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Find your 'inner oink' at Virginia Barbeque
Virginia Barbeque offers something for barbecue lovers from the Old Dominion down to Texas, plus an array of down-home sides
Date published: 4/20/2006
By NANCY DEARING ROSSBACHER For THE FREE LANCE-STAR She: A North Carolina-born friend of mine used to announce her near-daily dosage of barbecue as "embracing her inner oink." A less than elegant turn of phrase, to be sure, but one readily understood by those of us whose vehicles veer off the road and come to a happy halt anywhere there's a sign with those three letters so dear to native Southerners and transplanted converts: barbecue. He: "Barbecue" usually conjures an image of a rumpled, beefy fellow with a stained apron, minding a smoky grill, tongs in one hand and Budweiser in the other. Virginia Barbeque entrepreneur Rick Ivey undoes that preconception. Clad in casual but well-pressed clothing, he draws from a quarter-century of experience as an executive chef. He's also a franchise businessman. The first location opened in Ashland in 2000, and there are now Virginia Barbeques in Ashland, Fredericksburg, and Culpeper and Stafford counties. (Readers of The Free Lance-Star will be familiar with the controversy surrounding the big-pig emblem that once stood triumphantly atop the Stafford location.) But the lack of tongs in his hand doesn't mean Ivey has removed himself from the all-important barbecuing process. On a recent visit to the Fredericksburg location, he was very much in evidence, smoothly dividing his time between the dining area and the kitchen. She: Barbecue may be prepared any number of ways, the various virtues of which are hotly debated among aficionados, but the one thing it should never be is pretentious. Virginia Barbeque's interior reflects an understanding of that, with simple booths and tables, a color scheme that appears an intentional mismatch of checkerboard wallpaper and touches of turquoise, and pig-motif collectibles scattered about. Orders are also an informal affair, as they are placed and paid for at the counter at the rear, then delivered to the diners. Utensils are plastic, and the soft drinks and iced tea flow freely from self-serve dispensers. Upbeat music that is recognizable to baby boomers (think "Proud Mary") plays unobtrusively in the background. He: The one-page menu is all about barbecue: sandwiches, combos (sandwich, two sides and a drink) and platters.
Date published: 4/20/2006
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