2 new spots for burgers, barbecue and tasty specials and specials

We've discovered two new casual eateries — a barbecue joint on State Street in Watertown and a café on the river in Ogdensburg.

We tried them both for lunch. Here's what we found out.

STATE STREET BARBEQUE

1307 STATE ST.

WATERTOWN

788-RIBS

State Street Barbeque is about a mile from Public Square next to Poor Richard's tavern. It's really just a takeout place, but there is a small circular picnic table inside if you wish to eat there.

Owner Travis Gerken saw a need for barbecue in Watertown and learned how to slow-cook meat and prepare "the fixin's" at a rib joint near Utica. The State Street location was available with all the restaurant equipment already there and he opened for business in May.

He offers pulled pork, beef brisket, St. Louis-style ribs and hickory-smoked chicken salad in three configurations: sandwiches, platters that come with two sides, and meat by the pound. The customary sides are coleslaw, baked beans, mac and cheese, cornbread and less traditional potato salad and sweet potato fries.

He offers two sauces, a tomato-based Memphis-style barbecue sauce and Carolina style that's vinegar-based. He makes his own vinegar sauce; the red sauce is Uncle Ralph's Magic Sauce, a good commercial product.

There are no better food critics than a lunchroom full of hungry Watertown Daily Times co-workers, so I brought a bagful of Travis's barbecue back to the office for us to sample.

Here's what they had to say:

■ Pulled pork: Not really smoky, but moist and flavorful. Tender and juicy; the red sauce made it a real winner. Loved the sauce, just the right amount of spicy kick. I've had better. The lack of smoky flavor in the meat was a little odd.

■ Beef brisket: Had a nice crust with a hint of smoke flavor and aroma. Tender and so delicious. Loved the thick chunks and crunchy edges. Great texture and tasty outer layer. Nicely charred on the outside, more smokiness than the pork. A tad dry.

■ St. Louis-style ribs: Fall-off-the-bone tender. Not a lot of flavor by themselves, terrific with the kick of the vinegar sauce. Cooked perfectly. The right balance of sauce and tasty meat. Loved, loved, loved them! Excellent!

■ Smoked chicken salad: Very flavorful, nicely seasoned. Nice big chunks of chicken. A pleasant surprise. Maybe the best chicken salad I've had. Wonder why there's no barbecued chicken on the menu? I'd get a few tubs if I was having a luncheon and try to pass it off as my own.

■ Coleslaw: Bland, needed something. "Zipless," I give it points for not being runny. The only bust of the entire meal.

■ Baked beans: Lots of flavor. Green peppers made it interesting. Lots of different flavors and yummy bacon. Soupy. Extremely festive and hearty.

■ Mac and cheese: Nothing special. A bit bland. Could have used more cheddar.

■ Potato salad: Loved it. Very tasty. Not overly egg-y or mayonnaise-y. discernable chunks of potato and the right amount of goop.

■ Cornbread: Good, dense, moist, not too sweet. Good texture. Not hard and dry like some. Yummy!

■ Sweet potato fries: Tasted nice and sweet. Good alternative to the standard ones. Would have been better hotter.

■ For dessert, I picked up some apple cider doughnuts from Mr. Rick's Bakery on Mill Street. The response: Dense and sugary with apple and cinnamon. These were some serious doughnuts. Would have been even better for breakfast. A sweet treat to end the meal.

Lunch for seven from State State Barbeque, with some leftovers, cost $63. Six doughnuts from Mr. Rick's cost $4. We supplied our own beverages, but Pepsi products and bottled iced tea are available at the barbecue.

State Street Barbeque is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 4:30 to 7 p.m. It is closed Saturdays and Sundays.

SEAWAY CAFE AND CATERING

DOBISKY VISITOR CENTER

100 RIVERSIDE AVE.

OGDENSBURG

393-1008

A few months ago, a little diner/café opened down by the river in Ogdensburg.

It's in the modern, new Dobisky Visitor Center, a great setting with a picturesque view of the lighthouse and Prescott, Ontario, just across the St. Lawrence River.

Some folks have leased the kitchen there, serving up simple breakfasts, lunches and dinners. In the nice weather, the outdoor patio is the dining area. When winter hits, meals will be served indoors.

We hit it for lunch on a gorgeous day, so we ate outdoors. You place your order at a window to the kitchen. It's basic burgers, nachos, sandwiches, fish and chips, chicken wings and the like along with daily specials.

The specials are a little more upscale: chicken stir fry, goulash with garlic roll, chicken and mushroom fettuccini, smoked pork shoulder with Waldorf salad and a Mexican enchilada were offered the week of our visit.

I got the enchilada: sour cream chicken and cheese enchilada with refried beans for five bucks, and it was outstanding — delivered to us by the cook, who made it entirely from scratch. It's a recipe she brought with her from Arizona, creamy and cheesy and full of flavor. Even the refried beans were done with care, not just a plate filler as they often can be.

A dozen city firemen and rescue squad guys drifted over from their nearby headquarters for lunch. I guess homemade Mexican food didn't appeal to them — they ended up with platefuls of burgers and fries and wings, and for dessert, cones of soft ice cream.

That prompted us to try a cheeseburger "special" (burger, fries and a soda for $5.50). The cheeseburger was very good, and the crisp fries were unusually good.

Fried bread dough ($2.50) served as our dessert, neutral-tasting lightly sugared balls of deep-fried dough that came alive when drizzled with maple syrup.

Lunch for two with a great view came to $14.25.

Seaway Café serves from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week. They suggest you call ahead to find out their lunch specials, which change each day: 393-1008.

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via email: wsiebel@wdt.net.