Port Cape: A cornerstone in dining

A hickory wood and charcoal aroma fills the 19th-century brick building at the corner of Broadway and Water Street, a mere 50 feet from the banks of the Mississippi River, where the Port Cape Girardeau restaurant stands.

Built in the early 1800s, the building is one of the oldest standing structures west of the Mississippi River. It served as various businesses throughout the years, and references in the memoirs of Missouri railroad pioneer Louis Houck indicate that it may have been one of Ulysses S. Grant's Civil War headquarters.

Even with its riverside location and historical significance, owner Dennis "Doc" Cain contends that the real draw is the food.

"Our ribs are the thing that make us happen," Cain said.

The ribs are hand-rubbed and slow cooked for seven hours and then glazed for another hour. Cain described the finished product as "ruby red and sticky good."

Beef, pork and chicken also get special attention. They go through a 12-hour smoking process that leaves the meat so tender it falls off the bone.

"It gets a great smoke penetration that gives it wonderful color and flavor," Cain said.

The menu is not limited to barbecue, however. Port Cape offers fish, pasta, salads and a Sunday brunch buffet with homemade kettle beef, fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

"We do have that barbecue reputation, but everything we serve is very good," Cain said. "Last year, we added several items to round out our menu. There is something for every taste."

Still, while menu diversity is important to Cain, the homemade items are the aspect he likes best about his restaurant.

"We are a scratch restaurant. Most of the things that we make here are prepared every day in our kitchen. In this day and time, I think that means something," he said.

New menu items are not the only additions to the business. Since Cain took over in 1988, Port Cape has expanded to include catering and delivery services, an ice-cream parlor with a walk-up window and a remodeled multipurpose room upstairs where dinner shows and concerts are performed. It can also be used to host private parties and banquets.

Cain called the restaurant "an institution."

"You can come here and get a bit of the community, a bit of history and good food as well," he said. "We are a cornerstone of the community."

Port Cape Girardeau

19 N. Water St.

334-0954