Entertaining Friday: Fall=Pigskin

It is no secret that pig is king here at Pollard HQ. Not only do we roast our own, we also call it in occasionally. Though it's probably for the best, there's no barbecue place on our street, so when we get the urge for pig-without-the-effort, we have to travel.

When we're in Severna Park or Annapolis, we're all Adams, all the time. Everybody down there is, and it's what I grew up with. But when we're at home, it's all Andy Nelson's (except for the occasional trip to Big Bad Wolf, which is pretty great).

I love going to Andy Nelson's - we headed up there with Jen and Bill and Alicia and Mike and Kyle this past Monday night. It's super casual and an easy place to take kids, since the outdoor seating involves picnic benches next to an outdoor garage. The benches are in the parking lot, which adds a little element of danger when you've got a toddler, but we like to live dangerously.

I always get the pork barbecue sandwich with a side of barbecue fries and a pickle (everybody else swears by the potato salad, but I prefer the fries). I slather the sandwich in AN's Bama barbecue sauce (they've also got North and South Carolina sauces, but I like the red, especially since the pork is already cooked in a vinegar-based sauce) - and I never, ever finish. Especially not when I also have Dixon's leftover cornbread to eat.

It's available for carry-out, too, which is kind of perfect for big fall parties - Alicia and Mike get the pulled turkey every year for their Halloween party and throw it in their crockpot to keep it warm.

My only complaint is that, this year, they've discontinued their Monday Night Football all-you-can-eat. For the past few years, they ran an all-you-can-eat special from 6-8 every Monday that had a football game. The buffet was set up out in the garage and included the pork barbecue, wet and dry ribs, a bunch of sides, and a cobbler dessert.

This past Monday, we showed up with appetites rarin', ready to do some damage (at the end of last year, Cooper and Mike demolished five plates each one week)...and we found the garage door closed and no sign whatsoever of the buffet. No word on why it disappeared, but this pulled pork fan is a little sad about it.

At least I still have the sandwiches, though. I guess that's really all I need.