Bark Barbecue Cafe, Stevensville, Queen Anne County, Maryland

Let me jump ahead. After three delicious breakfasts, I arrived for lunch at Bark Barbecue Cafe at 371 Log Canoe Circle, which happens to be right across the street where Paul Reed Smith’s exquisite craft guitars are made. The area is a modern office park, and Bark’s space is not your typical barbecue shop.

Out in the parking lot, however, are two big wood-fired cookers and a bigger wood pile, all under a roof.

I first heard about Bark when the Washington Post picked it as one of the top barbecue places in the Washington area. Stevensville is not in the Washington area, it’s on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, but this is barbecue so I’ll not quibble. More important than the Post, Bark had an enthusiastic endorsement from Doug Herbert, our Senior Miscellaneous Correspondent.

I arrived at 12:16 and went in to order. Frankly, after 3 breakfast sandwiches, I wasn’t that hungry, so I just ordered a brisket sandwich. I then added a side of collards to reintroduce vegetables to my system. Some chips came along for the ride, and I gave them to another group.

Here’s a close up of the sandwich.

Focus on the brisket. It was everything a brisket should be. This is what little veal cutlets hope to become some day after long and fulfilling hours in a smoker. It’s among the best in the ever-expanding Washington area. (We have no further territorial ambitions after Stevensville!)

The sandwich, well you can see it’s a bit messy, at least in my hands. Indeed, about a fifth of it plopped out while I was taking that picture. It’s dressed with a pretty good Alabama white sauce, a bit light on the vinegar and pepper, some tamed red onions, and slaw dressed with a mayonnaise-based sauce. I blame myself. I know to order all toppings and sauces on the side, but one or two of my cylinders weren’t hitting. Probably clogged with scrapple.

After lunch I went back inside and asked to see the boss, and Berj Ghazarian, the pitmaster and co-owner came out. I thanked him for cooking exclusively with wood and gave him a Campaign for Real Barbecue window sticker. (Look for it.) I mentioned my issues with the sandwich, and Berj nodded and said he was planning a more basic sandwich. Somehow the conversation turned to hot smoked pastrami and Berj said he was just then doing a test run on some pastrami before adding it to the menu. My heart, be still! That would be worth crossing the Bay Bridge … midweek.

And regardless, I’ll go back to Bark, at least on my Second Delaware Scrapple Tour if not sooner. At the start of the Tour this time. And many of you will be crossing the bridge on your way to the ocean beaches or the Eastern Shore. You can’t do better than to stop at Bark, have a meal. You’ll want to stock up on more to go. Oh, and get some collards. They’re good.

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