After our visit to Campus Martius Museum, Tom and I headed to Boathouse BBQ on the other side of the Muskingum River.  I gave Tom his choice of two places to eat for lunch:  Levee House Bistro or Boathouse BBQ.  The Levee House Bistro is located in the only remaining riverfront building in Marietta.  The building was originally the first dry goods store in the Northwest Territories, so there was lots of history.  But the restaurant looked pretty upscale and has a chef.

Instead, we chose Boathouse BBQ, also on the Ohio River but across the Muskingum from the historic district.  When we first pulled up to the concrete block and corrugated metal building, we were concerned we had not made the right choice.  About 1/3 of the parking lot was “motorcycle only.”  When we walked in, the bar was packed but the tables and booths were empty.  And, as we walked in, everyone at the bar stopped talking and turned to look at us.

Just when we were starting to get nervous, a hostess came over with menus and led us to a table on the heated indoor patio with a fantastic view of the Ohio River.  She was very friendly and asked what had brought us to Marietta.  We explained that we were visiting the museum and the cemetery, and she suggested some other things to be sure to check out.  Then I asked her what she recommended on the menu.  She told us her two favorites and that is what we ended up ordering.

Boathouse BBQ opened in 2007 and specializes in ribs.  We did not, however, order the ribs.  Instead, we ordered the Wood Chips, waffle fries with brisket, cheese, and chives.  In addition we ordered a Boathouse Club with brisket, pulled pork, coleslaw, and sauce served on grilled Texas toast.  I had heard that their corn muffins were very good, so the hostess also brought us two corn muffins to try.

All of the food was served quickly and was delicious.  The hostess brought us the cart of sauces, but my BBQ already had enough sauce.  Tom tried some of them and thought they were very good.  The hot sandwich and yummy cheese sauce on the waffle fries were perfect for a cold December day.  The corn muffins were small and moist and served warm.  Everything was so good and very filling.  Although we ate most of the food on our plates, we were really glad we had chosen to share the appetizer and entree.

Boathouse BBQ turned out to be the perfect BBQ place – looking like a dive but with great food and service.  We enjoyed our hostess a lot.  She is a Marietta native who is very proud of where she lives.  When we go back to Marietta, I’m sure we will be heading back to Boathouse BBQ.