Marinade at the BBQ

 

My birthday festivities lasted several days including a trip to Pat's BBQ. I've mentioned Pat's here before, and the joint is definitely worth a re-mention. As usual, the food was fantastic, but my daughter, son-in-law, and I were absorbed in the music of Marinade.

What an unlikely band configuration Marinade is … the lead singer, Talia Keys, is also the drummer. The band's vibe is a juicy configuration of reggae, blues, jazz, funk, and rock. Talia looked strikingly like a friend of mine who's now a stay-at-home mom with two daughters, but who definitely can hold her own in a group of men. Confidently singing and banging on drums for hours on end, Talia's huge, deep voice sang out to such tunes as “Roses,” “Voodoo Maya,” and “Downtown Digs.” The music wasn't so much about the lyrics as it was about the groove and beat of the jimbay (African percussion), sax, guitar, and bass behind the drums.

I read somewhere once that it's better to listen to classical music while eating, something about the effect of calm, soothing music to digest by. I'll have to respectfully disagree. Marinade was the perfect saucy sound for eating Salt Lake City's best BBQ meal.

 Oh wait ... there's more.  My daughter had whipped up a special birthday celebration, complete with Tiramisu, which of course she blogged about a couple weeks later.  {mmmmmm}

As They Say at Pat's BBQ, It's Howling Good!

Pat's BBQ
155 West Commonwealth Avenue
South Salt Lake City, UT 84115
801-484-5963
(closed Sundays, FYI)

Last Friday night, I found myself at Pat's (Howling Good) BBQ for dinner and a concert. Don't be fooled by the lack of external ambiance. Located on a dead end street in an unassuming part of South Salt Lake City, Pat's is a gem among BBQ establishments. I've lived in North Carolina and been to more than a few pig pickin's in my day, so I know what authentic tastes like.

Pat's proudly displays its awards at the front of the building.

Pat's fare of mouth-watering ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, and chicken are served piping hot to your table. This is the place in Salt Lake City to go for meat. At least, it's one of the best. Vegetarians may be taken aback by the shortage of vegetarian dishes, although we enjoyed the Mustard Greens on our last visit and on this visit, we tried the latest menu addition, the Black Eyed Pea Salad. Popular sides are Meaty Gravy and Rice, Creole Beans and Rice, and Jambalaya. The real delicacy, Burnt Ends, are served Friday nights and they go quickly. They'd run out of Burnt Ends by the time we asked, but the waiter found some in the back just for us. Because “they were dried,” he wouldn't even charge us for them. We were not disappointed at the price or the flavor. A typical entree with sides and a beverage won't set you back more than $20.

The atmosphere is quite down home, with plastic utensils and paper towels on the tables. The abundant paper towels came in handy for wiping my hands after eating chicken and also for taking notes for my blogging activities (I never bring paper). I had no idea how easy it is to write on a paper towel!  Much better than Costco receipts.

Pat's outdoor patio fills up rather quickly on the weekends.

As if the excellent food isn't enough, Pat's has live entertainment, usually blues or bluegrass, on Fridays and Saturdays. The featured band Friday night and the last time I visited was “The Lab Dogs.” My friend Cindy always invites me to the show when the Lab Dogs are playing at Pat's.  When there's not entertainment, you may hear a ZZ Top music video or something similar playing in the background.

I caught up with Cindy and learned she bought a banjo. And coordinating with the meat theme, she'd worn her “bones” bracelet. She related how she wore the bracelet once at a client meeting, and the client's dog kept nipping at her wrist. Apparently, even with all the typical jewelry coating, the dog could still sniff the bone.

What to wear? Pat's is extremely casual and there's no air conditioning, but it was pleasant enough with fans circulating air throughout the inside and patio areas. One little suggestion ... you ladies may want to avoid wearing above the knee skirts to Pat's. It's not that the other patrons would mind seeing your legs; however, the seating is picnic tables with long benches. You will be pulling your knees toward your chin to get into your seat. I changed into a Gap knee-length straight skirt after work because it was so hot outside. And in spite of half a dozen times in and out of my seat, I never really mastered the benches with skirt drill.  {yikes}

Disclosure: cover price FREE 

Utah's Lab Dogs Bluegrass Band ... Because Salad Is Never Enough

 

The Lab Dogs understand that you don't win friends with salad.  “Let's go to Pat's BBQ, … you don't need teeth to eat their tasty meat.” Thus began the Lab Dogs Friday performance last Friday at Pat's BBQ, with an unabashed pitch for the restaurant's pulled pork, roasted chicken, and ribs, among other meat entrees.

I learned about the Lab Dogs from Cindy, my former coworker and friend from our Zions Bank days. Before the concert, I chatted up Bill and Eric, two of the Lab Dogs, and learned they regularly play at rest homes and care centers. The group considers these volunteer concerts among their most rewarding performances. But of course, such gigs are not without incident.

One time a patient kept on standing up while the Lab Dogs were playing, which set off an alarm to alert the staff that a patient was possibly in trouble. “The sound of that alarm wasn't anything close to the key we were playing in,” said Eric, the bass guitarist.

When they played at a hospital, the staff had turned off the television during the concert, and one of the fellows was not happy to be missing Wheel of Fortune. He apparently yelled “Bull sh*t!” throughout the performance. Eventually “the captain” was wheeled out, yelling on the way.  

The chuckling good harmony continued the entire evening with such favorites as “I'm a Lockdown for Your Love,” “If Loving You is Killing Me, What a Way to Go,” “We're Pitiful Losers, Just Like You,” and “I'm Walking the Dog, Not Thinkin' 'Bout You.”  The Lab Dogs have a couple of Utah-themed songs. “No Meat For Minersville,” is a tale of the time someone robbed the Minersville grocery store and cut the power to the refrigerator holding an entire town's supply of meat. And “We Love Utah” contrasts Utah's abundant and beautiful natural resources such as the mountains and lakes with the state's persistent acceptance of hazardous waste for storage. The chorus goes something like this:

And if you've got pollution

We've got the solution

Just ship it to Utah,

We'll keep it for you

We'll take plutonium

Depleted uranium

It's a no-brainium

We'll keep it for you

The Lab Dogs have been playing bluegrass music since 1999 at festivals, parties, wedding receptions, and other events. The Dogs were originally a group of archeologists, one of whom is still in the group. One of the other original members was in the audience for the group's performance last Friday. The group's repertoire includes traditional and original music, all of which is lively and entertaining. Their goal is to have a great time playing to (and with) their audience. And they do.

The Lab Dogs are Kevin Jones (mandolin), Erik Brunvand (bass), Peter Netka (resophonic guitar), Bill Thomas (guitar), and DJ Frederick (banjo). Kevin, the State Archeologist, was in the original group, and Bill is on the Mount Making Team at the University of Utah Natural History Museum. And the other Lab Dogs are not scientists. Pete is a retired business man, Eric is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Utah, and DJ is a retired judge.

During the break, I chatted with Eric's wife and learned of a couple possibilities for Celtic jamming here in town. Good to know there are avenues out there for just such.

If you like lively bluegrass music and you like to laugh, you will love the Lab Dogs. The group's website will give you a sampling of their songs, includes information about the band and their upcoming performances, including the Torrey Music Festival on July 31st.  You may also connect with the Lab Dogs via their Facebook page.

At one point during the evening, I commented to my friend Cindy that it seemed like about half the Lab Dog's songs were about meat. “Yes,” she smiled. One song has the line “Pig meat is what I crave.” {vegetarians beware}

Disclosure: cover charge is FREE at Pat's. I received NO compensation for this review.