Simple: Rows and Rows of grills with pork ribs and chicken halves, large metal pots of baked beans over open fires, a soda hut, and an oyster bar.
Georgetown University knows how to treat their senior class right. I’m pretty sure the goal of the huge sendoff is to ensure that as alumni we remember these experiences, and donate to ensure that other generations receive the same treatment.
Whatever their reasoning, it was delicious picnic perfection.
They took us to Smokey Glen Farms in Virginia, which is an impressive facility: wide open field area, volleyball and tetherball areas, and even a mini golf range. But the most impressive part of the entire grounds is the food area. First of all, and most importantly, the house of soda where each wall is fountain-style drinks, with cup dispensers mounted on the walls next to the mounted fountain soda dispensers. Literally, all you can drink soft drinks. It was unbelievable.
The oyster bar opened up an hour after the entire class of 2009 arrived, and these were no cheap oysters. There was no grit, and the oysters were plump, slightly salty, and went down easy. The sauce had just enough flavor, and with a little squeeze of lemon they were the perfect summer day cool starter. One of the ladies who was in the line of servers shucking the oysters individually told me they were only allowed to give out three oysters per person, but I talked her into letting me have a fourth! Can’t say Georgetown didn’t teach me anything!
They oysters were the highlight of my day as far as the food was concerned, however the main meal was a fierce competitor. They had already begun to slow cook all of the meat before the busses of seniors had arrived, and so our first sights of the farm were rows and rows of barrel grills with racks and racks of meat. The cooks would go in teams to flip each grill in one motion.
When the food was finally ready, the meat simply fell of the bone, and had a rich smoky flavor. The chicken had a crispy skin with little seasoning and preparation, and the meat was tender and juicy. The baked beans were creamy and savory, with a slight hint of sweet honey as an added bonus. The potato salad was basic, but the perfect consistency of not-too-squishy-not-too-crunchy. You knew that whoever cooked the potatoes knew exactly what they were doing. The roll and the salad were nothing, but it just didn’t matter, because everything else was that good.
Overall it was a fantastic afternoon, with great food, great weather, and all of my fantastic senior friends. I would go back to Smokey Glen Farms any day, and I will happily relive that afternoon in my mind for a very long time.
Tags: chicken, Georgetown, grill, oysters, pork, rack, raw, Smokey Glen Farm, Virginia
Thanks for reading, and for your post! I have a lot of new posts in the works, but have been busy moving recently. More to come soon!