“I remember when I was growing up, we used to buy pet food somewhere around here,” I tell Brian Treitman, “They would let you bring your dog inside.”
“That’s our smokehouse now,” he says, leading me through the gate at the rear of his new Park Avenue holding, B.T.’s Fried Chicken & BBQ. We step back into an immaculate space filled with stainless surfaces. A prep-cook is dry rubbing hundreds of pounds of meat and I imagine what our old mutt would think if he could see the Pet Barn now. The scene is making me hungry and I know where to get my fix.
Treitman’s kids are in front of me in line and Director of Operations Bill Nemeroff’s kids are behind me. Both duos are proud of the legacy their fathers helped to establish in nearby Sturbridge where BT’s Smokehouse was named the No. 1 barbecue joint in Massachusetts by Food & Wine, in addition to dozens of other accolades. The food is mercilessly delicious.
I attribute part of BT’s flagship success to its proximity to Tree House Brewing Company. Devotees routinely make the pilgrimage from all over the Northeast (and beyond) for the BYOB and BBQ experience afforded by both elite purveyors. Sure enough, I spot Kim Golinski, Tree House’s bookkeeper extraordinaire, digging into a plate at a picnic table nearby. She’s thrilled to see Treitman and Nemeroff thriving as they expand the BT’s brand.
I intend to save some of my haul to bring home for my husband, but little by little, my fried chicken and collard greens disappear. When I return with nothing but cucumber salad, I can see he’s disappointed. “We’ll go back this weekend,” I promise him.
On Friday evening, we can see the line stretching down Chandler Street. We should have ordered ahead, but I hadn’t done my research, so we wait for 30 minutes or so and make small talk from six feet away with a science-fiction novelist and a little girl named Mia who peers through the restaurant’s glass window like it might as well be a toy store. At one point, the whole line bonds when an oblivious hipster cuts in front of us all and makes himself right at home inside. One of my new pals props open the door and tries to get his attention, but he just smiles and waves in our direction while the rest of us let out a collective groan. No use confronting him. Sometimes establishing a common enemy is just more fun.
Mia challenges me to a dance-off. She’s only 4 years old, so I suspect my extensive experience at Skylight and Sh-Booms! will give me an edge, but our fellow line-mates name her the unanimous winner after she sticks the landing on what can only be described as a triple Salchow. I throw my white flag into the air and declare her the undefeated champion of Chandler Street. She demands a rematch.
By the time we get inside, it feels like we’ve all been through something special together. We’re glad we didn’t order online. After all, where would I be without Mia? When we get to the front, I am pleased to recognize a crew of fellow Doherty grads behind the counter. It’s only day three of service, but they have their routine down to a science. We order extra cornbread to toast the next morning for breakfast with butter and fig jam. I’m no amateur.
Barbecue of BT’s caliber takes patience from start to finish. If you’re willing to wait, camaraderie and gratification will reward you on the other side. Don’t believe me? Take a sniff around the old Pet Barn and watch where your feet take you. You’ll be dancing in line before you say, “beef brisket.”
The Link LonkOctober 06, 2020 at 09:47PM
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Lifestyle: I lost a dance-off while waiting in line at BT’s Fried Chicken & BBQ - Worcester Mag
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Fried Chicken
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