My right hand man, and drummer, Tim Schroeder took a trip up to Mason City to work an afternoon show at Fat Hill Brewing. I had really been looking forward to this show and getting into this new venue. The show went well, despite being subjected to being background for some newlyweds wedding pictures. The joke is on them, though. They’re going to have my mug peeking up behind them in their wedding pictures for the rest of their lives. I must say, "Sweat Equity" ended up being a pretty decent first dance song. On top of that excitement, J.D. Scholten happened to stop into the tap room towards the end of our set. I did have a chance to talk to him, and he’s a fine man. I’m really disappointed his senate run didn’t turn out differently. Tim and I ate at The Rib Crib after the show. Then, like real “rock stars”, we grabbed several specialty bottles of beer and drank them in the hotel room. It had a pool, and we used it.

But, back to that dinner

At The Rib Crib, the baked beans are served up in the customary small black side dish. This batch was a single bean variety. The beans were over cooked and slightly mushy, unfortunately. However, there were large chunks of bacon and diced green peppers in the mix to help improve the dish’s consistency. The sauce on these beans was straight sweetness and there was no heat or smoke flavor present in this traditional BBQ side. My offering had a very high "sauce-to-bean" ratio, bordering on soup.

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

Total score: 8

For what it’s worth,
​Fat Hill Brewing’s Brut IPA: 5

It was a Saturday afternoon and I was heading back to Marshalltown, IA for another show at Iowa River Brewing Company. I split the night with a pop country trio and the plates on their RV showed they were from Minnesota. That was...what it was. Anyhow, the weather was nice that evening and I got to play outside on Iowa River Brewing's beautiful patio. I had a good group of folks turn out to the show and show some love for my songs. A standing ovation had never happened for me, until that night. But, back to the trip. Fortunately for me Bondurant was on the route, directly. I swung into Reclaimed Rails Brewing Company that has, again fortunately for me, partnered with the next door barbecue joint Boxcar BBQ. Craft beer and barbecue. My heart, and stomach, were full. 

​Getting sappy. Back to the food!

These beans were served up in the classic white styrofoam cup and they were steaming hot. These were of a single bean variety and came served up in a sweet sauce. If they had had a little more spice to them, these would have been near perfect baked beans. In addition to the beans, this dish had a small amount of finely diced white onion cooked in it. The geniuses behind this concoction also threw in large chunks of their pulled pork, which added a nice change in consistency from the perfectly cooked beans. Plus, you get a sampling of their delicious pulled pork as a bonus. 

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

Total Score: 12
The best beans I've had all year. 

For what it's worth,
Reclaimed Rails Brewing Company's 1884 Coffee & Cream Ale (not pictured): 5

I made my way down to Omaha on a Friday night. I had thrown my hat in on a 4 songwriter bill at The Barley Street Tavern. It's situated on a side street, next to an alley, in the "up and coming" Benson neighborhood. The Barley Street Tavern was a diamond in the rough...except the opposite of that. An old tree stump in the middle of a wildflower field. That doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but you get the point. It was comfortable being a dive bar in an otherwise gentrified part of town. A dive bar of the first order, I'll have you know. Neon sign and all. I had a short set that went well, and it was a pleasure to share time with 3 other talented guys. I especially liked Tom Bartolomei's songs and I think you would too. 

Unsolicited artist promo over.

Let me tell you. These beans were...sold out. They must have been good. If the green beans, ribs, or cornbread were any indication, I'm sure they were delicious. Also I got creamed cucumbers instead of coleslaw, but I'm not complaining. 

Ratings (On a scale of 1-5)
Appearance: 0
Flavor: 0
Mouthfeel: 0

Total Score: 0

For what it's worth,
​Tom Bartolomei's songs: 5
(Now the unsolicited artist promo is over)

The Stone Horses and I had set ourselves up for a weekend of adventure. I borrowed a 1986 Winnebago Chieftan RV from a friend in town. I loaded myself, the band, all our instruments, and a documentarian into that thing and pointed it towards Sioux Falls, South Dakota. When we were done in Sioux Falls, we'd make our way to Auburn, Iowa where we'd record our first full band album. It was a long, drunken, music filled couple of days. But, don't let me get the cart ahead of the horses. Saturday, April 21st was record store day, and it was our turn to record a few songs for a great TV series, based out of the lower level of the The Last Stop CD Shop in Sioux Falls, called The White Wall Sessions. The guys at The White Wall Sessions are top notch and make a really great program. We were honored to be a part of it. We got all but one song done in one take. I sure had trouble with Henrietta, Queen of the Highway. We eventually got it all down and it felt good. I know, working with those guys, that it will sound good by the time it hits the airwaves. Anyway, there was this food truck, Harry's Yellow Submarine, parked out in the parking lot at the studio and the guys we worked with told us that Harry's baked beans were "the best in the world", or at least that's what he told everyone.

​I knew I wasn't getting out of that parking lot without trying these things.

These beans were served up, as a healthy portion, in a paper cup. They were warm, but not too hot. This appeared to be a single variety of bean, and they were definitely over cooked. With regards to consistency, these things were closer to refried beans than they were to baked beans. On the plus side, Harry has thrown in all kinds of meat scraps with the beans and that helps with consistency and flavor. These beans were in a  mostly sweet BBQ sauce. There was some spice to the sauce, but no smoke flavor to be found. I never thought I'd be eating baked beans from the driver's seat of a Winnebago, but there I was.

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

Total Score: 8

For what it's worth,
Handling in a 1986 Winnebago Chieftan: 0

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?