I was right in the middle of a two night run in central Iowa. The night before I had played at Back Country Winery outside of Stratford, Iowa and I was killing time until my first performance at Iowa River Brewing Company in Marshalltown. Aside from the brewery and this BBQ joint, I didn't find much to do in Marshalltown (if you've got recommendations for things to do in the area, let me know. I'm going back two more times this summer).  The "Smoked Philly Sandwich" from Smokin' G's was delicious. Packed full of great smoked brisket, fresh peppers and onions, and plenty of cheese.

But, you're here for the beans.

For starters, I wasn't supplied with a spoon to eat them. That's not the end of the world, but it's less than ideal. The beans were steaming hot when they were brought to my table, and served in a small bowl. The beans themselves were a single bean variety and were firm in their consistency. The sauce on these particular baked beans were full of brown sugar sweetness. Unfortunately, there was no heat or smoke flavor to the sauce. There was a small presence of finely diced white onion in the dish, but all onion flavor was masked by the brown sugar flavor. I don't want to go so far as to say these baked beans were straight from a can, but I'd be very surprised if they weren't.

Ratings (On a scale of 1-5)
Appearance: 1
Flavor: 2
Mouthfeel: 3

Total Score: 6

For what it's worth,
Back Country Winery's Frontenac Gris: 5

This first blog post is me playing catch up from February 17th. The boys in the band and I stopped at Jethro and Jake’s in Altoona, Iowa on our way back home from a show at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City the night before. We drove through a freak snow storm, and wound up stalled on the highway for over an hour while they cleaned up a multi-car pile up. We got out of it ok. However, we pulled into the parking lot and some dude hits the door of our rig with his car, and he has the nerve to call the cops and interrupt our meal.

But, I digress.

​This serving was of a satisfying size. Sure it's only a side dish, but that's what I'm coming for. This dish had a variety of beans to it. White, red, and black. The addition of bacon helped add consistency to the dish. The beans were cooked to a great consistency, not mushy but not hard. The sauce was mostly sweet with a slight vinegar kick. There was no discernible heat or smoke flavor with these baked beans. Strong. Right out of the gate.

Ratings (On a scale of 1-5)
Appearance: 4
Flavor: 3
Mouthfeel: 4

Total Score: 11

For what it’s worth,
Altoona Police Department: 5

As I travel for shows, I'm going to rate baked beans as I try them at different restaurants. I will include a rating system as well as pictures. Exciting, right?