A Tree Falling in the Forest

My lovely wife and I visited Dixie Bones for lunch over the weekend. As promised I am providing my impressions for the good of the order, but in the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I am harboring a sense of regret and disappointment with the experience. Not with the restaurant, but with myself. To provide a good review, I should have remained calm, ordered carefully and paid careful attention to the details. I did none of these things.

It started with the ride to the restaurant and a lengthy discussion with my lovely wife (MLW) about my mother and the value of antique cradles. I was already off my game. I should have been getting focused for the Dixie Bone experience, instead I was trying to debate MLW, who is both smarter than me and better at the art of debate.

Then, when we pulled into the parking lot, the flashy lights and obnoxious signs of a Pawn Shop were beckoning me like a siren's call. The only thing I like more than an ATV shop or a flea market is a Pawn Shop - you can never fully predict the treasures held within.

Then, it hit me, the smell of hickory smoke wafting through the air. The anticipation bubbled up in my stomach and I left my good sense and objectivity in the car as I raced for the door like a moth to the flame. The rest is just a blur of tasty goodness.

Dixie Bones is very clean and bright. The restaurant is laid out like a diner with booths and tables with lots of windows and a menagerie of personal mementos and law enforcement patches on the wall. In the background was the constant sound of someone chopping meat, like a guillotine during the French revolution, CHOP, CHOP, CHOP.

It certainly did not have the feel of a chain restaurant, but the staff worked with the efficiency of a well run Jiffy Lube. They took our order on Palm Pilot like devices and printed the bills from printers on their hips. We ordered, I got up to wash my hands and check for a changing table for our brilliant baby (OBB) and when I returned our food was already there.

MLW ordered a chopped chicken sandwich and I ordered the chopped pork sandwich and a side of specially prepared potatoes and sweet tea. The sandwiches were served with slaw and there were at least 4 kinds of sauces on the table. In my excitement I forgot to order collard greens... I also skipped over the ribs and brisket... all I can say is that I am sorry.

My sandwich was excellent, but MLW's chicken sandwich left something to be desired. Ironically, the youth group leader rejects at the next table all ordered chicken sandwiches. After we ate, we had to feed OBB a bottle. Our gracious hosts were a little unsure of how to handle us. I think they are accustomed to processing people through quickly and OBB was throwing a wrench in the works. So we fed OBB and ordered dessert to assuage our guilt... Bread pudding with caramel sauce... excellent.