Adam & Eats: Al’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q

Editor’s note: Adam Brandt is a graduate from the Cobra Kai School of Culinary Callousness, where he received their highest award, the Red Apron of Merciless Eating. Aside from eating and talking about eating, he makes pots, paintings, prints, books, photographs, and generally, a big mess. He has been the studio assistant at Mudpuppy Pottery for almost nine years and is attending a local university in a desperate attempt to earn a biology degree.

In pursuit of a restaurant to review this week, I had two strikes against me. One was a restaurant that time forgot and was so overgrown that I concluded that their landscaper forgot about it as well. The second turned out to be the shadiest and creepiest gas station this side of West Memphis.

So much for trusting ye olde phonebook to be a reliable source for current restaurants.

After driving half way around the world and not having the desired results, I said “Screw it” and headed over to Al’s Pit Bar-B-Q for my dinner. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.

Located in the parking lot of the old Harps, now the Asian Center, on North “O” street is the trusty Al’s. I would mention the interior of the place if I ever saw it, but since Al’s is a drive-through only kind of place, I’ll settle for the exterior. From the outside, Al’s is simple. Red brick, a single picnic table, and modest decorations outside letting you know that you can eat here if you really, really want to. Most people just get their food and split, eating some place a little cozier, like the front seat of their car.

Do not let the shabby exterior fool you, like most places that are a little rough around the edges, they typically devote their energies to cooking rather than decorating. The same holds true for Al’s, and since they’ve been around forever, it means that they are doing something right.

My guess is the fries. I’m not going to bury the lead here, the fries are probably the best thing Al’s serves. They are not your average shoestring or crinkle cut fries. Oh, no. Al cuts up whole red potatoes, breads them in flour and seasonings, deep fries them, and serves them piping hot with some excellent Ranch dressing for dipping. I suspect that there is some sort of opiate or narcotic in his “seasoning” mix because once you start eating these taters, you can’t stop.

Now the barbeque is good, but it is not the best around. It is however, the cheapest around. Even the places whose barbeque tastes like dog food is more expensive than Al’s barbeque which tastes like, well, wonderful smoked meat covered with tangy barbeque sauce. Speaking of sauce, if you like a kick in your mouth, I highly recommend the spicy barbeque sauce. It comes in a little cup, just like the Ranch, which is perfect for dipping your sandwich into.

Every day of the week Al’s offers special deals to those very wise patrons who visit his drive through. I won’t spoil all the fun, but I will tell you that everyday of the week (except Sunday) Al offers a sandwich, fries, and a drink for $4.69. It is totally worth it. It sure as heck beats the pants off of any fast food value combo.

Real food versus fast food? No contest. The rest of the deals you’ll have to discover for yourself when you visit Al’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q.

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When he’s not beating his eggs, Adam makes time to respond to e-mails that get past his hard-ass spam filter. You can try to reach him at [email protected]

Adam also has this thing called Sandwich Control.