Sheesh, where do I start. My hubby and I are making a huge move from Utah to NYC, and we were STARVING around 9:30. As we were driving through Ohio, we looked up places that were still open (our bodies thought it was like 7:30, but we realized the time difference was working against us lol). We found Uncle Bo's on our way through Elyria, and saw we had 15 min till close.
As soon as we entered, we asked the hostess if it's still okay to order since they are closing soon, and she said it was fine and a rush of people just came in as well. We sat to order and was met with our really sweet waitress. She assured us we could take our time and not feel rushed. She brought our water and we placed our order. My husband got a 2 Meat combo with fried catfish and baby back ribs with coleslaw and a corn muffin. I got a baby back rib dinner with the jalapeño Mac and cheese and collard greens, and a corn muffin.
There was a bit of confusion in the back of the kitchen since it was so close to closing time, I don't think they were made aware that our table was still ordering. Anywho it was a tad bit awkward because there was a another booth near us that was talking to our waitress, about how inconsiderate we were for coming in late. The waitress had no problem with us and the guy was trying to "empathize" saying he feels the kitchens pain, etc. What he didn't know was that we checked before we sat down, to make sure it was okay to order, and we offered multiple times afterwards to leave if the kitchen already shut down. We were assured multiple times that the food was being prepared and everything was fine. My husband and I decided to tip the kitchen (even though we were told it wasn't necessary) just because we understand the business and want them to feel taken care of and appreciated for taking care of us.
Back to the food. It was delicious. Uncle Bo cares about the preparation and quality of the food NO DOUBT. I eat a lot, and the portions were awesome. The quantity and quality of the food overly justified the cost of the dinner plate. The catfish was crispy and some very well! And that coleslaw was perfectly creamy and a little sweet.
As we were eating, we were met with an awesome surprise. Uncle Bo himself came over to check on us. By this time we were the only ones left in the restaurant and it was about 10:20 (20 min after closing). We were trying to eat quickly so we didn't hold them up, but he reassured us to take our time and not feel rushed. He heard about the mix up with the kitchen and really made sure we felt important and appreciated. To top it all off, he brought out a sizzling hot 3 slices of his Texas Style Brisket for us to try (OHMYGOSH). Look y'all, I don't like brisket. It's always dry and flavorless and the fat is never rendered correctly, resulting in a chewy, unappetizing texture.... WHEN I TELL YOU THIS BRISKET SLAPPED, BELIEVE ME. It was so tender we cut it with a fork. The seasoning was delicious (I'm a salt girl so naturally I'd want more salt, but the flavoring of the meat was beautiful). And the fat melted in your mouth. I was shook.
The last thing we tried was the pecan pie. Whew ! That sucker was SWEET in the best way. I came in late, so it was a bit cold understandably, BUT, the pecans were candied and the crust was delicious.
At the end of the night, we felt so taken care of. And the entire staff overextended to make us feel important. To be real for a moment, we weren't sure what part of Ohio we were in. We are a black couple, and we weren't sure how we would be received (cross country trips are nerve wracking and we've had some pretty crazy experiences). But Uncle Bo's felt like family. We will definitely make this our go to spot whenever we come through Ohio.
Thanks again Bo! read more