Cool little spot in an unlikely location, with plenty of space and outdoor seating. I also saw a…read morebig grill out front, but it didn't look like it was being used. I'm not sure if that's just for deco... It would've been cool to walk in past a grill smoking and putting out deliciousness (like Hawthorne Coffee Roasters had back in the day when they had the BBQ).
The place already had a few customers when I went at 4pm on a weekday. There was a couple dining in, another lady in line ordering, and more coming in as waited for the food. I ordered half slab of spareribs, a dinner with rib tips, and gumbo (which comes with a piece of cornbread, I was told 3 times, with pride). They gave me a pager, and I waited outside with another customer, who was very nice and talkative. She told me she'd been here a few times, but that she liked another place down in Brookfield. Cool. I bookmarked it on Yelp to try next time lol.
The half slab - I won't review this one here. Check the yelp elite experience for it.
Sausage, Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo - $11 - it was nicely topped with 5 shrimp pieces, on a bed of rice and sausage and chicken. The broth was not thick, as I would expect from gumbo, but savory. Overall, it felt like too much rice, and even then, not really rice that was cooked together, but like it was separately cooked and put together later. It wasn't bad and I actually enjoyed it, but it didn't feel like gumbo. Maybe like chicken soup with added rice and sausage? And the cornbread went better with the ribs.
Rib Tips - the dinner came with the tips, waffle fries, and beans.
- The fries didn't travel well and was soggy by the time I got home, but interestingly, still good! It actually had good flavors and I didn't mind it being soggy at all! I would normally pop it in the air fryer for a few minutes for take out fries, and this may have been better with that, but it was still good without it.
- The beans were a little sweet and went well with the meal.
- The rib tips were a solid ok. I wonder if I would have liked it dry. I usually like to order the ribs dry with the sauce on the side, but just went for the whole experience this time. You can tell when the ribs are done right better if they're dry. The sauce was actually pretty spot on, though I would have preferred a little more kick over the sweet, so not quite finger licking good. The meat was tender but not quite falling off the bone, which is fine since I like me my meat textures.
Overall, it's a solid 3-stars for me. I'd go back if I'm craving some ribs and don't feel like traveling for my favorite joint. But I'll definitely pass the gumbo (and cornbread). And I'll be ordering the tips dry with sauce on the side. If they'll honor it, maybe I'll ask for a double portion of fries over the beans. And I'll have some rice cooking at home if taking out, cuz the leftover ribs were really good with some white rice.
