Williamsburg? What do you eat there? It's been too many years since my tourist visits for me to discuss places like The Trellis and Chowning's Tavern. But there's one spot that draws me back and rewards anyone who takes my word for it and stops by. I think my first visit to Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que was in 1980. From barely a step beyond a shack to the shiny counter and dining room that now sits in the pines on the I-95 edge of town, it's clearly struck a chord, and not, I suspect just with visitors.
I had, in truth, forgotten just how good this stuff was until a couple of days ago. I was visiting Norfolk for a wedding and returned to the Washington Bureau of the family, passing through Williamsburg, getting stuff to go at Pierce's and stopping to refuel a grandson now thriving at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. We grabbed a bag of sandwiches and headed for some outdoor tables on campus. The first bite provoked the spontaneous grunt of delight that marks a sudden wow of the tastebuds.
This is pork barbecue, finely chopped,and by habit of the house topped with slaw – not that the meat needs the added moisture. It's surely juicy enough, but in addition, it's very smoky. The house sauce, a thinnish red version that's vinegar-based with fruit notes and quite a bit of heat, is mixed in with the meat. I salivate writing about it.
The slaw, also available separately, is chopped coarsely and dressed with a creamy dressing – and for those who ask about such things, has no celery seeds. Potato salad is mayonnaise-based, mild, some hard-cooked egg, all very home-style. I understand the macaroni and cheese is first-rate, and they also offer collards, but we finished off with the beans, which seem to have been seasoned with a little of the sauce, and have a generous amount of sliced wieners.
Another first for me: Pierce's serves pork shanks. Think a large and extremely meaty drumstick without the knuckle at the end. They're smoked, of course, given a fast pass through a fryer when the order comes in and served with some of that sauce on the side. Tidier to eat than ribs, and meatier, too. What a good idea this is.
No matter whether Colonial Williamsburg and outlet mall shopping are your idea of heaven or hell, go to Pierce's. From I-95, it's easiest accessed from exits 238 or 242, and it's definitely worth the detour.
Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que
447 East Rochambeau Drive, Williamsburg, VA
Lunch and dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Sandwiches and entrees: $5-$17
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