April 2009- South Jersey Magazine
There are lots of good things to say about Carolina Blue Restaurant in Pitman. When a restaurateur goes to the trouble of importing an authentic style of regional American cuisine, and then utilizes local specialties to offer his/her culinary signature to that particular genre, credit is due.
Carolina Blue offers authentic North Carolina-style barbecue to the folks in South Jersey. We typically don’t see North Carolina barbecue in our area, which is what makes it a terrific addition to the area’s culinary repertoire. This style of barbecue is differentiated by its vinegar-focused preparation and lack of thick, sweet tomato sauce. The smoking is done on site, using local peach wood for the process. That isn’t the only local element at Carolina Blue. The bar, which is a focal point, serves locally made brews on tap, with numerous interesting varieties. As you walk into the restaurant, the area on the right is the bar dining side, which is shaped as a large oval to create a community atmosphere and where most of the locals gather to dine. The left side of the restaurant is a traditional dining room. Along the periphery of the room are wooden bistro tables for a more intimate experience. Several flat screen TVs dot the space for visual entertainment. It’s low key and quiet though, a place you would want to come to on a regular basis because it is just so comfortable. In the coming warmer months, the enclosed porch will be opened, doubling the dining space and encouraging group events. Though a barbecue house, the décor is fashionable with a contemporary and upscale feel.
The service at Carolina Blue, which matches the ambience in its friendly and relaxed manner, is also very informative. Serves underscore the vinegar-based style of North Carolina barbecue so that us Northern dinners know what to expect when the order arrives.
Since this was our first time at Carolina Blue, we ordered the Smoked Sampler. You choose three of the five selections. If you like barbecue, you don’t want to leave without making the pulled pork one of the three items. It‘s fork shredded, very lean, very smoky and has an understated tang from the vinegar. I thought I might miss my usual portion of gloppy barbecue sauce, but I didn’t. This was a primo pulled pork. Next on my sampler were the ribs: large boned, lean and tender. They had a thin glaze of caramelized sauce, and next time would probably be my entrée choice.
For the third item, the wings, which were definitely a very distinctive Carolina Blue interpretation. No hot sauce and vinegar for these wings; instead, they were smoked along with the meats, rendering them un-greasy and delivering that unique, peach wood smoked taste.
As delicious as all three items were, man does not live by meat alone. This is an a la carte menu, and the side dishes are important choices to round out the experience. Nothing goes better with barbecue than coleslaw. The characteristic coleslaw I have had in the Carolinas is quite vinegary and not my favorite. At Carolina Blue, the adaptation is for a dressing that has a touch of mayo and a hint of smokiness, preventing it from being sour. This created the perfect accompaniment to the meats and is a must-try. Especially with this style of barbecue, an element of sweetness completes the taste experience. There is homemade applesauce on the menu that delivers just the right notes. It was served chilled, though, and would have been a better companion if served room temp to slightly warm. Not everything must be yin and yang.
The chili we ordered arrived in an attractive white, contemporary, asymmetrical China bowl. There was a hefty portion of chili beneath a thick blanket of melted cheese, reaching nearly the rim of the bowl. This was a great chili, and need I say, had a very smoky profile. The ample cheese layer made the flavor and texture very intriguing. With a little side salad and appetizer, it would have been a filling meal. Of course, we did order the side salad, which had a lovely champagne vinaigrette. The only glitch was the additional order of a pulled chicken sandwich that followed the chili. With eyes bulging, we dug into the sandwich and sampled the homemade potato chips on the side. Too much vinegar made the chicken too tart to enjoy.
All in all, the menu goes beyond barbecue with a good selection of fresh fish and a few pasta items, including a decadent baked macaroni and cheese. The appetizer selections are great if you just want to munch. Even with the a la carte style of ordering, you will find most items priced below the typical menus for South Jersey. Visit the website not just to see the menu, but to see their upcoming events schedule. This is a quality-minded and creative group at Carolina Blue, who are dedicated to winning you back for regular visits.
