Shoot, I couldn't wait to gnaw my way through some spare ribs at In Cahoots in Plymouth. I'd spent the afternoon wine tasting around the Shenandoah Valley on Sunday, and after all that primitivo and zinfandel, was ready to chomp down on some hearty barbecue. My pal and colleague Al Pierleoni always raved about In Cahoots on Main St. for its Santa Maria styled tri-tip and other barbecue fixins.
So I took a seat, checked out the menu - until a slightly glum looking waitress came over to explain that In Cahoots was shutting down as of Sunday night. But this time, spare ribs, beef ribs, hot links and other popular items were a no-go.
The server explained that the owners were simply retiring from the barbecue business. I asked if they were around so I could chat with them really quick, but no, they weren't in the building.
Well, so much for those spare ribs. Instead I ordered a combo platter of tri-tip and chicken and listened to other customers' reactions when told that In Cahoots was going to the great barbecue pit in the sky.
"What? No!" came a cry from the table next to me. "Where are we going to go now?"
My order arrived: two slabs of trip-tip and a quarter chicken on a bed of garlic fries, plus a side of baked beans. Then I dug in ... the tri-tip and chicken carried a really nice essence of smoke - not too heavy, not too understated - and the tri-tip was so juicy and tender. Yum, this was some great California styled barbecue. The pit boss smokes his meats Santa Maria style, in an open pit with red oak. Or rather, that's how it used to be cooked.
So this corner of Main St. will smell a little less smoky now, and that's too bad. We'll let you know if we hear anything more about the closing of In Cahoots.
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