We noticed a small bit from Polly Campbell about a new BBQ place opening in Newport and decided to drop by today for lunch.  Pinky Sue’s is located in the space formerly occupied by NuVo on York Street in Newport.  The interior is sparsely decorated, with a lasso, straw hat, and some horseshoes on the wall, surrounding the cozy dine in area and takeout counter.  Seating for about 20 people is available.  Pinky Sue’s serves up baby back ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and brisket along with an extensive menu of homemade sides.  Between the two of us, we ordered up a 1/2 slab of ribs and a 1/2lb. brisket sandwich along with baked beans, mac-n-cheese, broccoli salad, and sweet potato fries.  (We tried for the sweet corn casserole, but they were out.)

Before digging in to my ribs, I snuck a quick piece of the brisket which was juicy and flavorful — far above average for brisket in the Cincinnati area.  The ribs were served dry with sauce on the side, something I always appreciate.  The ribs were clearly dry-rubbed and upon pulling a bone off I discovered that these ribs were about as fall-off-the-bone as they come.  Ordinarily that would also be a warning sign that the ribs were going to be a mushy mess a la Montgomery Inn, but that was not the case here.  The meat still had wonderful texture with just enough chewiness.  The rub had a little heat to it — not overpowering, but definitely added some kick to the dining experience.  Most of the flavor seemed to come from the rub — there wasn’t much smoke flavor nor smoke ring evident.  If anything, the ribs were a little on the dry side, but that was nothing some judicious use of the bbq sauce provided couldn’t solve.   Overall the ribs were excellent and for me rank among the best to be found in the city.  The sides were all good, but none were outstanding.  The broccoli salad was a nice touch, bringing something a little different to the table.  It was composed of chopped broccoli, golden raisins, bacon, and sweet/vinegary mayonnaise-based sauce.  The combination of sweet, tart, and savory flavors along with the satisfying crunch that came with each bite made it a nice complement to the main course.

We were told during our meal the “grand opening” is to be this Saturday and will include a live band, so if you’re looking to try some new BBQ this weekend it’s definitely something to consider.  The restaurant, being brand new, is still a little rough around the edges, but the food is good enough to warrant repeat trips and given its proximity to downtown Cincinnati it’s an easy choice for downtowners looking for a lunchtime BBQ fix without having to drive out the suburbs to get it.

Today we left Syracuse and paused for lunch in Buffalo.  We had intended to eat at the Anchor, where the buffalo wing was invented, however they didn’t open until 4pm because of Labor Day.  Instead we wound up at Charlie The Butcher’s for some beef on weck, which was absolutely delicious.  From there it was just a matter of driving home, where we arrived around 8pm.  All told, this trip covered some 6800 miles, about 1600 of which were on dirt or gravel roads taking us to some of the most remote locations accessible by vehicle in North America.  The long miles of gravel roads took their toll on the Land Rover — the fuel door latch and part of the brush guard had to be repaired with duct tape and the windshield will need to replaced after several unfortunate meetings with rocks kicked up from the road.  One rock hit with such force that there is still a small bit of the rock embedded in the windshield.   A native Labradorian joked that the first thing they do when getting a new car is to, “take a hammer to the windshield.  That way you aren’t disappointed when it gets hit by a rock.”  Thankfully though, we had no use for any of the other assorted spare parts and emergency supplies we brought along — not so much as a flat tire the entire trip.  Along the way we visited 7 states and 5 provinces in two countries while reaching two oceans, the Arctic and the Atlantic.  Wildlife was abundant.  We saw black bear, moose, wolves, foxes, whales and all manner of small mammals and countless types of ducks and birds.  We also got a taste of the remote north — the vast expanses of empty space, the beauty of the pristine lakes and rivers, as well as $5/gallon gas and $13 hamburgers.  We gained a fine appreciation for paved roads, cheap gas, and native English speakers…it’s good to be home.

Today we spent the day in Lowell, Massachusetts.  After breakfast at a local diner we visited the Trolley Museum, then took a boat tour of some of the canals that run through the town.  After a quick lunch we checked out the Boote Mill Museum before hitting the road again.  For the Roy Rogers fans out there we ran across an actual corporate Roy Rogers restaurant in one of the Thruway rest stops.  I excitedly ordered up a Double-R-Bar burger, eager to see how it stacks up to the tasty treats served up by the independent location in Mt. Carmel.  Disappointed is the best way to describe it.  The ham was a few thin, round, slices with an odd texture and virtually no flavor.  We’re not missing out on anything by not having “real” Roy Rogers restaurants in Cincy.  Tonight we’re near Syracuse, New York.  Tomorrow we drive home, stopping only for lunch at the Anchor in Buffalo.

Slow or inconvenient internet access the last few days, so I’m a little behind.  Thursday we took the ferry from Newfoundland over to Nova Scotia and drove over to Moncton, New Brunswick where we spent the night with some friends.  In the morning we grabbed breakfast at a nearby diner before heading south back into the USA.  We crossed into Maine around lunchtime and arrived in Bar Harbor in the early afternoon.  After checking into our nice, but no frills hotel we spent the afternoon walking around Bar Harbor.  Late in the afternoon the wind began to pick up and the fog started to roll in signaling the impending arrival of Hurricane Earl.

We took that as our cue to head for higher ground, so on the recommendation of our hotel owner we backtracked up to Trenton to the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound where we had an amazing dinner of freshly boiled lobster with corn on the cob and rolls.  This morning Earl was still making his presence felt in the form of a driving rain and low clouds.  That meant that the high surf made the Acadia National Park coastline particularly spectacular, but it also meant a drenching anytime we got out of the car and that certain areas of the park were closed due to dangerous conditions.

It also meant that all you could see this morning from the top of Cadillac Mountain was the top of Cadillac Mountain.  After leaving the park, the rain slowly tapered off and eventually we hit blue skies as we made our way west across southern Maine on our way to New Hampshire.  By the time we reached Mt. Washington it was a glorious day and we could see from the base of the mountain that the summit was clear, so panoramic views were definitely in store.  Just before we reached the top of the peak however, it clouded over.  We parked at the summit and jumped out of the car to discover 70mph winds and visibility of about 100 feet.  We struggled against the wind up the rocks to the actual summit before ducking inside the gift shop to warm up and relax for a moment.

Happily, after venturing back outside, the clouds passed and we were afforded the views we had hoped for.

After making our way back down the mountain we headed south to Lowell, Massachusetts where we are again staying with friends for the evening.  Tomorrow we’ll spend about half the day here in Lowell, then push on to somewhere in New York for the night before we make our final drive all the way home.

This morning we head down into Gros Morne National Park where we took a boat tour of Western Brook Pond.  Western Brook Pond was carved out by glaciers and was originally a fjord before a strip of land raised up and cut it off from the ocean.  As a result the lake sits between towering cliffs and is over 1000 feet deep.  It’s hard to describe what it’s like floating along beneath the massive granite walls enclosing the lake, but it was absolutely awe-inspiring.

After leaving Western Brook Pond we stopped for ice cream in Rocky Harbour and then drove out to check out the Tablelands part of the park, which is a strange area where the mountains are barren and resembles, more than anything, the surface of mars.  Very strange to find smack in the middle of the very green, very “lake-y” Gros Morne National Park.

From there we headed south to St. Georges for the night.  Tomorrow we’ll take the ferry over to Nova Scotia and drive over to Moncton, New Brunswick.