Yesterday was a beautiful day here in North Alabama and a perfect opportunity to take a short(ish) drive to nearby Cleburne County. This county's eastern border is on the Georgia state line. The county was formed on December 6, 1866 and the county seat is Heflin where this restaurant is located.
A large portion of the Talladega National Forest is located in Cleburne County. This National Forest contains Alabama's highest point, Mount Cheaha which is located in Cheaha State Park.
Now on to the food! This large menu is located right by the entrance. We were already salivating before we even went inside!
We were warmly greeted and made our final meal decision with this menu board right inside the door.
We ordered and paid at the counter. We received our sweet tea and selected our table. Our order was taken by a very friendly employee. That set the tone for the remainder of our meal.
Within minutes our food was delivered to the table. I did have time to snap a picture of the salt and pepper shakers !
Speaking of the sweet tea, it was refreshing and not too sweet. There was a side counter with additional napkins, ketchup, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce.
Sweet Harold decided on the rib plate with fries and coleslaw. You're given a choice of their homemade bbq sauce which is a little spicy or a sweeter sauce. He went with the homemade.
The plate had five large and meaty ribs, large portions of slaw and fries along with a slice of buttered Texas toast. He added a side of baked beans for a small charge ($2.50).
The ribs were nicely smoked and extremely tender. They had a generous amount of that homemade sauce.
These ribs passed the "bite test" with flying colors. A bite taken from the middle of a rib should come off cleanly without "falling off the bone." That indicates an overcooked rib, btw. This bite shows an excellent smoked rib.
Sweet Harold gave the highest compliment: "These are competition level ribs."
The fries were served hot and crispy. He loves this type of fry.
The coleslaw was mayo based. There was an ample amount of the mayo dressing. Maybe a tad too much for some diners, but it had a delicious flavor.
He was happy that he ordered the extra side of beans. These were also nicely seasoned and contained a little of the smoked pork. They had a nice consistency: not too runny, not too dry.
I ordered the pulled pork plate with onion rings and "tater babies."
I requested the homemade bbq sauce on the side. The sauce had a thin consistency and a distinct vinegary flavor. This was right up my alley. There was a subtle heat at the end. Seriously, I could have sipped this sauce with a straw!
The pork was chopped instead of pulled. The aroma of smoke was evident before I even took a bite. It was tender with no evidence of being prepared hours beforehand with the resulting texture of dried out meat.
For fairness, I added some of the sweeter sauce to part of the pork to give it a try. It was thick, smoky, and had a distinct sweet flavor. I know many people would prefer this one and it WAS delicious, but for me, the homemade, spicy version was the overall winner!
The onion rings were thick sliced with a very crunchy exterior.
The tater babies were small potato wedges with a soft fluffy interior and a great crispy exterior.
The toasted bread added the nice final touch to the meal.
Even though we were stuffed, we decided to try a dessert. There were several options, but we chose to share a cream horn with chocolate buttercream filling. The pastry was light and airy and the filling was creamy and so chocolately!
The addition of powdered sugar added to the visual goodness, don't you agree?
Here's our overview:
The dining room was super clean and large enough to accommodate groups. As soon as diners would leave, the staff was there to clean the tables.
Real plates and silverware!
The staff was friendly and welcoming.
Stars of the show: the ribs were large and perfectly smoked; yummy pork; generous portions of everything, and the homemade bbq sauce should be bottled and sold!
Our Score 0 - 100: 90
A friendly reminder!
I was hungry before I read this, now I'm starving.
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