In an escapist mood one soggy night last week, I surrendered my credit card to Beale Street Barbeque in South Portland. I wanted a taste of something decidedly not Maine-on-the-eve-of-finals-week.
While I can’t say for sure that their barbecue is anything like the real thing (let’s be honest, my Wisconsin upbringing gives me authority on two things only: cheese and bratwurst), authenticity doesn’t matter when you’re ravenously hungry and staring at a pile of tender, smoky meat. Real barbecue or not, Beale Street demands your undivided attention for an evening of perpetual satisfaction.
My comrade and I each started with a mojito. We could have had any number of different beers and wine, too, but this citrusy, sparkling, rum-based concoction, complete with fresh mint, successfully invoked thoughts of warm weather.
Our server was friendly, but not chatty, and gracefully corrected the one error she made with our first course: we’d ordered chili, not soup. Just minutes after the mistake, we had steaming cups of both on the table.
The soup was beef-based, brothy and lacked substance, but the chili was a hit. We put the cup in the middle of the table and took turns scooping out the spicy kidney beans and brisket, smothered in cheddar cheese. The calamari, served with a spicy mayonnaise, was tender, not chewy, and properly fried just lightly.
Though we were fully aware of what lay ahead, we bravely indulged in the quesadilla, stuffed with smoked chicken, sweet red onions and savory mushrooms. It included a generous helping of homemade salsa and a tasty pool of bean sauce. Beale Street also offers appetizers like Maine crab cakes, Buffalo wings and hickory smoked ribs, but we would have needed another night for those.
Already satiated, but rosy from the rum, we gazed lustfully at the barbecue sampler as it descended on our table, just after the appetizer plates were cleared. It was a carnivore’s ultimate fantasy.
A half-slab of ribs, a quarter of a chicken, and a sausage to rival Wisconsin’s, the meal inspired a full-throttle chow-down. First place on this plate, however, was the pile of brisket nestled atop a thick slice of cornbread and complemented by a sweet tomato sauce.
I had to be reminded that I wasn’t hungry anymore as I dived into the coleslaw, which was lemony and not over-dressed as so many are. My companion declared that the beans were more “New England” than “barbecue,” being mildly sweet and not spicy. But the food was all so good that authenticity was beside the point. Everything was falling off the bones and virtually jumping into our mouths.
If we hadn’t been the savages we are, we could have ordered just one variety of flesh, not four, or a jambalaya with shrimp, crab and sausage. They also offer a “fish of the day,” a pan-fried or blackened haddock, and two vegetarian options.
But I have to say, Beale Street invokes a certain blood lust that you just can’t ignore. Who eats a veggie burrito when you can savor the pleasant “pop” of biting into a robust and juicy sausage?
The key lime pie left something to be desired; I could have sworn it came out of a box. But by the end of our meal, the relentless rain and the threat of finals week had been submerged under the perfect dinner and the perfect drinks, and dessert was merely an afterthought.
We left having spent seventy dollars, which included three appetizers, four drinks, the gluttonous sampler platter, dessert and a generous tip. I unbuttoned the top button of my pants and let my belly hang happily out. Rainy Tuesdays can be pretty good, after all.
Beale Street Barbeque is located at 90 Waterman Drive, South Portland. They serve lunch, dinner, and cater large groups. For more information, visit www.mainebbq.com.
Marie Stolzenburg can be contacted at [email protected]