Handsome Hog, St. Paul, Minnesota

Fearing high afternoon temperatures, Nancy and I rose early for our capital city Volksmarch in St. Paul. The walk started downtown, where I was sad to see some good looking places had closed.

So sad. We walked uphill to the Capitol and the city’s glorious domed cathedral.

The walk continued atop the Cathedral Hill, its summit lined with grand old stone and brick mansions, many with magnificent views of St. Paul. Along the way, we passed the Handsome Hog. Nancy said it reminded her of me, the Handsome part, I’m sure. We continued past its patio and parking lot, and continued on our walk to the end. Nancy and I took a minute to search restaurants, and found that the Handsome Hog is the top-rated barbecue place in the Twin Cities. Easy choice. Minnesota may not be the heart of barbecue country, but Maine boasts Wilson County Barbecue with that good Eastern North Carolina barbecue and good vinegar pepper sauce, so why not?

Nancy and I managed a nice shaded table on the flower-bedecked patio, and looked over the menu. Handsome Hog bills itself as featuring Contemporary Southern cuisine, and the menu includes things like gumbo and redfish and grits, For $30 each, I might add. Instead, we both voted for sandwiches, a smoked chicken salad sandwich ($16) for Nancy

and a Carolina BBQ sandwich ($16) for me.

The server took care to warn me that the pork and the accompanying salad both had been dressed with vinegar “instead of barbecue sauce.” I tried and, I’m pretty sure I failed, to maintain a poker face. Nil desperandum, I persevered with my order and, with the help of a beer, refrained from educating the server about the world’s best barbecue sauces.

It turned out that the sandwich and slaw were laced with some vinegar, but not that much, and with very little pepper. The meat was moist and tender, if light on the smoke. The pickles perked the sandwich up some. It was a pretty far cry from North Carolina or Portland, but a good pork sandwich. It tasted good. And the cucumber salad was very good, with tomatoes and onion, all dressed in, I think, a Chinese wine vinegar. It was delightful.

Nancy’s smoked chicken salad was overdressed and needed some celery for texture, although it did have some pecans and some stray cartilage. Nancy thought it hadn’t been smoked but I could detect some. Not bad, but it could have been better. It came with a cornbread muffin made with Anson Mill grits and … sugar. The muffin came with a cayenne honey butter that I really liked. It was oversweet up front, but had a great cayenne finish.

Handsome Hog clearly has a very good kitchen, but they seem afraid to pull the trigger to make Southern barbecue. I feel certain based on the server’s warning that they’re responding to their customer base, and that startled folks have complained about the vinegar and pepper. That’s understandable. I’d be happy to go back and try their gumbo and the redfish and grits (although I’d prefer walleye and grits), and the many attractions of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The restaurant offers a delightful setting, and it’s well worth a trip to explore their many strengths.

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And while you’re at it, click “follow” on our front page to receive blog posts in your email box.  Or bookmark us and check in from time to time.  If you’re planning a trip, you can “Search” the name of the destination city, state, or country for good restaurants (in Europe, often close to sites, like the Louvre or the Van Gogh Museum, that you’ll want to visit in any event). And stick around for news, all manner of recipes, hotels, and the occasional book or movie review and fine arts and architecture commentary.  Comments, questions, and suggestions of places to eat or stories to cover are very welcome.  And check out our Instagram page, johntannerbbq.

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