It’s The Little Things

Like a good little social media addict, I “checked in” to Sibley’s BBQ last night when we ate dinner – to tell the truth, just checking in social media style at our local restaurants simply does not do them justice.

We certainly have our share of excellent dining opportunities – one can easily find choices from the comfy & casual to the refined & more formal – not to mention the ever-expanding array of cuisines to drool over – we are truly fortunate to have such a wide variety of quality culinary options.

So, instead of merely checking in at a really good BBQ joint last night, I hope to share one aspect of an outstanding meal and do justice to a locally owned business – to be clear, the entire meal was wonderful – Emily had the catfish, fried okra, coleslaw – I had the ribs, fried okra and mixed greens – (off the record) we also shared a hot peach cobbler a la mode.

Their mixed greens were the star of the meal for me – again, the whole meal was spot on, but the greens brought each component together – I don’t know the ratio, but their mixed green were a balance of collard, turnip, and mustard greens – the seasoning was unmistakably cultured from years of experience and repetition – tiny bits of bacon and drippings perfectly highlighted each serving.

Now to explain this culinary marvel – for starters, they serve the greens in one of those individual serving ramekin (soufflé) dishes – this unique dish does several amazing things for the diner – it’s porcelain, so it holds the heat, the greens and pot liquor all together – no renegade pot liquor rudely invading other side dishes on the plate – the dish also preserves the pot liquor when the greens have all been eaten.

Everyone knows Sibley’s serves hushpuppies with most of their main entrees – yes, their hushpuppies are particularly good, and worthy of mention – but in this case, we only mention them as a soon to be companion to the remaining pot liquor, waiting patiently in the still warm ramekin dish.

Tell the truth, we’ve all experienced that point in a meal when a body just needs to come up for air – you know that point, fingers and face well lubricated with grease and BBQ sauce – tea glass recently refilled and your eye catches the neglected hushpuppies.

All the pieces come together – much in the same way that a fairy god mother bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’ed and ginned up a ball gown and glass slippers, wonderment took over at our table –  I picked up the hushpuppies and broke them into the pot liquor, like croutons in a soup – timing is critical – the pieces of hushpuppies soaked up the pot liquor, but only a little bit of it – too much soaking, is an error for sure – at the right moment, I took some of the partially soaked hushpuppies into my mouth – but, didn’t chew or eat them – the intent is to slowly suck the pot liquor back out of the hushpuppies, before eating them – properly executed, one would pull the warm cornbread, bacon, and greens flavored liquid from the hushpuppies – savor their flavors, then eat the hushpuppies – it’s nothing short of magical.

Sadly, there is never enough pot liquor to accommodate a normal serving of hushpuppies – so balance and moderation are key to achieving maximum dining pleasure when enjoying this symphony of traditional BBQ side dish flavors – this was, without a doubt, the best part of my dinner last night.

If you are one of the few, who have not tried the unique dining tradition, I strongly recommend it – it will change your life.