Leaving the 'Cue

Last week the Mrs. heard about a barbecue "festival" taking place at Suffolk Downs. Admission was free on Friday, so after work we headed over to check it out.

There were about ten different BBQ vendors, but none of them seemed local--at least, we didn't recognize any of them. She thought it might be a good idea if we split up and got food from a couple of different places to compare them, so we got into lines at two adjacent vendors. The lines moved quickly, though the person who took my order was extremely indifferent and might as well have been asleep. The Mrs. was disappointed with her brisket, which was dry and rather chewy. The one I got was better, though the sides of beans and cole slaw that came with mine were bland and unimpressive, while her sides were better.

Elsewhere, the only beer available in the whole place was Bud Light or Bud Light Lime, at $6 for one of those aluminum bottle-cans, or Bud Light Wheat on draft. Now, I understand that the organizers of the event (the people behind the Phantom Gourmet TV show) probably had to make some sort of sponsorship deal, but there are a lot of people like me who will choose tap water over anything with Bud in the name, and barbecue without beer just isn't the same. $6 for a beer is Fenway pricing, but at least at Fenway you have a choice of Narragansett, Sam Adams, or several other beers.

There was also some ridiculously loud, ridiculously bad music from some would-be teen heartthrob, sensitive singer-songwriter type, rides for the kids, and a smattering of vintage cars on display. The Mrs. spotted a cannoli vendor and bought one, but after a couple of bites she declared it the worst cannoli she'd ever had. She offered me a taste, and I agreed, so she threw it away. The cream filling was completely lacking in flavor, and the chocolate coating on the shell was too waxy.

At that point, disappointed by pretty much everything, we headed home. It's a good thing we hadn't waited until the next day to go--the thought of paying $5 just to walk through the gate of this event, in light of everything that followed, probably would have sent her over the edge.