Archive for the ‘Lake Mary Restaurants’ Category

100 Year Old Beans

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

We were driving in circles. Keller’s Bar-B-Q kept popping up on our GPS radar, but it seemed that it was hidden amongst road construction and storefronts. We were ready to give up and go to Chilis, which would have been useless for this blog, since everyone and their mother has been to Chilis. We parked at Chilis, and walked around to the other side to the entrance. Then, like Avalon rising from the mist, Kellers BBQ appeared before us. It was hiding at the end of a strip-mall. We abandoned our Chilis and trekked across the dirty parking lot toward our barbecued fate.

The front of the restaurant was a typical all-over window, with beer signs and specials listed in neon lights. We were seated quickly in a comfy table against the wall. The tablecloths were covered in adorably gaudy cow-print plastic tablecloths, giving the place a general “grandma’s been decoratin'” look.

It was pleasantly silly, with the smokehouse facade and the hand-painted cows. I ordered a bottle of Michelob Ultra for a whopping $1.50. I was surprised and pleased when the very friendly waitress brought me a chilled glass to go with my ice cold beer. It’s those small touches that make restaurants great.

We ordered the fried okra as an appetizer. The corn crust was crisp, and they were hot as green molten lava. It burned flavor into our taste buds. I spotted the fried catfish on the menu and signed off on it right away. There’s just something wonderful about fried catfish in a bbq restaurant. Especially when its done well, and they did it very well. The fish was both crisp and tender. The texas toast was classic and thick. The cole slaw was cold and crisp, although a little too sweet. The baked beans…let me tell you about these baked beans. They were amazing. The menu touted that their recipe was over a hundred years old. If that’s how long it takes to get a great bean recipe, it’s worth the wait. They were sweet, smoky, tender, rich with spices and the perfect thickness. I smeared some on toast and took a big bite- heaven!

We left with lots of leftovers in big styrofoam containers, big full bellies and a ton of satisfaction. Sorry Chilis, Kellers wins the restaurant war today.

Meat Sampler!

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

Hello there,

I would start this blog off by telling you the tale of how we found Kellers, but Applecheeks already told ya. What’s that? You’re from America and you read left to right and top to bottom? Crap. Well it’s over there, check it out.

The outside of the place was reminiscent of a bar. Tinting on the windows, beer advertisements and whatnot. For a BBQ joint, I’m totally down with beer adverts. Likely means cheaper beer. We went there on a Saturday afternoon and there appeared to be only 3 people in the entire place. When I say entire place, It could only have had 50 seats. It didn’t feel small when you were sitting and walking around in there, but it totally was.

The lady who sat us was very friendly and sat us immediately. She told us of the specials and gave us time to look through and decide our drinks. Applecheeks went with a beer and I, (being in a BBQ joint) had an iced tea.

We decided to get some fried okra as an appetizer. I figured hey, how often do I eat okra, either by design or happenstance. It’s the kinda appetizer you could get anywhere but it was well put together served with a spicy ranch and with a generous amount of fried okra nuggets.

For the main event I got the three meat combo which contained, beef and pork and your choice of chicken or ribs. For sides I got the baked beans which boasted a 100 year old recipe. I was so impressed with the taste that I believe the boast. I went with sliced beef brisket, pulled pork and the ribs which were also pork. …  I am fond of pork.

The price was very reasonable for some good country cookin’. Considering how long it takes to cook some of those meats.

The pulled pork was everything I hoped for, with sweet BBQ sauce and a smokey flavor. The beef brisket wasn’t as up my alley but still quite good. The ribs were great and yes, I licked my fingers.

After food I walked around to observe the really interesting decor. What appeared to be colored political cartoons from the 1900’s were put in frames. There was a wall with iconic ‘kellers bbq’ on the wall, set out in a country scene. When you walk in, they have a log cabin facade in front of a window to the kitchen.

Over all I really enjoyed our trip to Kellers. Everyone was very nice including the cool chick who was cleaning up, she had tattoo’s and super cool hair! Anyway, if you’re in the area or don’t mind a bit of a trip for some good BBQ I’d definitely recommend this place.