100 Year Old Beans

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.

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