Render the Alamo
Barbecue, when generalized on the east coast, is often categorized by its paint or sauce.
Most sauces can be put into one of four camps: Vinegar and pepper, the barbecue mother sauce; mustard, or South Carolina-style; tomato, or North Carolina-style, and heavy tomato sauce, recently evolved in response to the American sweet tooth.
You can find all four types of barbecue sauce in South Carolina and combined to dress the pulled pork at Alamo BBQ in Union Hill.
Union Hillis, in my opinion, the loveliest neighborhood in Church Hill, if not in Richmond. The view from the Jefferson Avenue Park is cinematic in scope and beauty and the homes on Princess Anne Avenue wink at a different era, an era when neighbors sat on the front porch instead of on the back one hidden behind a privacy fence. The sense of community is strong.
Several to-go businesses have moved into the phantasmagoric building at Jefferson and 22nd, but nothing has stuck there in recent years, until now.
I predict that the Alamo will hold. The ‘cue is smoky, the sides and desserts are homemade, and then there’s that view. You might not be able to see the sky line from the outside tables at Alamo, but you can see some stunning architecture, some of it begging for attention, and Jefferson Park is only a couple of blocks away.
The aroma of hickory and red oak that Alamo uses for smoking their meat hangs at the base of the park.
Alamo has been pushing pork sandwiches for about seven weeks. The menu is simple, a choice of pork, chicken or beef sandwiches with a barbecue portabella sandwich for good measure, all for under $6. The list of side dishes changes slightly from day-to-day, but they ring up for under $2. If you have a Texas-sized appetite, you can make a "dinner" by adding 2 sides to your ‘cue and selecting a dessert for a $10 combo.
The pork barbecue (forgive the tautology) comes substantially bunned (don’t want those juices dripping down your sleeve) and topped with tangy slaw, its sauce on the side. Church Hill resident Buddy Corbett nails it when he describes the pork as "tender as a mother’s love."
Executive Chef Paul Hubbard makes a mean beef brisket as well. If you are going to fly the Lone Star flag, you have to have a signature beef sandwich; Alamo’s includes thickly sliced brisket topped with pickled jalapenos and onions. Try it with a side of meaty, smoky, spice-infused cowboy beans or creamy jalapeno mac ‘n’ cheese.
The salsa, made with fresh corn and tomatoes, will benefit from a few more summer rays – the tomatoes weren’t quite ripe enough, and I’d like different corn chips (mine were broken and going stale) but everything else I tried at Alamo was excellent.
A riff on Texas caviar is chocked with black beans, japs, red onion and a roadhouse portion of cilantro. If you have patience, wait for this side dish to come to room temperature before eating, the flavors will pop.
The desserts at Alamo include the tried and true banana pudding with Cool Whip, carrot cake and the kid-friendly Choco Taco. I loved the pecan pie’s flaky, buttery crust and deeper than Dostoevsky filling of savory treacle topped with a truckload of pecans.
Again, Alamo holds it position by offering good value with dessert under $3.00. And if you don’t like Choco Tacos, you can catch the ice cream truck most evenings on your way to the park.
Alamo BBQ ***
2202 Jefferson Avenue
(804) 592-3138
Atmosphere- walk-up window for take-out, with a few outside tables
Wheelchair Access-yes
Recommended dishes – beef brisket, cowboy baked beans, pecan pie
Wine list –No
Hours - 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Payment- visa, MasterCard, cash
What’s in the Stars
0—don’t go
*-average
** above average
*** very good
**** excellent dining experience
Imagine learning to process caviar in Russia after a childhood of Cup-a-Soup. Needless to say, Varmit Pickeral was inspired. Thus began 20 years of restaurant gypsy-hood, beginning with Varmit’s first job as a dishwasher in an institutional kitchen and then trying out most any job Varmit could get in the hospitality industry, including; NC BBQ pit line-cook, cheese steward at Artisanal in Manhattan, grape picker, and specialty buyer for Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market in Northern Virginia.
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