By Rachel Shuster

Opened in June, Smokestack Urban Barbecue is the brand new spot for delicious BBQ. Co-owners Erin Romaine and Bonny Alrymple foresee nothing but success with this new endeavor.

If Erin’s last name sounds familiar, you are correct. Erin Romaine is the proud wife of Richard Romaine, owner of Romaine’s Wood Grill and Bar in Northborough. “Romaine’s is a little higher end. My husband is a trained chef, from Louisiana, and his passion and assertiveness to open this new restaurant made everything happen,” Erin Romaine says. “Smokestack Urban BBQ is more ‘mom and pop,’ but done right. It offers variety, great food, service, a friendly atmosphere, etc. It’s simple but edgy at the same time,” she adds.

The restaurant’s name originated from the two huge smokestacks in the building at 90 Harding Street in Worcester, but the cool slate blue and rust colors inside make for a surprisingly cool feel. Upside down pails serve as lighting for your meal, and the whiskey barrels and Texas stars complete the modern decoration. “This isn’t your regular country roadhouse,” Romaine says. “It’s very eclectic, cool and hip.”

As for the menu? It’s just as cool as the atmosphere. Appetizers include gumbo, clam chowder, shrimp and grits, fried pickles and friend oysters ranging from $3.95 - $8.95. Salads include Caesar, iceberg wedge and BBQ brisket ranging from $5.95 - $14.95. A section of the menu called “In the Pits” has beef brisket, pork, ribs, etc. ranging from $12.95 - $20.95. The “Between the Buns” section includes sandwiches such as the “po-boy” (a southern classic) and beef brisket. Other dishes include blackened catfish, jambalaya, fish tacos and “Not your mama’s fried chicken.”

“We also have our own BBQ sauces,” Romaine says. Sauces include the Carolina Q and Kansas City Kick, which they also bottle and sell in their general store.

As for drinks, check out the full bar and, even better, the full Hurricane drink menu, another southern staple!

Smokestack has plans to have live bands play while you chow down on some serious BBQ grub.

Smokestack is open every night for dinner with hours Sunday 12pm-8pm, Monday-Thursday 4:30pm-10pm and Friday & Saturday 4:30pm-11pm. Smokestack is also open for lunch on Wednesday-Saturday from 11:30am-2pm.

For more information, check out www.bbqstack.com. See you there!

Photos courtesy of www.pigtrip.net

Barber’s Crossing North
175 Leominster Road (Rte 12) Sterling, Massachusetts
978-422-8438
www.barberscrossingrestaurant.com

It was a golden age of surf and turf in Worcester, a time when the place for lobster was Barber’s Crossing. They had a full family-style menu and salad bar, but inexpensive lobster was their specialty and they spoiled us with quality and low prices. People were always queued up for a table and the chance to get their twin lobster feast.

Then, at the height of all this, something mysterious happened and their doors closed. For a decade, the building remained empty, though through a coat of black paint one could still read their logo. In that time, Worcester’s restaurant scene has grown to the extent that we sometimes forget BC maintains two locations outside of town. Hoping for some mid-summer seafood, we drove up 190 to Sterling for Barber’s Crossing North.

Logistically, Barbers Crossing North has an ideal location halfway between Worcester and Leominster-Fitchburg ~ just off Route 190, with large parking lots. The building is one of those countrified roadhouses with lots of rough-sawn exposed beams, stone fireplaces and gingham curtains.

Mary introduced herself as our server and went through their list of draft beer options so that we could make our drink selection. While we waited for our appetizer, I reviewed the local businesses that had taken advertising space on my paper placemat. Plus we sampled warm buns served with Beaver Meadow butter pats. Soft-crusted and fluffy in the middle, these were the kind of rolls with which they make those little finger-sandwiches for family events.

Service was prompt throughout the evening and soon Mary returned with our appetizer, New York Style Buffalo Wings. Most places serve them so sticky with sauce that I usually require a quick shower after eating my portion. But the surface of these wings was dry, as if they’d been deep fried and then coated with a spicy rub. We loved them. Both drumsticks and winglets were loaded with meat and assertive in their spiciness and touch of salt. They came with the standard cup of Caesar dressing and huge sticks of celery and carrot.

We matched our Wings with glasses of Wachusett Summer Ale; refreshingly light and a touch sweet, it left lacy tracings of foam on the glass. The choice seemed especially fitting since Barbers Crossing is all but in the shadow of Wachusett Mountain.

But now we were poised to see if Barber’s still has their magic touch. After all, their website screams that they have the “BEST LOBSTER PRICES OF THE SEASON!” And indeed they do. For under twenty dollars, my friend had their Lobster and Prime Rib special.

The slab of prime rib, just under an inch thick, hung over the sides of the plate and was proclaimed “Delectable!” The shell of the lobster was soft, making it easy to penetrate but also meaning the crustaceous critter was just starting to grow into its new abode. But plump sweet chunks of lobster meat were soon extracted and extra napkins were required to sop up the broth. This was Barber’s as we remembered it!

Having just returned from a full day of turbulent air travel, I was ready for something much easier to manage, so I ordered their Fish & Chips. The chips turned out to be those wide-cut, fleshy steak fries, and the fish was moist and mild. It came with a small bowl of coleslaw flecked with carrot and red cabbage.

It’s common for people traveling to the Maine shore to insist on ordering a lobster and believe they’re getting the freshest seafood and the best deal. You won’t get the salt air, but if it’s a surf dinner you’re looking for, why not save the gas money and just drive a few miles north or south to Barbers Crossing?

By Rachel Shuster

Square One Sports Bar and Grille, owned by Jeremy Geary and Danielle Spring, is the new spot that’s a step up from the average sports bar. Opened in June 2010, Square One is located at 139 Green Street in Worcester and focuses on great food, drink, and atmosphere.

“This venture was something that Danielle and I were always interested in…We also thought that the Canal District was the perfect place for it,” Geary says. “We wanted to open in Worcester because Danielle was born and raised in the city, I’ve lived here for ten years and we both support the growth of the city. We are different because of the setup of our bar with the two different rooms, one for entertainment and one for sports viewing.”

Bartender Bobbi Louyakis describes Square One as “…young and fun. The staff is very interactive, we get to know everyone. It’s very comfortable.”

Stop by any night and “comfortable” and “chill” are just the words that come to mind, with groups of friends hanging out and talking with each other and with the employees ~ who really DO seem to know the names of their regular customers. There’s definitely a great vibe going on.

Square One’s menu has something for everyone and the kitchen stays open ‘til 1am. “Our menu is very unique,” Louyakis says. Think appetizers like fried mac n’ cheese (yum!), stuffed burgers (their #1 seller, with good reason!), sandwiches including pulled pork and pizza like BBQ chicken. Prices range from $4 - $10. Daily specials are Monday through Friday, 11:30am to 2:30pm - 1/2 price appetizers with purchase of an entrée! And don’t miss happy hour from 4 - 7pm for $5 appetizers!

Square One’s full bar is surrounded by huge TVs showing almost every sports game your heart could desire. As for specialty drinks, Louyakis says, “Every week we do a pitcher of our ‘secret drink.’ We don’t tell what it is! We’ll do papaya drinks, our house recipe sangria, etc. We also sell it as a shot or cocktail.” Also, Square One’s frozen drinks are perfect to sip on while lounging on the outside patio.

The weekly lineup includes Sunday Funday with DJ Kartier, Monday karaoke with DJ Wil-e, Stump Trivia Tuesday, Way Back Wednesday (90s music), a Thursday guest DJ with live music, DJ E Class on Fridays and DJ Sirch One on Saturdays. I even dropped by on a recent Sunday night and caught a great solo set by the lead singer of the band Bullethead. So it seems like any night you’re up for entertainment, Square One is, too!

Square One also holds private parties ~ and the location is provided for FREE! You just pay for food, drinks, and the DJ!

Open seven days a week, 11:30am – 2am, Square One is the place to be ~ truly a neighborhood bar taken to the next level.

Visit www.squareonesportsbar.com or call 508-752-3471

for more info.

See you there!

503 Shrewsbury St., Worcester
(508) 757-8982

By Bernie Whitmore

Is it possible to discover what’s been obvious forever?

That’s how my recent visit to the Wexford House felt. It’s not that they’re hidden away somewhere obscure; quite the opposite ~ they call their location at the top of Shrewsbury Street “the Gateway to Worcester.” And it’s not as if my companion and I were the first to walk through their door ~ on a recent weeknight both dining room and bar were packed.

But there’s a certain element of sociological field study to be faced on your first visit to the Wex: Its somewhat cramped quarters are a refuge zealously enjoyed by a group of regulars, people who’ve known each other for eons and think nothing of crying out greetings that echo across the dining room. The overall effect felt chaotic (albeit friendly), so I focused my attention on a glass of Sam Adams Summer Ale and the several bowls of buttery popcorn our waitress kept dropping off.

My apprehension was mounting. But when the food began to arrive I soon discovered what keeps this crowd of veteran regulars coming to the Wexford House.

Pleasant surprises began with the Crab Cake appetizer. By now I’ve had so many industrialized versions of crab cakes that I fear what travesty they’ll suffer next. So I started with a taste of the Wexford House’s remoulade sauce. Surprise! Tangy, spicy ~ it deliciously surpassed any I’ve had in years.

Emboldened, I forked a chunk of crab cake. Mostly tender crab, its subtle flavor pleasingly intact, there was just enough bread crumbs to hold it together. The flavorful golden-brown surface was crusty and uneven, evidence that it had been hand-formed and pan fried, which is always better than the oil-soaking they get from a plunge into the deep-fryer.

Strangely enough, this exemplary appetizer was served with bland, supermarket-grade bread and little plastic tubs of whipped-butter-margarine blend labeled “European Style.” Bypassing the “butter,” I used a slice or two for scooping up the remaining remoulade.

Open Face Steak Sandwiches are a phenomenon I’ve never warmed up to; I usually suspect they’re just Steak-umms on a bun. Things couldn’t be more different at the Wexford House. My friend ordered their “open face” and was amazed when he was served a righteous slab of tasty sirloin ~ an inch and a half thick ~ expertly grilled medium rare, just as ordered. Its copious juices had soaked the poor little slice of toast nestled under it and it was served with a large baked potato and pickle slices. Who decided to disguise a steak dinner as a sandwich?

My Seafood Linguine Fra Diavolo came in a large oval bowl ringed with in-shell mussels; the pasta was dressed with moderately spicy marinara sauce and scattered with calamari rings, large sea scallops and shrimp. I gave it a few shakes of red pepper flakes to bring it up to my preferred level of heat. After sampling the seafood, I found the shrimp to be the tastiest and was crestfallen when I found only two of them. However, as I proceeded through my meal, more and more shrimp surfaced from the sea of linguine.

Despite the large entrée portions, I decided to try one of their desserts, a slice of Caramel Apple Granny Pie. Rich pastry was filled with sliced apples in creamy custard. The thick crumb topping was slathered with buttery dark caramel and the plate was crazy-drizzled with caramel sauce.

The Wexford House is certainly not an elegant place to dine: crowded, loud, with little focus on decor. But when it comes to prices, it’s one of the better values around. And once the food has been served, diversions fade to pure dining pleasure. That was the real discovery.