Neal Corman - Virgils Barbecue Road Trip Cookbook

Jeffrey Bank, CEO Alicart Restaurant Group

Living and working in New York City can be exciting, but it can also be stressful. There are days when you start out moving 100 miles per hour and things only get more hectic from there. Thats especially true of the Alicart Restaurant Group, where were opening some of the largest restaurants in the country.

My office is just down the street from our Virgils Time Square location, and when the pressure cooker gets to be a bit much, I head over to Virgils. The minute I walk through the doors, I start to unwind. Its like Ive been transported to a simple barbecue joint in some small town and the rest of the world is on the outside looking in. I can loosen my tie, dive into the worlds best comfort food, and just relax. Im not alone. If you look around the Virgils dining room during the height of the dinner rush, the first thing that strikes you is that everyone is happy. Youll see kids, senior citizens, as many women as men, whole families on their first trip to New York, and weary business travelers who have been to the city a million times before and are looking for a little taste of home. The two things that unite them all are barbecue and smiles.

Theyre smiling because at Virgils, weve always focused on unique and authentic barbecue served in pleasant surroundings by people who care about the experience. From the first road trips our founder Artie Cutler took, to the constant research and experimentation our pitmasters continue to do, its all about keeping it real. We think people know the difference. We have more than one Virgils location, but we dont consider ourselves a chain. We think of ourselves as a few barbecue roadhouses not much different from any you might find on the back roads of North Carolina or in a small town outside of Austin. Its a much different way of looking at things, and of doing business, than any chain.

That comes through not just in the cooking but in the entire atmosphere of Virgils. Our waitstaff and bartenders are likely to greet you as if you were a friend they havent seen in a while. (That can be quite a surprise for people who expected something a little more curt from New York City.) They all know quite a bit about the food and they have ready answers to just about anything you could ask. They put as much into making people feel at home as the kitchen staff does into the food. And they take care with what comes out of the kitchen, because they understand how central great food is to the Virgils experience. I can safely say our barbecue is second to none. But how and where we serve it turns a great meal into a fantastic experience.

I may not be the chef, but I certainly have what it takes to create true quality barbecue. As a businessman on the business end of the restaurant, Id like nothing better than to be able to order boxes of frozen hush puppies, premade biscuit mix, and precut frozen fries. I could save a lot of money, time, and hassle. But all that isnt the Virgils way. Our staff proudly uses the freshest ingredients they can find, and they make everything on our menu by hand. We smoke all our own barbecue on the premises.

Thats the Virgils I know and the one that is a sanctuary for meand a lot of other people as well.

The staff at Virgils long ago got in the habit of calling customers visitors. Like, How many visitors do we expect tonight? It reflects our philosophy that the people who come into our restaurants every day are treated as well as you would treat friends and family at a Sunday afternoon cookout. People pick up on that. Like me, everyone who comes through Virgils front doors visibly relaxes, moving a little slower and calmer and wearing a great big grin. Thats what makes Virgils more than a restaurant. We are part of an idea, the barbecue-culture notion that living should be easy and should focus on the things that truly matterthings like enjoying the company of family and friends, eating a hearty, good meal, and taking time to relax and recharge your batteries.

When we first started down the road that led to this book in your hands, I knew for certain that it had to embody more than just a selection of terrific barbecue recipes. It had to capture the spirit of barbecue and the spirit of Virgils. The book had to be a door to a place where the clock ticks slower, quality is king, and the things that really matter are front and center. Not everyone has a Virgils a block away for when theyre feeling the need to truly unwind, take a breath, and enjoy terrific barbecue. So I wanted this book to help readers create a Virgils of your very own in your backyard.

Thats a lot to ask from a cookbook. But read through this one, and I think youll agree that weve done it. Weve picked the most popular dishes from our menu and put directions in simple, easy-to-follow language. Weve also added a lot of interesting background about barbecue, and some tips and shortcuts to help you whip up perfect meals with less time and effort. Now, if youll excuse me, Ive got an ice-cold beer and some ribs waiting for me, and some unwinding to do.

Jeffrey Bank