The South has risen again and invaded the states North of the Mason-Dixon line and West of the Mississippi, all the way up into the Northwest and into Seattle; barbeque-wise anyways. It seems as though the shores North of Lake Union and the ship canal are fertile grounds for the seeding of barbeque restaurants. As of this writing I can think of three eateries that are intent on producing that most Southern of slow food, all within a ten minute drive of each other. I’ve written about Bourbon & Barbeque Grill and most recently I’ve discovered Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ. But just recently I learned of another spot by the name of Rowdy Cowgirl.

Rowdy Cowgirl inhabits a small spot along Stone Way that I affectionately dub “Fixture Row”, just North of 36th Street. While not much to look at from the outside, the inside is painted in bright colors and bedecked with shiny, light wood tables and countertops. I arrived just before noon for lunch and already there were customers filling tables and counter stools. The service was friendly even though it was stretched a bit too thin. One person in the kitchen and another manning the register was taking its toll on the speediness of getting an order placed. But once one gets to the till it’s all smiles and greetings so that tended to make up for a few minutes worth of wait. With my order placed I was on pins and needles to find out if I’d have another barbeque choice to add to my list.

The biggest reason I got so excited about this new eatery has everything to do with just one menu item, the BBQ Sundae ($5.95). Many people will be dumbfounded when they see this on the menu. No, it’s not a dessert but it is a Southern treat that is hard to find even in the land of Dixie. Traditionally served in a Mason jar, the barbeque sundae is a layered meal in easy to hold container, an original to-go food. The sundae from Rowdy Cowgirl comes in a plastic cup instead of a glass jar but it is nonetheless effective, though you do get less meal for your dollar. The layers went from just moistened cole slaw on top to syrupy, brown sugar and molasses beans to barbeque pork (There is also the option to get beef with this) all topped with several slices of pickle. Of the three layers the cole slaw layer was my favorite. Amounting to little more that shredded cabbage dressed with vinegar and spices the salad was tart and slightly spicy with a wonderful sprinkling of celery seeds throughout. The slaw was crunchy and warm and would have been a great contrast to a forkful of shredded pork barbeque but Rowdy Cowgirl had something else in mind. The second layer of the sundae, instead of being the traditional layer of meat, was beans. Sweet, with a hint of heat near the finish the beans were good but not as a middle sundae layer. By the time I got through most of the beans I was definitely ready for the main attraction - the ‘cue. What awaited me was bland pulled pork with little in the way of smoke flavor or any other real flavors other than the sauce the beans came in. You see, the problem with putting beans in the middle is that anything on the bottom basically becomes bean-ified, losing any hint of flavor it may have had.

It’s good to see that some effort is being put forward to indoctrinate Seattle to the nuances of Southern style smoked meats. Unfortunately it is still hit and miss on the flavor at Rowdy Cowgirl, but that can be true of some barbeque in the South too. Rowdy Cowgirl has a good premise and I like that they are trying somewhat obscure menu items on their list of offerings, I just wish they’d spend some more time on the meat. Until then, I’ll be taking my barbeque dinners at Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ or Bourbon & Barbeque Grill.