I have been passing this place on I-20 for some time on my trips out to Lake Fork and with a billboard declaring "Bar-B-Que is our Specialty" it was only a matter of time before I had to stop. The appearance of a smoke shack next to the cafe added to my interest. Well today was the day and I doubt I will need to do so again.
I was seated by a little lady who was obviously not from East Texas. I'm guessing eastern Europe or Russia, based on the accent. On checking the menu I found no way to combine ribs and brisket on a combo plate, which is a little strange. I enquired about the possibility of getting some ribs and was told I'd have to order a rack. I declined and went with their combo plate which included brisket, ham, and sausage. As I was the only one in the place, it was not hard to hear the ominous sound of a sizzling grill after my order went in. Now that's a sound you really don't expect to hear in a great BBQ joint. In fact I doubt most BBQ joints even have a grill.
When my meal arrived everything had been doused in a liberal coating of average tomato BBQ sauce. Straight from the bottle, I would bet. The "sausage" was bland as a hot dog, the ham was just ham, and both were clearly warmed by the sizzling sound I had heard earlier. The brisket had potential. It was plenty tender and moist with lots of good bark and a nice smoke ring. However I was never able to detect any smoke flavor through the thick coating of sauce. The sides were average and went along with the rest of the meal. Even though I never got to try the ribs, I am betting there is better to be found down the road in Canton.
