True Smoke BBQ Truck - Lanesboro, MN

I had been on a short weekend run. The first stop was Troubadour Wine Bar in Minneapolis. I hadn't played in Minneapolis in nearly fifteen years. The Chatterbox Pub, in that same city, was the first place I ever played publicly. It was an open mic set up. I played three songs with accompaniment from my friend and collaborator Matt Mulville. If you've been following along with the Scattershot singles online, you'll see he has been in my corner this whole time. I had songs that were just OK, and they were well received. Anyhow, I returned to Minneapolis and performed two sets to a larger crowd, and with better songs. I moved on the next morning to the small town of Lanesboro, Minnesota. I was set to lead a songwriting workshop regarding my approach to the process, as well as take part in a songwriter's round in the St. Mane theater with a group of songwriters who I hadn't met yet. It was a great day; full of celebrating creativity. Prior to the workshop, I had to drive around this small town trying to find a place to park. It's a small town, but a tourist destination. It took several passes, but while on the hunt, I clocked a brewery with a barbeque food truck parked out front. It was like a beacon calling me in. Once the workshop was over, I hastily made my way down the street to Sylvan Brewing.

That's where this bean journey began.

For me, expectations are a little lower for food coming out of a truck. To be in operation for a full day within the confines of a truck doesn't lend itself to providing the very highest quality food. I'm not shaming them. I think they're wonderful and will eat from them any time I have the chance. It's just not as efficient as a fully stocked commercial kitchen. But, I digress. I ordered their beef ribs with the neccesary side of baked beans. I also threw on an additional side of bacon corn. Sweet corn, off the cob, served with bacon, melted butter, brown sugar, and cajun seasoning. There wasn't anything wrong with that. But, again, this is a bean blog. The baked beans came served up in a styrofoam clamshell, the customary serving platter for a truck. It was a large, hot serving of beans so that was a pleasant surprise upon opening the container. You could see right away that this dish was comprised of atleast two different types of beans. Some form of the traditional navy bean and black beans. They were just passed having been cooked perfectly. A symptom, I suspect, of having been kept hot in a truck. They weren't overly mushy, but just a touch too soft to be perfect. The duo of beans were served in a sweet, and slightly tangy, sauce. The consistency of the sauce itself was great. Thick without being dense. Not soupy at all. The sauce in this side dish had a lot going for it, but it was lacking any notes of spice or smoke. The ribs were incredibly smoky and that scent lingered into the day. As this dish was all beans and no meat or vegetable additions, it certainly could have been bolstered by adding in some scraps of their well smoked meat.

Ratings (On a scale of 1-5)
Appearance: 2
Flavor: 3
Mouthfeel: 3

Total Score: 8

For what it's worth,
Songwriter's rounds in historic theaters: 5