When you have Master Chefs who are used to the intricacies of fine dining, it’s always fun to see them turn around their apron for something a little less formal. Take Andrew Evans and his shift from fine dining to Thai to his true passion, BBQ (his newest endeavor, The BBQ Joint).
Now the Maryland chef has company in Virginia as Craig Hartman with his fine dining pedigree does double duty. As the executive chef at the Orient-Express property (Keswick Hall) in Keswick, VA and its fine dining approach to guest pleasure at its fine dining Fossett’s Restaurant, he has one type of demanding clientele. When he shifts gears, he heads to the smoker with his own restaurant that tests the mettle for real Southerners: Bar BQ. The recently opened BarBQ Exchange in Gordonsville, VA shows a talented chef can simultaneously be master of several cuisines as disparate as these two. OK, it helps if your wife is ready to run the Exchange and you have time to be the top toque at a demanding restaurant. Then such a juggle gives true fulfillment.
What Evans and Hartman demonstrate is an understanding of foods and the ability to conceptualize, cook, and execute. Hartman is the first to admit that you just don’t put the meat in an oven and wait for it to pop out as barbq. Time plays the fool as this slow-cooking process needs fine-tuning attention and has to meet the demands of an audience as critical in many ways as the one for fine dining.
Maybe the BBQ crowd proves even more demanding as everyone plays the connoisseur’s hand and discusses the merits of the meats and the sauces. Think of some of the great festivals that extol the ritual: Memphis in May ranks near the top of the list. Let’s see who comes out as a champion this year! Name a BBQ city such as Kansas City and you’ll understand partisan dialogue from the Gates to Arthur Bryant’s crowd and to some of the other player’s such as Jack Stack. One city; so many opinions and options!
Restaurants can’t even agree on the spelling of the food, so how can there be just a single barbecue style? No way.
Whatever fence you straddle, one fact remains: Talent is talent and smoked brisket doesn’t lie. Just slice it correctly!
