Bodacious Barbecue!

Yesterday, Kevin and I went to this great little mom and pop place in Renton with wonderful service and some great sweet tea called Bill's Bodacious Barbecue. Kevin and I felt like going out and enjoying the sun, which seems to be making more and more of an appearance finally, so we headed out in search of food and a park to enjoy the rest of the afternoon (as we got a late start to our day). As we began our drive, we were deliberating what to get (fast food? Panera? Famous Dave's?), but Kevin could tell that I ultimately didn't want any of our usual fares. Suddenly, he asked me again, "Do you want barbecue?" Knowing full well he didn't mean Famous Dave's which I had already shot down, I said, "...Sure..." and before I knew it, Kevin had turned into the Ikea parking lot to make a shortcut and drove back around to where we came from, and then headed in the complete opposite direction than what we had started.

We drove up to a place that didn't look so charming on the outside which made me apprehensive of what I might find inside, but once we stepped in the door my mind changed a little. There were well done murals of a forest and a mountain (most likely Rainer), a nice big flat screen up in the corner, and, of course, the display cases showcasing some very homestyle-looking desserts. Carol, Bodacious Bill's wife, took good care of us at the register, helped us decide what to order, and gave us great directions on how to get to a very nice park by the water near the Fry's in Renton (I know, strange location, but really a nice oasis in the business district jungle).

So we munched on tender, smoky ribs, beef brisket, corn muffins, and red beans and rice (for Kevin) and potato salad (for me). I think the star of the meal (not including desserts, because they each deserved a star of their own) was definitely the ribs; the meat was tender, juicy, and just fell right off the bones. The beef brisket, too, was soft and flavorful, but half of me wished we had just gotten a whole slab of ribs. The barbecue sauce was tangy, not too sweet, and had just the right amount of spice to give it a kick, but not to mask everything with a peppery fire. I'm not quite a connoisseur of cornbread, so I personally thought it was dry compared to the cornbread I had made out of a Jiffy box and to which I added sundried tomatoes and garlic for Thanksgiving last year. But once I slathered butter on it, I couldn't help but gobble the golden morsel up in a flash. Kevin said the cornbread was good (he drizzled a bit of honey on his), and he loves cornbread, so if you can't take my word for it, take his.



The sweet tea was the best I have ever had, and was served full in cups the size of my head. Who can beat that?



The blackberry cobbler and sweet potato pie were great enders to the feast. We had eaten so much before dessert, though, that we had to end up taking them home barely touched... which is no problem to me, because I have a feeling I will fully enjoy eating some reaheated pie and cobbler with some of the Vanilla Honey Bee ice cream I have stashed away in the freezer at home. :)


My favorite dessert anytime, anywhere. :) Anyway, we took a nap/lazed about in the park for a good hour or so after our feast, then went to Fry's to drool over all the electronics we were too broke to buy. We consoled ourselves by watching Iron Man, which was a really great movie! Hopefully, it's the start to a string of movies that look really good that are coming out this spring/summer. Next up, Speed Racer, Indiana Jones, The Dark Knight, Wall-E.

I should find a good recipe for sweet tea and ribs and cornbread (homemade this time!)...