Barbecue, sides and dessert all delight at Alabama BBQ
by Lynn Williams
maindish@baltimoreguide.com
Alabama BBQ Company recently set up shop in the former Montebello Deli, on the stretch of beautiful downtown Lauraville that already includes such neighborhood-friendly (and foodie-friendly) businesses as Chameleon Café, Red Canoe, Koco’s, and Zeke’s Coffee. Barbecue lovers, and denizens of Northeast Baltimore in general, are delighted…with the possible exception of the owners of Big Bad Wolf, another fine Harford Road barbecue joint, who can’t be thrilled at having such stellar competition just down the street.
Alabama native Jay Belle, a Kansas City Barbecue Society-certified “pit master,” started his business a couple of years ago in a trailer in the parking lot of a Kent Island liquor store. The Eastern Shore location still handles catering, and Mr. Belle has plans to sell his wares through the Web, but for now Baltimore has Alabama BBQ’s only restaurant. With its pale green walls, vintage kitchen implements and Crimson Tide banners, it’s cute enough for sit-down dining, but the presentation is strictly no-frills. Your food will be served in a plastic basket, and your sole utensil, for barbecue and soup alike, will be a plastic “spork.”
But wow, what barbecue! And what soup! The latter, a chicken chowder ($4 cup) is a heavenly brew, lightly creamy and packed with smoked chicken breast, hickory-smoked bacon, potatoes, corn and carrots.
The kitchen was out of ribs, so we tried the chopped brisket sandwich ($7), and a pulled pork dinner ($12). Both featured slow-cooked tender meats, rich with deeply smoky flavor. Top your choice of barbecue with mild or spicy scratch-made sauces, including a mayo-based white sauce with a vinegar tang—an Alabama regional specialty—designed for chicken, and a raspberry sauce for ribs.
We were also enthusiastic about the sides, which include excellent barbecued baked beans, finely-chopped collards and a macaroni and cheese that’s gooey and savory, enriched with a little green pepper and mustard. Also available are applesauce jazzed up with melted red-hots candies, and pineapple-spiked “tropical” slaw.
Desserts are also homemade; Mr. Belle’s partner is the pastry chef. Slices of key lime and chocolate pies ($3), both with crumb crusts, were delicious, if a bit dinky. Or maybe we were just greedy. Pie can do that to you.
In addition to the usual “Q” suspects, the proprietor promises that seasonal specials may turn up some weekends. The mouth waters at the thought of smoked roasted duck, smoked crab cakes and smoked scallops. If you hear such items may be in the offing, get there early. We might have gotten there first.
Alabama BBQ Company
Location: 4311 Harford Rd.
Hours: Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tues.-Sat.
Phone: 410-254-1440
Our meal for two: $28.50.
The Latest Dish…
As we sail toward summer, Baltimore’s restaurant rumor mill is in full swing (as usual). Not that we have any solutions, but here are this month’s most compelling mysteries:
Whither Edward Kim? The doyen of the much-missed Soigné, who came back to Baltimore with much ballyhoo as head chef at Saffron, has resigned his position, and all his fans are dying to know where he will turn up next.
Is Vespa reopening? Renovations have been going on for a while at the zippy little Federal Hill bistro, but the owners are keeping mum about dates and details.
Does Tony Foreman really have a new restaurant in the works? We actually have an answer—sort of—for this one. We have it on good authority that this particular rumor is true; Foreman, the man behind Charleston and Pazo, is working on a new eatery, also to be located in the Harbor East neighborhood. Nobody’s talking yet, but by this time next month this should be the foodie talk of the town.
