Harold's Barbecue ~ Atlanta GA

  I love time travel movies. The Back To The Future series is a favorite of mine. When watching those movies, I wonder about the choices that we make which forever change the space-time-continuum. One poor decision and the "Bad Biff" takes over Hill Valley. Is it possible that time travel changed Harold's Barbecue that way?

  Maybe they have changed the same way that the 50's-style soda-fountain changed in the movie Blast From The Past. Rent the video or watch the movie to get the full effect.

  Harold's Barbecue has been in business in the same place since 1947. That fact in and of itself is a staggering feat (of glue and duct tape). I am not an engineer, so I do not know exactly how long concrete block structures last before they totally disintegrate. Sixty-odd years are a long time for a restaurant to occupy the same building. The space-time-continuum for Harold's Barbecue will be altered forever if it is thoroughly cleaned and remodeled. I personally do not think that the walls would remain vertical. It would be too much of a shock.

  Many famous people have dined on Harold's Barbecue over the years. Jimmy Carter, Jeff Foxworthy, Lewis Grizzard are a few names that may impress diners. The original owner Harold Hembree Sr. and his son did a superb job feeding Atlanta over the last sixty years. With the  Federal Penitentiary right down the street, plenty of officers, lawyers, and such have graced Harold's doors. The Hembree legacy of barbecue in South Atlanta is epic. Now, who will they impress over the next sixty years?   

Violation # 2-1C. No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.

  I know that they did not impress the health inspector back in January 2011. The health inspection (which should be posted by the entrance) eluded my failing eyesight during my lunch visit. However, I did find my reading glasses at home and the health inspection results on line. January 15, 2011 they did not fair well. On a re-inspection, about ten days later they did significantly worse. The next day they passed with a 95. I do not want to bash Harold's Barbecue for a bad score. I just thought one may want to know. I noticed several violations, but I am anal like that. I worry about their guests health and Harold's Barbecue continuing to operate within the health department guidelines.

  

  Upon arrival, the first thing that I noticed was an ancient ginormous smoke stack. Slightly disappointed, by the lack of smoke emanating from it, I pressed forward past the barred windows and through an overly squeaky door labeled with a "cash only" sign.

 My wife studied my face for fear worry or shock from the moment we drove into the parking lot. She searched for the same look on my face that was on hers several weeks ago when we pulled into Heirloom Barbecue. She got no such satisfaction from me. I was in love with this building from the moment that I saw it. It looked like a mini penitentiary. A newspaper article on the wall by the table we selected stated that Jeff Foxworthy used Harold's Barbecue as a backdrop for his classic line "You might be a redneck if...".

Seeing the bars on windows and the cashier wearing a Superman T-shirt and "packing heat" made me think "You might be in a bad part of town if...".

• You might be in a bad part of town if... you have to put bars over your air conditioners.
• You might be in a bad part of town if... you are the only eatery around for miles.
• You might be in a bad part of town if... there is a penitentiary a few blocks down the road.
• You might be in a bad part of town if... the cashier is wearing a sidearm.

By the way, I have always wanted to use the term "packing heat".

   I did not see any neon blue lights or flaming trails of fire like Marty McFly  used to see when traveling through time. However, when I made the time-warp-leap through the front door, I did imagine them. I also imagined Beuford T. Justice walking in and asking for a Diablo Sandwich and a Dr. Pepper.

  Where was I? Ah yes, sitting at the table reviewing the menu (modified with price-change stickers).

Before making the trip to Harold's Barbecue, a friendly farmer instructed me to order an "inside cut" sliced-pork sandwich, a bowl of Brunswick Stew, and a side of Cracklin' Cornbread. The farmer stated "If you don't like that, you don't know what good is.".

Given this challenge, I ordered the above meal. My wife added a chili-dog, and I added a half rack of ribs to the order. While swatting a lone hungry fly, we received the crackin' cornbread. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. The Brunswick Stew arrived and tasted a lot like South Carolina Hash with a bit of corn and tomato added. It was better than most Brunswick stew that I have tried in Georgia.

  Then the highlight of the meal came to the table. It was the chili dog topped with diced onions. Although probably filled with indigestible poison, this chili dog rules the Deep South. One will not find its match anywhere in the South according to gf. The current owners have not lost the art of making the distinctive chili which topped this dog.

  The ribs engulfed the plate on which they sat. I am not sure what cut of ribs these were, I think they were short ribs untrimmed, but they came from a thin pig. They possessed a slight smokiness, but they were not slow cooked over smoke. I am sure of it. The sauce, which is a thin red vinegar solution, accompanies the ribs and the sliced barbecue sandwich.

  I am not a fan of diced (chopped) barbecue. Chopped barbecue may come in handy when all of my teeth fall out. Until then, I will pass on this delicacy of the toothless. The sliced barbecue sandwich looked disappointing. Stacked on sad looking semi-grilled-toasted white bread it begged for a face-lift. However, it rose to the occasion and proved to be a spectacular sandwich. The meat proved to be tender and flavorful. I hereby dub it the Ugly Duckling Sandwich.

  While eating, I finished the cleaning list that lingered in the back of my head. We finished lunch and chatted with Maggie our server (surprisingly photogenic) who gave us prompt service. Maggie informed us that she was the great grand daughter of the original owners.  I understood from the conversation that the myriad of workers milling about in the restaurant are also related to the original owners.

  Can Harold's Barbecue still cook fabulous barbecue? Absolutely, but... Harold's Barbecue is not for the faint of heart. If one does not venture too far from ones suburban cocoon, one should not bother trying to find Harold's Barbecue. However, if one likes an adventure and is not skeered of a fly, some dirt, bars on windows, pot bellied patrons, and cashiers with sidearms... then go for it.

  Order a chili dog, a sliced-pork sandwich, Brunswick Stew, and some cracklin' cornbread. "If you don't like that, you don't know what good is."

 Update: Harold's is toast. gf
Click here for details.



Thanks for reading,

gf

I Gotta Go Roll Up My Windows

  I have not rambled aimlessly for some time now (being overly obsessed with barbecue hunting), but I will regress for your enjoyment.  A reader of many blogs and other noteworthy scribing I have found that there are extraordinarily smart people out there. I do not subscribe to being smart just to be smart. Smartness must have a purpose, a place, a higher goal. Therefore, I subscribe to be clever, if not clever, then at least not an idiot.

  Maybe my tombstone will read "Not the smartest cookie, but not just a crumb." I obsess with idiotic behavior, and my goal in life is to point it out. Plenty of idiotic behavior goes undocumented. We must document this behavior for the future of the species. Otherwise, the ants and the roaches will take over the world. No, the rats and the mice will NOT take over the world as they are too much like us. Duh... has one ever heard of Micky Mouse and Atom Ant? Atom Ant will kick Micky's butt any day of the week.

http://weirdthings.com/2009/10/the-labrador-sea-monster/

  Sometimes I genuinely feel awful that I do not have something intelligent, deep, and or even spiritual to share with my readers. I do not. I care not for the depths of the mental oceans where sea monsters swallow time and space. I fear those monsters who make us pull our brains out of our skulls and examine them with piercing stainless steel picks to drain out the inadequacy of our spirits. I choose rather to jet ski on top of this dread ocean full of mental monsters. I ride with a shotgun in hand as I may need to shoot any wayward tentacles that may arise in the mist.

  Speaking of mists, there are idiots in the steamy mists of summer, and they must be documented.

  It is summertime in the Deep South. Hotness rules the day, that is, until the afternoon thunderstorms roll in and dump liquid sunshine on unsuspecting drivers. I am curious why some individuals leave their car windows down in the summer. Is there a significant difference in temperature with the windows down versus up? Do they lock their doors in the wintertime? If so, why? Do they have radios that work in their cars or have they been ripped out already?

  What truly baffles me is (no matter what the driver is doing at the time) their action must be discontinued immediately due to the "surprise" thunder shower. It matters not what the activity is at hand.

• Have you been waiting in line at the bank for fifteen minutes? Go roll up your windows - its raining.
• Are you waiting on tables at work? Go roll up your windows - its pouring.
• Is your shopping cart full at the grocery store (with ice cream deicing)? Forget it - your floorboard is two inches deep in water.

 Thunderstorm activity may not happen everywhere in the world, but it does happen here. If one lives in the Deep South, one will encounter thunderstorms with some regularity during the summer months.

  I can only conclude that the idiots who leave their windows down during these summer months are not from the South. They may be illegal. Maybe they have infiltrated to inbreed with the logical and intelligent in our society. Only then, when we are all dumbed down enough, they will strike and peel off their outer epidermis to reveal that they are prickly skinned aliens... right. Maybe they are Yankees. No, Yankees are smarter that that.

 It could be that the drivers that I speak of do not have air conditioning. This is the only logical answer. Maybe the two-degree difference in the temperature of their car with the windows down is significant enough to warrant such idiocy.

  What ever the reason, we must fight back. We must stop this behavior. We must save mankind.

Thanks for reading,
gf

Hollis Famous Ribs ~ Athens, GA

 

 While searching Athens Georgia for memorable barbecue, a seven foot tall man holding a large sign flagged us down. Yes, a modern-day-giant waving a hand-held-sign caught our attention, and, therefore, we pulled into Hollis Famous Ribs. The temperature (being around 98 degrees Fahrenheit) qualified the event as a photo opportunity for this fine fellow. Happy and hot, he shouted out the specials to us and the others passing by.

Seeing my photo enigma of his employee, Famous Clark Hollis greeted us with a pose at the door. He then immediately took us to look at the aforementioned famous ribs which smoked happily in a large pit within a covered barbecue hut.

  I love barbecue huts. Any shape, any size, no matter they are a spectacular feat of architecture. Keeping the cookers dry and free of bugs, these huts are the backbone of America. Now I will be famous like Famous Clark Hollis just because I have been in his barbecue hut. One cannot simply walk into a barbecue hut and live. This is a sacred building. It is a holy building of barbecue. I have been inside this holy building. I have seen and smelled the magic in Athens Georgia.

  Occupying a 1955-style burger-car-hop makes Hollis Famous Ribs look like a classic barbecue joint. There are plenty of picnic tables, some which are in the shade under an old car hop covering. I discovered that Hollis Famous Ribs cannot serve inside the building as they do not have a license to do so. Therefore, all food is delivered in to-go boxes for your dining pleasure. Maybe this is how barbecue should be served nationwide. This is perfect for the Bulldog enthusiasts who go tailgating before the big game. The BIG game is with the South Carolina Gamecocks, but more about that at a later time. A drive through window makes Hollis Famous Ribs the "go to" place for tailgate barbecue in Athens.

  All of the meat was "fall-off-the-bone" tender. Short ribs slow cooked in a barbecue hut cannot be anything but Famous. I ordered a portion of white-meat chicken for the moisture test. The chicken glistened with a tomato sauce with a hint of spice and was tender and moist. This is a middle of the road sauce which can be enjoyed by all. The sauce is nothing extraordinary mind you, but it is delicious. After diving into the perfectly cooked chicken and ribs I focused my attention on the pulled barbecue.

  Clark mentioned that they should have put the sauce on the side as he and I saw that the pulled barbecue was swimming in the sauce. I would have liked to have tasted the chopped barbecue with out sauce to enjoy the smokiness of the dish. In the future, one should order the sauce on the side.

  The sides are in need of some perking up according to gf. Clark needs to focus a bit on making his macaroni and cheese at least semi-famous. I would not say that it is infamous, but it does need an overhaul. The slaw was average but tasty.

Hollis Famous Ribs also serves Hash and Brunswick Stew which I sampled with pleasure. There was a lengthy discussion with the chef about the proper way to eat Hash. The lack of white rice to put the Hash on puzzled me. Evidently Georgians do not willingly put Hash on rice. This is a fatal flaw. South Carolina law states that Hash must be served with white rice. Since South Carolina seceded from the Union first, I believe that everyone must follow this Hash eating rule. If one does not know what Hash is, click here. The Brunswick Stew was right on the money.  If one does not know what Brunswick Stew is, click here.

  Overall, Hollis Famous Ribs is rightly named. Are they the best in North Georgia? I am not sure about that, but I will be back to enjoy these famous ribs.


Update: Hollis Famous Ribs is closed.
Click here for details. gf


Thanks for reading,

gf

Jot Em Down ~ Athens, GA

  The reviews on Jot Em Down that I read were mixed. Diners either love this place or they hate it. Without much of a "middle ground" of opinions,  I knew that this was going to be fun. I also knew that I had to consume the ever popular Cabbage Casserole.

  This looks like a BBQ joint. After all, there is a pig on the roof. Stocked with artifacts and "old junk" the place looks like an old grocery store inside and out. The old posters and signs taped to the front doors adds to the charm, as well.  I am not sure about the bamboo wall paper hung throughout the interior though; that felt a little "tiki bar" to me. Antiques and doodads abound at Jot Em Down. However, my thinking has always been "People go out to eat to eat." I suggest that they invest in new booth seats as the current ones are quite worn. Maybe they can sell some antiques to cover those costs.

The plates come out to the table covered in wax paper. This practice is confusing to me. Do they have a fly problem? Is it a game of hide-and-seek or peek-a-boo? Are we supposed to flip the paper over and use it for a plate? Is it for your left overs? I just do not know about the wax paper.

Before

After

Before

Watching my daughter opening her food was painful. Not only was her plate covered in wax paper, but the sandwich was wrapped up as well. This wax paper deal just kills me.

  The cafeteria-sectional-style plates did not impress her either. Matter of fact, she said that it creeped her out. She stated that the plates made her feel as though she was in a middle-school lunch room. Maybe she had issues in middle school that I am not aware of... not sure about that. The baked beans tasted as though they were straight out of a can, and the Brunswick Stew proved to be a mixture of an unfortunate nature. Fail.

After

  Not letting personal demons get the best of me, I press onward. The pulled pork meat was smoked and very tender. Delivered without sauce is not a problem as there is a plethora of sauces on the table. Eight or so choices with slight differences in each are an issue in my book. Three sauces max is the gf standard. The staff instructed us shake the vinegar sauces, but we found it hard to comply. Shaking without placing ones finger on the top produces an unwanted acid-rain of sauce on the table. Also, placing ones finger on the spout is a violation. I am sure of it.

  The pulled pork (chopped finer than I like) had a decent smoke flavor to it. However, the ribs disappointed me as they did not sport any seasoning on them at all (insert a significant pause).

The bar with no beer.

  I gobbled up the Cabbage Casserole with gusto. The hype about this side dish is not unfounded. It is impressive. Matter of fact,  I am letting the world know right know that I am stealing this recipe. This is a dish that does not win any awards in the looks department. However, one may turn into a Cabbage Casserole fanatic after tasting this vegetable treat.

 As we wrapped up the visit, I poked around and snapped a few pictures. I discovered an awesome bar in a back right corner of the building in a separate room. I discovered that there are no drink specials as they do not sell any libations. "We served more BBQ then beer" was the given reason. Whatever. Is this is Athens Georgia or is it not? There is not a shortage of beer drinkers in Athens. I think that there may have been too much beer drinking in the past at Jot Em Down. Maybe Jot Em Down used to be called "chug em down". There is a story about the Jot Em Down name posted in the lobby. It said something to the effect of "Jot 'em down so you don't forget 'em." Sorry, but I did not read any more than that as it hurt my head.

  The issues that reviewers have had about the service are not the fault of the servers according to gf. Either the owners need to rethink the ordering process, or hire more servers. That is all I have to say about that.

  There were concerns about a University of Alabama logo hung above the table, but they were unfounded. Upon detailed review, there were significant differences between the Alabama design and the logo that was hanging above the table. The University of Alabama has a fondness for elephants. The sign above the table had a big red "A" and a Spartan poking out through the middle of it. My bad.

plannedob.blogspot.com

  I concluded my visit by ordering some Cabbage Casserole to go. Leaving dazed and confused I reasoned that it was from soaking myself with sauce, the mental exercise of trying to understand why a bar had no cold beer, and trying to remember what the hell was in the middle of the Alabama "A".

  Overall, Jot Em Down is a place to grab a barbecue sandwich on the run. Avoid the ribs, baked beans, and the stew. Do not order a beer at the bar, and watch out for excessive wax paper. Choose the Cherokee barbecue sauce for a condiment.

sportslogos.net

 "Let The Big Dog Eat" ...barbecue!

bleacherreport.com

Thank you for reading, and GO COCKS!!

gf