Return to Big Daddy's

There are appeals to help out businesses in the Frogtown area where the Central Corridor Light Rail project has University pretty badly torn up. I thought about that and realized, say, my FAVORITE barbecue place is right in that section. And by that I mean Big Daddy's Old Fashioned BBQ (625 University Ave, a couple of doors off Dale). So I decided to "do the right thing" by treating myself to the best barbecue I've found anywhere.

Getting there was a challenge. Besides the north side of University being torn up right up to the sidewalk, half of Dale north of University is shut off, too. I knew enough to avoid University, but I didn't know enough to avoid Dale. I drove up Victoria, crossed University, and turned down Sherburne. I assumed there were arrangements to park behind, so that was what I was looking for. But when I got to Dale, it was bumper to bumper and very hard to break in. I finally got to the driveway that gave access to the lot. On my way out, I went west to see what other outlet there was. Halfway through the block, the alley turned north. And it dumped into Sherburne. So that's the ideal way to get there. Drive east on Sherburne till you see the house with the 663 address. At that point there's a driveway to your right that leads to Big Daddy's parking lot.

The food? I think I've exhausted my supply of superlatives. They cook it PERFECTLY to my taste. Really, really meaty bones, more than any other place I've visited, slow smoked, juicy, fall off the bone (literally). The sauce is served on the side to give you a choice of dipping or skipping. Again, perfect. They have a bunch of sides: slaw, beans, collards, potato salad. I either take beans and slaw or beans and collards. This time I took slaw and collards which is an odd combination. The one I wouldn't choose would be potato salad and slaw. Nothing against their potato salad, but I think ribs go with jo-jos, not potato salad.

So, very, very satisfied. I think I'll be "doing the right thing" a lot!