After 4 days of ice and snow (I actually had to spend 2 hours Thursday shoveling ice from my driveway) I was in need of some good Q so I decided a trip to my favorite local joint was in order. I figured since the Super Bowl was just 7 miles south, it might be a good idea to miss the lunch and dinner rush so I split the difference and got there about 3 pm. Good plan, but they were still slammed. Doh! The parking lot was jammed but I managed to find, literally, the last spot behind the car wash and against the fence. I noticed with some amusement cars with both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania license plates in the lot. Inside there was a long line, but I managed to get through with a heaping plate of food and find a small table just as the previous occupants were heading out. Most of the other tables were already full.
Before I got a chance to dig in I was joined by John and Bonnie from Fon du Lac Wisconsin, who, sure enough, were in town for the big game to cheer on their Packers. I didn't notice it at first, but there were at least 30 or more folks in the place with green Bay or Pittsburgh hats, jerseys, or some other paraphenalia. They told me they had come over from their hotel in Dallas to reconoiter a way to the stadium before the big day. We chatted a bit and I noticed they both had chicken and brisket on their plate, but no ribs. I suggested they might want to try the specialty of the house and later on they did.
My meal was a perfect plate (two actually) of happiness. The ribs were tender and juicy as always and I used a bunch of paper towels sopping the trickle of grease on my chin. I stuck with burnt ends only for the brisket and it was awesome as well. A few bits were chewy, but the smoke flavor was deep and lasting. One bit had a beautiful sugar cookie of fat which just melted in my mouth leaving a deep smoke taste. Yum! I had a little sliced chicken breast and it was moist and tender, as it usually is. The potato salad was average, as always, but was a nice compliment to the meat.
My new friends from Wisconsin finally got a couple of ribs and after tasting, the first words out of Bonnie's mouth were "Oh my God!" That pretty well sums it up. After that they went back and got more ribs.
No pictures today, but I was happy to see so many visitors enjoying my favorite local joint. I asked the Packer duo where they had heard of North Main and they said they had just googled around for restaurants near the stadium and liked all the reviews they saw. Hooray for the internet!
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