite disappeared until days, maybe even over a week, after the marathon. It was so cruel to have burned so many calories and to have no desire for food at all. Cruel I tell you, and when I run next year 🙂 I will have to figure out a way to remedy this problem. When my appetite finally did return, all I wanted was BBQ, and mainly the sides that come with it. Mostly I wanted the BBQ that we had for lunch on my birthday at Buster’s in Calistoga after an afternoon of tasting wine at Venge Vineyards. With its outdoor tables and mouth burning sauce atop sweet cornbread, Buster’s was the real deal. We even saw Buster himself tending to the BBQ pit. If only we had brought a bottle of Venge Zinfandel along, I think it would have been a good match 😉

Somehow, we let 6 weeks pass before I found a way to find this BBQ without a Virgin America flight, but we finally and reluctantly came to the realization that Calistoga was a little too far to go for lunch. Hopefully that won’t always be the case.

Anyway, Redbones became my Buster’s substitute and while we didn’t eat outside surrounded by wine country, it was a mighty good meal, and it certainly did the trick.

Redbones has some interesting decor. This is definitely a man’s restaurant.

They have a huge menu of Southern style food and a great beer list. My husband was over the moon with my lunch choice 🙂 I started with a Chester Street Amber beer which was really good, and I liked that it is brewed here in Massachusetts in Southampton.

Unfortunately, Redbones turned the lights down just as our food arrived, so my photos are a little blurry.

I had the pulled chicken sandwich topped with hot BBQ sauce, pickles, and cole slaw. On the side? Corn bread, beans, and potato salad. I ate way more of the sides dipped in BBQ sauce and though it was awesome, I would probably skip the chicken in the future. My conscience didn’t like wondering if it was humanely raised, so I spent way too much time thinking about it after.

The husband had a pulled chicken plate with macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and potato salad. This is not a meal for the faint of heart or for everyday!

As we ascended the stairs out of Redbones completely full and satisfied, we pondered an iced coffee at Diesel Cafe but were too stuffed to consume anything else. A nice little walk around Davis Square helped remedy that problem, and I was off again in search of my next food adventure, this time picking up dinner ingredients in the South End.  Redbones is definitely a tasty treat with tons of options including some healthy ones. My husband wants to go there for his birthday, but I am trying to convince him that Buster’s should be a birthday lunch tradition instead 😉 This girl needs a Napa fix.

If you have had BBQ, what is your favorite BBQ side?

I am on my way to Provincetown for the weekend with my college roommates, an annual tradition that truly means summer to me. I would love to post, from your point of view, what summer means. If you want to contribute a short paragraph or favorite recipe for my “This is Summer” feature, please just email it to me at traveleatlove (@) gmail.com. Tell your friends! The more fun summer ideas, the better!