OH THOSE BABY BLUES
Everyone - including us - loves this new North Carolina barbecue joint
By Richard Foss
Everyone - including us - loves this new North Carolina barbecue joint
Lately, it seems like everybody I've talked to had to tell me about Baby Blues Barbecue. People called to rave about the ribs, the corn muffins, the collard greens. I got e-mails from friends, strangers, and the Wine Expo newsletter, all extolling the virtues of the place. On Chowhound.com, the usually contentious food fanatics were singing Baby Blues' praises in five-part harmony.
Such unanimity is almost frightening. It raises my hopes to an almost impossible level, and I wonder if any restaurant could actually fulfill such expectations. This seemed unlikely, because Baby Blues specializes in North Carolina barbecue, which is not my favorite style.
North Carolina barbecue isn't sauced, but rubbed with pepper and other spices, then slow-smoked. It isn't as spicy or moist as Memphis-style barbecue and often looks burnt. When I first tried it on a trip through the South, I thought a pig had been struck by lightning and the owner had tried to recoup by serving it up.
When I got to Baby Blues, I recognized the former location of 4 J's barbecue, a restaurant that started out mediocre and quickly became terrible. I was pleasantly surprised on entering, as the once-dingy room has been spruced up and is now bright and welcoming. The waitress greeted us cheerily and brought iced tea and lemonade while we pored over the menu. We decided on "The Teaser," a feast for at least six that costs $84.95 and turned out to be well worth it. It consists of a rack each of Carolina- and Memphis-style ribs, a large chicken, a pound each of pulled pork and brisket, corn muffins, and vast quantities of assorted side dishes. We picked baked beans, cole slaw, creamed spinach, and mashed sweet potatoes, and called some friends who lived nearby to help us eat it.
We needed all the help we could get as the table filled with food. Side dishes at barbecue joints are often afterthoughts: white bread with beans, maybe some overdone collard greens. The sides here make a credible case for Baby Blues as a vegetarian hangout. The cole slaw had just the right dash of celery seed to give it a little kick and texture; the sweet potatoes were simply the best I've ever had; and I'll admit a fondness for the creamed whole-leaf spinach. I am already a fan of cornbread, and these muffins are everything I like about cornbread - moist and slightly grainy, with chunks of corn and a bit of onion baked in. Baby Blues offers several sandwiches made with the muffins, and I plan to go back and try some.
Due to a mix-up, the kitchen had cooked too much corn on the cob, so our waitress brought one over. It had been shucked and grilled, rubbed with chipotle butter, then sprinkled with cotija cheese. It's a guaranteed taboo on every known diet, and it tastes simply wonderful.
What about the meat, you ask? The pulled pork had only a mild smokiness and hardly any spice; it tasted intensely of roast pork and was meltingly tender. The beef was similar in texture to the pork but had been mixed with a mild, vinegary sauce. It too tasted intensely of meat but little of smoke and spices - exactly how it is supposed to taste if you come from that part of the country. Hot, regular, and vinegar sauces are provided, and our companion who grew up in north Georgia said it tasted like home.
I was more enamored of the chicken, which was moist and flavorful, with a lightly crisp skin. The Memphis-style ribs were even better, the thick, spicy sauce matched by smokiness and meat flavors. The meat came off the bone easily but didn't fall off, which in my book is the perfect texture. And the North Carolina ribs? I even liked them this time. The texture was still dry compared with the Tennessee ribs, the meat almost flaky, but succulent nevertheless. I prefer the more assertive spicing and richer sauce of the Tennessee ribs, but I'll happily devour these as a change every once in a while.
After all this, I was in an advanced food coma, but others in our party had to try desserts. I nibbled a slice of cheesecake, light and creamy but only average, and some chocolate pecan pie that was excellent.
We left with wide smiles, a new appreciation for Southern food, and faith that sometimes when everybody tells you a place is good, it's true. Baby Blues is different and wonderful, and if I'm the first person to tell you, I'm glad to pass on the news.Published: 12/23/2004
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