My Continuing Food Education: Texas BBQ at Sweet Cheeks Q, Boston
November 23, 2015
It's been a crazy year at Vine HQ. It's been a crazy three years if we're being really honest, and with December no looking as though it's going to let up, Charlie and I decided to take a little midweek break away somewhere local while we could both swing some time.
Boston, being just under an hour away was perfect for a mini-cation, we didn't waste time traveling which left more time for fun.... and eating.
We stayed at The Verb over in Fenway. A swinging sixties, rock and roll inspired hotel, part of me thought it was going to be too good to be true given the surprisingly reasonable room price. This isn't a review of the hotel, you can check out trick advisor for that, butIi'd whole heartedly recommend it to anyone wanting a funky place to stay in Boston, without breaking your budget or compromising on style.
Now to the food. Wow.
With only two-ish days in the city we wanted to make the most of what Boston's menus had to offer whilst seeing the city without needing to be forklifted home. I think we hit some of Boston's top spots, but there are so many more I'm desperate to get back to!
Thursday's lunch found us as Sweet Cheeks Q on Boyleston in Fenway, a convenient and entirely coincidental 3 minute stroll from our hotel.
Sweet Cheeks is all about Texas BBQ, smoked meats that aren't slathered in sauce, rather meltingly tender and succulent with their own slow smoked fats.
Led by Tiffani Faison (of Top Chef fame) and her memories of her childhood backyard 'the American south, north of the Mason Dixie', there is no way you're not getting excited about a place that's R&D included a life changing short rib.
The star of the show here really is the meat; from the impressive local, 'Never Ever' provenance (as in 'never ever' treated with hormones and rubbish), to the metal tray presentation: a scoop of coleslaw in one corner, a pile of sweet pickles in the other, and anything runny (like their incredible mac and cheese) confined to an enameled mug.
We ordered the brisket and the ribs, along with coleslaw, mac and cheese and a bucket of the most amazing biscuits that come with a whipped honey butter that are the perfect sweet counterpoint to the intensely rich, savory meat.
The BBQ sauce, one of three condiments set out on every table- the others a pickly vinaigrette and a spicy hot sauce, was so damn good we bought it. before we'd even finished our meal we had bought a bottle of that sauce and were wondering whether one would be enough.
Needless to stay experiments in backyard smoking are already filling my imagination, but in the meantime i'll be trying to recreate the delicious sweet pickles to keep my appetite sated until I can go back.
Boston, being just under an hour away was perfect for a mini-cation, we didn't waste time traveling which left more time for fun.... and eating.
We stayed at The Verb over in Fenway. A swinging sixties, rock and roll inspired hotel, part of me thought it was going to be too good to be true given the surprisingly reasonable room price. This isn't a review of the hotel, you can check out trick advisor for that, butIi'd whole heartedly recommend it to anyone wanting a funky place to stay in Boston, without breaking your budget or compromising on style.
Now to the food. Wow.
With only two-ish days in the city we wanted to make the most of what Boston's menus had to offer whilst seeing the city without needing to be forklifted home. I think we hit some of Boston's top spots, but there are so many more I'm desperate to get back to!
Thursday's lunch found us as Sweet Cheeks Q on Boyleston in Fenway, a convenient and entirely coincidental 3 minute stroll from our hotel.
Sweet Cheeks is all about Texas BBQ, smoked meats that aren't slathered in sauce, rather meltingly tender and succulent with their own slow smoked fats.
Led by Tiffani Faison (of Top Chef fame) and her memories of her childhood backyard 'the American south, north of the Mason Dixie', there is no way you're not getting excited about a place that's R&D included a life changing short rib.
The star of the show here really is the meat; from the impressive local, 'Never Ever' provenance (as in 'never ever' treated with hormones and rubbish), to the metal tray presentation: a scoop of coleslaw in one corner, a pile of sweet pickles in the other, and anything runny (like their incredible mac and cheese) confined to an enameled mug.
We ordered the brisket and the ribs, along with coleslaw, mac and cheese and a bucket of the most amazing biscuits that come with a whipped honey butter that are the perfect sweet counterpoint to the intensely rich, savory meat.
The BBQ sauce, one of three condiments set out on every table- the others a pickly vinaigrette and a spicy hot sauce, was so damn good we bought it. before we'd even finished our meal we had bought a bottle of that sauce and were wondering whether one would be enough.
Needless to stay experiments in backyard smoking are already filling my imagination, but in the meantime i'll be trying to recreate the delicious sweet pickles to keep my appetite sated until I can go back.
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