Curtis’ BBQ - Selectively Sassy
Curtis’ BBQ is a seasonal favorite in Putney, Vermont. Unfortunately the craving for barbecue is not seasonal, so when we found out there was a year round location in Chester, Vermont we decided we had to pay it a visit. The Chester location is located just off Route 103 in Chester. The sign announces it as “Curtis’ All American Restaurant,” but the large smoker in the parking lot and the fragrant scent of smoking meats lets you know that this is more than just American food. It’s an inviting building with a neon “Bud Light” sign in the window.
There is a large menu up on the wall at Curtis’, and you place your order and pay at the window next to it. The menu is standard barbecue fare: pork ribs, chicken, and chopped pork or chicken available on their own or in various sandwich, wrap, or quesadilla form. There are platters available for the ribs, 1/4 chicken, and chopped pork, all served with cornbread and either one or two sides. Available sides include cole slaw, potato salad, collard greens, corn, green beans, and baked beans. On Fridays after 6:00 p.m., Curtis’ serves beef brisket. There are also daily specials, and on the day of our visit, a Saturday, the special was a beef brisket sandwich, likely left over from the previous day. Tracey ordered the chopped pork platter with collard greens and baked beans and Yva ordered the pork rib platter with potato salad and baked beans. Curtis’ have a very inviting casual environment, with two walls of booths and several tables scattered around the room. The walls were covered with photos of Curtis Tuff, the Curtis of Curtis’, his business, and articles, as well as a large chalkboard noting the wine and beer service, as well as a Sunday “all you can eat” option.
The tables invited us to take our time and have a little fun, with decks of cards, mini Mr. Potatoheads, and tubs of modeling clay. In a wise move for a place that serves barbecue, Curtis’ also had the foresight to provide rolls of paper towels on each table.
We didn’t have time to play with the toys, because the service was fast (and friendly) and we soon had before us on our table two plates covered with food. The main items and cornbread were directly on the plate while our side items were presented quite cleverly in teacups on the plate. The cornbread was warm and of the slightly sweet cake-like variety, very tasty. Curtis’ gets bonus points for providing Cabot butter pats that were not cold and rock hard, but slightly warm so the butter could be spread on the cornbread.
Yva’s ribs were pink and smoky tasting, literally fall off the bone tender. Curtis’ does not use any rub or seasoning on the rubs, but smokes them in their pure form; the sauce is poured onto the ribs to order. Unfortunately, the sauce was cold, but it was good and the coldness did not detract from the melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness of the ribs. The potato salad that accompanied the ribs was the best Yva had ever tasted that was not prepared by one of her elderly relatives. She left craving more ribs and salad, but not for a lack of serving portion but rather as a craving for more of their tremendous flavor.
Tracey’s chopped pork was incredible, smothered in the tangy mild sauce, and were sided by collard greens (which weren’t as zesty or savory as she expected), a perfect cake of cornbread, and … the beans. We both had baked beans as one of our sides. It was definitely the low point of the meal. The beans lacked flavor or any sort. Yva did notice there was some onion in her baked beans, but even that tasted like nothing, not even onion. We noticed that when the people in the booth behind us left, they had ordered baked beans and had left most of them in the cup uneaten. Honestly, we would have been happier eating a cold can of Bush’s baked beans. Baked beans are a standard item that any barbecue restaurant should be able to master, if not innovate. We ordered the 1/4 chicken platter with mild barbecue sauce with cornbread and potato salad to go. The chicken, a leg and thigh, was juicy and the meat had an intense, but not overwhelming, smoky flavor and richness that left mouths watering. While the baked beans were a disappointment, we loved our Curtis’ experience and it was well worth the two plus hour drive to Chester to experience it and are already planning a return visit (this time with more items to enjoy at home). INFO: Total cost for dinner for two with two large beverages (w/tax): $29.97. Curtis’ is child friendly, and even has an area for kids to hang out. They take cash and major credit cards. Beverages include Pepsi(tm) products, beer, and wine. Open W, Th, Sun 11-8, and F and Sat 11-9.
