Neil Peart’s Bubba Bistro

Peart has opened Bubba’s Bar ‘n’ Grill, but you won’t find this fine eatery in any city in the U.S., Canada, or even the world. Instead, Bubba’s is a virtual café, located adjacent to Peart’s official Web site – www.NeilPeart.net.

What you will find at Bubba’s Bar ‘n’ Grill, where the motto is “Good Simple Food,” is a collection of cooking tips from Peart along with a narrative describing the drummer’s journey through the world of culinary arts. Yes, we’re still taking about Neil Peart, drummer for Rush.

Peart describes on his Web site that he never had much time for cooking, or, for that matter, learning to cook, until he acted as a caregiver in London and suddenly found himself having to prepare daily meals.

“I have learned a few things about preparing good simple food that might be worth sharing,” wrote Peart. “In this space I will assemble and present some of that lore, along with some simple recipes, because it seems a shame that other Bubbas (of any gender and ethnicity) should have to suffer the foolishness of my youth – I was in my forties before I learned to cook anything more complicated than soft-boiled eggs.”

Bubba’s features a look straight out of the ‘50s including a martini glass as part of the logo and table placemats carrying advertising for local businesses such as “Matteo’s Body Shop,” “The Amazing Lerxst (looking into a brighter future),” and “Gumps Towing & Septic Service (flush your cares – and cars – away!).” But you need to open Bubba’s menu to get the entire story.

Peart begins his tale by describing how a chain of British department stores – Marks and Spencer – “mentored” him in his kitchen adventure.

“I have said before that cooking comes down to one simple formula: Heat + Time – while noting that the same formula applies to good drumming. Cooking had always seemed more mysterious to me than drumming, but after attending the University of Marks and Spencer, I learned that basically, if you cook a piece of fresh food at exactly x temperature for precisely y amount of time, it will turn out good to eat. And as with drumming, a little spice will add interest and savor.”

Peart also says that, when he told Rush frontman Geddy Lee he couldn’t believe he learned to cook, Lee shrugged off his accomplishments by saying “Hey – you can play drums!”

To which Peart answered, “Well, yeah – but cooking is complicated!”

Click here to visit Bubba’s Bar ‘n’ Grill located at NeilPeart.net.