Taj Mahal and Blue Ribbon Barbecue

I saw Taj Mahal at the Regent Theater in Arlington last Thursday. He put on a great show. I had never seen him live but had some of his CDs. In addition to his eclectic blend of blues, he provided amusing chat between takes. Apparently, he lived in the area for a while and spoke knowingly on the odd aspects of New Englanders. He even went to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and worked picking tobacco in the Pioneer Valley, a very familiar spot. One of his dialogs reminded me of my friend Don Lessor’s comparison of New Yorkers and New Englanders. This was the beginning of an eastern US tour and here is a link to upcoming shows. Go see him if you can.

Before the show I followed the suggestions of my North Carolina barbecue experts, the Watlingtons and tried the Blue Ribbon. Mal said to try the pulled pork which I did, along with the ribs. It is rated as the top place for ribs in the Boston area. You can buy the tender, slow-cooked, pit-smoked meats (which include pulled pork, burnt ends, beef brisket, pulled chicken, and hot sausage) three ways: sandwich, platter, and "bulk." I thought it was great but the ribs were not the “fall off the bones” type, even though they were delicious. Blue Ribbon is located at 908 Massachusetts Ave. 781 648 7427.

Comments

[John Maloney]

Hi --

Glad you checked in with Taj. perennial favorite.

Also, I hope your sitting down, but a bbq joint in soft-centered cheese loving and jammy merlot drinking San Francisco, consistently ranks in the top ten of USA bbq and even won 'Best in North America' recently.

With all due respect to Texas, the Carolinas and St. Louis, our pitmaster hails from -- Brooklyn.

Yah gotta love this country!

Memphis Minnie's Bar-B-Que Joint & Smoke House
"Home of Swine Dining"
Lower Haight
576 Haight St. (bet. Fillmore & Steiner Sts.)
San Francisco, CA, 94117 (415) 864-7675

The neighborhood can be a little dicey. It safe, just keep you eyes/ears open.

-jtm

[Bill Ives]

Yes and Emril comes from Lawerence Mass and went to cooking school in Providence. I will add Memphis Minnie's to your list of SF places. Did Minnie ever go to Memphis?