Oct
30, 2003 — I've
never received such an overabundance of recommendations for a
new restaurant. Even before Speak E-Z's opened its doors, I was
hearing a buzz.
I've been there a couple times now and can verify the
validity of the claims readers are making.
Taking over the space previously occupied by Gloria's Mexican
Restaurant on Meridian Street in the Fountain District, Speak
E-Z's serves up some of the best barbecue in Bellingham.
My friend Joel is a barbecue authority and backs up that
statement wholeheartedly, agreeing that Speak E-Z's balances the
smoky flavor with the sweet and tangy
— a trick other area barbecue joints
don't pull off as successfully.
|
Speak E-Z's Memphis-Style BBQ |
|
Location: 2400 Meridian St.
Phone: 714-0606
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through
Saturday. 5 to 8 p.m., Monday through Wednesday. 5 to
9:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.
Serving: Its motto says it all: Speak E-Z's
serves the best barbecue in Bellingham.
Menu items sampled:
Okra $4.75
BBQ beef brisket $13.75
Full rack of BBQ ribs $17.95
Hefeweizen $3.50
BBQ pulled pork sandwich $7.50
BBQ beef brisket sandwich $7.75
Seafood gumbo $6.75
Side of collard greens 2.95 |
"You can have too much of one or the other," he
says, complaining that other area restaurants serve barbecue
that's either too sweet or too tangy.
Joel, being a fair guy, went on to stress that those are just
his personal preferences and others would disagree, but so far
I've only heard from like-minded barbecue buffs.
I wanted to give the place a bit of time to find its footing,
so put off my first visit for as long as I could. But the raves
kept coming and I finally gave in.
My husband and I tucked in on a recent rainy Monday night,
instantly warmed by the predominant burnt-umber colors of the
dining room. The decor is instantly inviting, the deep wall
color decorated tastefully with albums and album artwork, mixed
in with framed photos of famous blues singers. Small deep-blue
pendant light fixtures hang from the ceiling, casting an ambient
glow.
An employee greeted us immediately and told us to grab any
seat we liked. The restaurant was nearly empty
— which surprised me
— but by the time we left, the front
dining room was bustling and the swiveling stools in front of
the small bar in the second dining room held happy patrons
enjoying drinks.
The menu offers a bounty of barbecue and many of the other
delicacies a lover of Southern food craves: shrimp and crab
cakes, fried catfish, seafood gumbo, liver and onion, pecan pie,
and on and on. Is your mouth watering yet?
I immediately settled on the beef brisket, while my husband
was there to try the real deal: a full rack of barbecue ribs.
We began with a side order of fried okra. The bite-sized
slices of okra pods were lightly breaded and deep-fried, served
with a simple, flavorful ranch dipping sauce and garnished with
tiny rounds of scallion and a touch of red bell pepper pieces.
The true mark of fried food done well is nary a trace of excess
grease, just a pleasant crunch, and Speak E-Z's' fried okra was
just right.
Our entrees arrived shortly after our empty appetizer platter
was taken from the table by our friendly, efficient server.
A basket holding two cornbread muffins wrapped in a burgundy
linen napkin landed on our table alongside the huge plates of
food. They were served with soft, creamy honey butter and
punctuated by occasional bits of green bell pepper. Each bite of
cornbread crumbled and fell to our plates just as proper
cornbread should.
The generous portion of smoked beef brisket was falling-apart
tender, each slice coated with just enough barbecue sauce to
give it oomph yet not overwhelm it.
The sauce surprised me with its spiciness, but it was by no
means too hot for comfort. The menu said more barbecue dipping
sauce would be served on the side, although it wasn't. In the
end, I didn't miss its omission.
My husband's rack of St. Louis-style ribs had been
slow-smoked, the plump, meaty, larger-bone ribs holding the meat
tightly, rather than the falling-off-the-bone variety I've tried
before.
One taste and I was instantly transported in time to my Uncle
Ivyl's yearly pig roasts of my Iowa youth. The balance of smoky,
sweet and tangy flavors was so spot-on, it was hard not to be
jealous of my husband's choice. But then I returned to my spicy
brisket and forgot all about it
— after all, there will be many more
visits to Speak E-Z's when I can order the ribs.
I'm told that a walk-in smoker at the back of the restaurant
is the secret to what makes Speak E-Z's barbecue so wonderful
— and so Memphis. My husband consumed
the entire rack
— a full pound of pork.
Both of our dinners came with ample side servings of collard
greens, baked beans and garlic mashed potatoes.
I invited two co-workers to join me at Speak E-Z's for lunch
a couple days later. The memory of that extraordinary beef
brisket was lingering in my mind, and I wanted another sample.
I ordered the beef brisket sandwich, while my co-worker Neal
went with a pulled pork sandwich, and co-worker Char had a bowl
of seafood gumbo and an enormous side order of collard greens.
The barbecue beef brisket sandwich was a tasty lunch-time
twist on the dinner entree, the same sliced smoked brisket
topped with sauteed onions and sliced mushrooms served on a
toasted hoagie roll, accompanied by baked beans and french
fries. It completely satisfied my craving.
Neal was born in Tennessee and said his pulled pork sandwich
was exactly as he remembered it from his childhood
— right down to the coleslaw-slathered,
toasted onion bun. The lean smoked pork shoulder was as
perfectly prepared as my brisket, and Neal thanked me profusely
for introducing him to the eatery.
Char ordered a gargantuan bowlful of savory seafood gumbo, a
thick potage of crab, shrimp, chicken, sausage and vegetables,
served with another of those fantastic, crumbly cornbread
muffins and delectable honey butter.
After two visits to Speak E-Z's, I still consider myself a
barbecue novice, of course. I have much to learn.
In fact, I had to do some research to make sure I knew how to
distinguish barbecuing from grilling. "Grilling for
Dummies" makes it simple: "Barbecuing is the technique
of indirectly and slowly cooking large cuts of meat for a long
period of time, over low heat and with lots of hot smoke.
Compare this to direct grilling, which cooks small, tender
pieces of food at higher temperatures for shorter grilling
times. You may say that the two techniques are almost
opposites."
Thanks to Speak E-Z's' owners Dennis and Rosie Rayborn, I've
acquired a new-found passion for barbecue. Grilling can wait
until next summer; I'll be spending many of my winter evenings
at Speak E-Z's, appreciating the art of scrumptious,
saliva-inducing barbecue.
