If you need a hearty meal to power through a full day at BottleRock Napa Valley, Stateline Road Smokehouse, a Kansas City-style barbecue stand with Michelin credentials, is an excellent option.
Darryl Bell, a classically trained chef who has worked under the likes of Thomas Keller, has been running Stateline as a pop-up and barbecue sauce purveyor for a few years. He is expected to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant at 872 Vallejo St. in Napa’s Rail Arts District at some point this summer, but for the rest of the weekend, you can grab ribs, burnt ends, greens and loaded fries at his corner stand near BottleRock’s JaMSessions stage.
It was at a previous BottleRock festival that Bell decided he could serve food from his home state to the wine-soaked residents and tourists of Napa Valley.
“I realized that [my restaurant] doesn’t have to be like the typical barbecue places I grew up with in Kansas City,” Bell said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. “It can be a cool, trendy spot.” (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)
The assessment perfectly captured the cherry-wood smoked maitake mushrooms and greens, which were delicious but completely different from what one might expect. The dish couldn’t have been further from classic Southern collards.
Fresh cabbage and kale replaced stewed greens, while delicately smoked maitake mushrooms stood in for pork shoulder. Chickpeas, seeds and a light dressing added zing. Perhaps inspired by the Bay Area’s bougiest music festival, the barbecue joint served a quintessential California cuisine salad.
The Kansas City-style ribs and cherry-wood smoked maitake mushrooms and greens from Stateline Road Smokehouse are seen at BottleRock Napa Valley on Friday in Napa, Calif.
Gabe Lehman/SFGATEThe greens were an excellent complement, but there’s no doubt that the ribs were the main event. The meat didn’t fall off the bone (perfect for festival on-the-go eating) but was outrageously juicy and tender. Bell and the Stateline staff didn’t feel the need to smother the ribs in barbecue sauce, instead letting the natural smoke flavor shine through. The ribs were served with a side of semisweet pickles and plenty of napkins.
The cherry-wood smoked maitake mushrooms and greens from Stateline Road Smokehouse are seen at BottleRock Napa Valley on Friday in Napa, Calif.
Gabe Lehman/SFGATEStateline isn’t the cheapest option at the festival (the a la carte ribs are $17, and the burnt ends are $21), but the quality is undeniable.
However, be warned: The food is filling and rich enough to slow you down if you’re in it for a long haul at a music festival.