Frequently, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always-hungry reporter has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
Restaurant owners spend a lot of money on aesthetics. After all, if their place looks good on the outside, it’s likely to attract customers. If it looks good on the inside, those customers are likely to enjoy their dining experience – assuming the food and service are good.
However, it can also be said that you will find some of the best food at places which look like a hole-in-the-wall. You know, restaurants which feel like they were shoe-horned into their space, without a glitzy entryway, and muted décor. (There’s a place in Las Vegas, Battista’s Hole in the Wall, which serves some of the city’s best Italian food.)
Lately, I’ve been driving a lot between Bossier City and Benton. There on the right, I had noticed a (very) unassuming, plain-looking place, with a modest sign reading ‘Uncle Henry’s Smokehouse BBQ’ (4717 Palmetto Road, Benton). I asked around, and sure enough, several people told me not only had they eaten at Uncle Henry’s, but that the barbecue was really good. So, on a recent Wednesday, I stopped in to test the adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Entering the restaurant at 1pm, I was pleasantly surprised. The (not surprisingly) small dining room – I counted 30 seats – looked bright and clean, with various pieces of artwork hanging on the walls. The menu board was one of the nicest I’ve seen, with colorful, stylish penmanship. I had time to study it, because I had to wait in line! Okay, there were only three of us, and the older gentleman at the counter was placing a big order for an upcoming get together. But I thought, ‘Hey, if this guy thinks enough of Uncle Henry’s food to serve all those folks, it must be pretty good.’
At Uncle Henry’s, you order at the counter, serve yourself at the drink stand, and have a seat. The friendly lady at the register didn’t give me a number. She didn’t give me a pager. I guess she is blessed with a good memory. And, with a maximum of 30 guests – and only one person besides me eating in – there wasn’t a need.
But what to eat? That colorful menu board spelled out plenty of choices: (Six) Sandwiches, (Eight) Meat Plates, a Turkey Salad, and a Stuffed Potato.
One item that caught my eye was a Smoked Hamburger. Boy, doesn’t that sound good? Temptation knocked, but if I was going to tell you about a barbecue restaurant, it seemed like I should stick to barbecue. There meat plates included my choice of two sides, and Texas Toast. Or I could get a Two Meat plate ($12.99) and try a couple of different things.
Wanting a little variety, that’s what I went with, and chose brisket and ribs. Of the usual sides found at a barbeque place (Baked Beans, Chips, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Corn on the Cob), I selected beans and slaw.
There was disappointment early on when I prepared my drink (water). I didn’t see any lemon (fresh or packets). I asked the above-mentioned friendly lady if she had any lemon and was told she did not. Bummer, but not the end of the world.
However, my disappointment quickly faded when the above-mentioned friendly lady – yes, she was the order-taker, cashier, and server – brought my food. From a distance, I could see white smoke rising from the plastic plate. This didn’t signal the election of a Pope, but did signal that my food would be hot. Cold food is bad. Cold barbeque is worse.
Beneath the smoke were three thick, nice-sized slices of brisket. Placed diagonally over those slices were two meaty-looking ribs. The servings of beans and slaw weren’t over-the-top, but certainly large enough. The big slice of Texas toast looked like it was right on the edge of either being toasted just right or toasted a little too much. I would soon find out.
As for barbecue sauce, there were several squirt bottles by the drink stand. None of them had labels, but I asked (yes, the above-mentioned friendly lady) and she said the sauces were all the same. Returning to my table, I drizzled sauce on my meats, and found the sauce’s taste to be unremarkable. Frankly, there wasn’t much of any taste. The sauce simply served as something to keep from eating dry meat.
And let’s talk about the meat. My brisket was so tender. There was no need to use the plastic knife. I was able to easily tear pieces apart. I mentioned the slices were thick, and even without sauce, the brisket didn’t taste dry.
The ribs had plenty of meat on both sides. You know how sometimes when you take a bite, your teeth touch bone? That wasn’t the case. My first bites resulted in nothing but meat. And, that meat was cooked just right. It wasn’t too tender, and it wasn’t too tough. And while the ribs looked to be overcooked, they were anything but.
As for the toast? It stayed in the toaster just the right amount of time.
Now, to dessert. The menu board indicated I only had one choice. However, if anyone can mess up a one-choice selection, it’s me. I thought the board read ‘Peach Cobbler’. However, when I placed my order, the (of course) above-mentioned friendly lady said the offering was ‘Pecan Cobbler.’ I could not remember ever having pecan cobbler. I’m not sure I had ever heard of it. She also said, upon me asking, that the cobbler was not made in-house, but was very good. So, upon her recommendation, I ordered a serving ($3.25).
Frankly, in hindsight, I could have done without the cobbler. It was basically a plastic container of sugar. The dough was hard, and drowned in pecan filling.
The cost of my meal before taxes and tip was $17.74. My biggest complaint about eating barbecue at a restaurant is that it’s expensive, and often, the barbecue’s taste doesn’t justify its cost. However, this time, that was not the case. Uncle Henry’s barbecue was really good in how it was cooked, how it tasted, and the amount of meat served.
I am happy to give Uncle Henry’s Smokehouse BBQ Three Forks, proving once again that sometimes, a hole-in-the-wall doesn’t need to be patched.
1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit for lunch?
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