How does a fresh from the oven tender thin crust Margherita pie sound alongside a harp blowing Little Walter? Or, how about sucking on some slow smoked Memphis ribs along with Muddy Water?

All right, Eric wasn't in love with this intro but I thought it was cute. I hope you all get the point. Yes, its time for music night at Ruthie's. On Saturday the 13th, we have invited our friends to come with their harp, guitars, and drums to jam into the night. We'll have our menu and specials ready for order, and we encourage you all to B.Y.O.  beer, wine, scotch, moonshine, everclear, white lightning….

This will be a first "announced" acoustic night, we have had a few spontaneous ones which we wish we could have shared with more of our customers, so we decided to get a bit more organized about it.

So, give us a call, or e-mail, and let us know if you plan on dropping by. (we want to be ready for you!)

Thank you Danielle for sending us your fantastic photos of our outdoor Blues evening here at Ruthies. We have put a few up here to share with our friends. Stay tuned for information on our next music event. We plan on having an acoustic night indoors but because of space limitations we will let you all know in advance and in order to hear back from you to estimate seating.

Please visit us at Ruthie's
for our tasting event, featuring live blues:

RUTHIE’S 2^ND ANNUAL
BLUES AND BAR-B-Q TASTINGS EVENT

SATURDAY OCTOBER 11^TH

3:00- 8:00   (music to go on into the night)

So its been just over a year
that we have been in business here on Chestnut street and although it has been
a bit challenging to get our presence known out there we are happy to say – it
looks like we are on our way to becoming one of Montclair’s favorite little neighborhood
restaurants. We are so glad that you love what we love, great simple food, cozy
atmosphere and the blues. The spring before we opened Ruthies we were down in New Orleans for Jazz Fest
and we were taken by this city whose main focus was excellent food and killer
live music, all served in an environment that was at once small town and
universal. We dreamed of living this way, but our ties are too close to home.
But now, sometimes when some friends drop by to jam with Eric or blow the harp,
and we are all enjoying the brisket, and that thin crust pie over a bottle of
wine, I look around and say to myself, my, my – we just created a bit of the
Big Easy right here in Montclair.

We want to express our
thanks to all of you for making this possible. Please join us for some live
music and tastings. For those of you that know us – you know we are serious
about our music. So serious in fact, every week Eric usually closes and then
heads straight out to jam at local Blues venues like Cecil’s and Franklin
Tavern. We often talk of bringing the music here more often but it’s a
challenge being that the guitarist is also the chef. But, in order to celebrate
this business that you all have helped us build we are making an effort to get
the music in the program. So please come by to hear Eric and our friends, and
get some free tastings of the BBQ you love plus some special items to come.

See you then!

Ruthie and Eric

P.S. – Make sure to forward a link to this blog to your family and friends! Let them know they can join our email mailing list by visiting our newly-updated web site, at www.ruthiesbbq.com.

For many people barbeque and grilling are interchangeable terms for anything cooked on a grill. For people who love real BBQ it means foods cooked low and slow in a cooker with smoking wood and indirect heat, so the foods become tender and take on a smoky flavor.

The biggest difference between grilled and smoked food is grilled foods cook fast directly over a hot fire 400 degrees and up. Most grilled foods are already tender cuts such as pork chops, pork tenderloin, steaks and chicken breasts, so they do not need long cooking times to tenderize. The hot fire sears the outside quickly creating a flavorful crust. Most grilled items are done in 10-20 minutes.

Smoked foods or real BBQ on the other hand cook slowly in a cooker next to an indirect wood fire between 210-250 degrees farenheit. The cooking process can take from 3 hours for whole chickens to 12-14 hours for a beef brisket. Because of the long cooking times foods that need a long time to tenderize are perfect for BBQ such as pork shoulder, pork ribs and beef brisket.

Delicious slow cooked pork ribs. Come and get 'em!

Customers
keep returning for our delicious "Q," but what some don't
know is that we offer more than a great dine-in meal or take-home
experience – we offer fantastic catering services to spice up
any party, picnic, local sporting event, or business convention.

Here
in New Jersey, many people are so used to serving sandwiches and
salads at their events that they don't realize just how convenient –
and fun – barbecue can be. It's everyone's favorite, it travels
real well, and it's very easy to serve.

So,
if you love our slow-cooked barbecue, please spread the word –
our catering services are not only deliciously simple, they're
flexible. We can arrange an exciting meal for pick-up or delivery,
and for larger crowds we can set up a barbecue station on-site
(additional service and delivery fees apply). For those not
interested in barbecue, our catering menu features plenty of
flavorful sides, and we can make fresh seasonal salads, wraps, and
panini sandwiches on request.

If
you're looking for something extra-special for your event, ask us
about our Barbecue and Blues – because nothing goes better with
Ruthie's "low and slow" than some down and dirty live blues
music, featuring our own Eric Kaplan on guitar.

To
discuss options, scheduling and pricing, give us a call at
973.509.1134, or send an email to info@ruthiesbbq.com.

If
you're familiar with Montclair, you know there are some pretty busy
streets, and it can be tough finding parking. That's why we're happy
with our quiet location on Chestnut Street, which features our newest
addition to Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza – our outdoor garden
patio.

Nestled
in a pleasant, shaded neighborhood, away from the hustle and bustle
of intersections and busy avenues, our lighted outdoor patio offers
patrons a charming spot for enjoying our simple, exceptional food.
Escape from the office for a relaxing lunch in the fresh autumn air,
meet friends for New York-style thin crust pizza and beer, or get
messy with the family over some tender ribs – it's also a great
place for a party!

While you're dining on our patio, you'll be treated to our selection of classic American music, including blues, New Orleans funk, jazz, rockabilly, and some good ol' classic rock. And,
you never know when we'll be featuring a live blues band for an
evening of Barbecue and Blues, so be sure to join our email
mailing list for advance notice.

So,
before it gets too cold, BYO and come enjoy our pleasant outdoor
dining for a comfortable, casual meal. We're open Monday through
Friday, from 10:30am to 9pm, and Saturday from 12pm to 9pm.