Naughty and Nice

While food genres traditionally associated with a celebration of Valentine’s Day don’t necessarily fall into the haute designation, there is a definite trend toward the more refined. Linen napkins and crystal wine glasses, delicate delicacies served on fine porcelain and a utensil for every course often round out the dinner experience.

It can all seem a bit pretentious.

Especially when you learn that Valentine’s Day’s modern appeal to the Hallmark-romantic belies its purely carnal roots. There’s evidence that says those roots trace back to a celebration of the coming of spring. Since the birds and the bees started to… ahem… get busy about this time of year, a lot of folks thought they should, too. So this late-winter festival was all about pairing couples in the name of procreation. Love was just a happy byproduct.

In light of this information, a more earthy eating experience seems apropos. No cuisine fills that bill better than barbecue, and when you find a place named Naughty BBQ, you know the epicurean pleasures piled on each plate will be off the charts.

We enjoyed a meaty spread of ribs, pulled pork, and smoked sausage along with macaroni salad, coleslaw, baked beans, the aptly named wowza beans, and a heaping helping of naughty nachos.

My wife and I demolished it all in a couple of settings and nearly fought over the last of the wowza beans and ribs. It was a fitting end for a primal feast with my mate.