My brother got married! That means Wife and I were back home for a while. It was a good time full of all the things that make times good: family and friends; music, food and drinks; hugs. But it’s time to head back down to the heat, which means it’s adventure time! Wife and I had a 20-hour drive ahead of us and right in the middle of it we came across a sunbeaten (and honestly a bit dodgy looking) billboard advertising barbecue and catfish. Truckers welcome. Nick’s Bar-B-Q & Catfish seems like a great place to make a memory, good or bad. We set Waze for our new destination and prep up for something interesting.

Nick’s and Nick’s?

We pull off the highway and a few blocks ahead of the destination. We can make out the sign a little way up and pull into a packed parking lot in front of two buildings, both sporting a Nick’s Barbecue and Catfish sign. One for truckers and one for regular folk? From the look of the new sparkling floors, high ceilings and spotless dining area it would seem they built this brand-new building immediately next to old one once the business had outgrown the original location. This is a good sign.

Let’s Get Started!

We’re greeted by a friendly hostess who sits us quickly, points us to the menus situated on the table and ensures us that our waitress will be with us shortly. She was! Within a minute a lovely young lady had introduced herself, taken our order of water and offered us some fried pickles as an appetizer.

Apparently her favorite and who are we to pass up? We took our time perusing the menu before ordering Nick’s Signature Bar-B-Q Burger for Wife, a half-pound burger topped with pulled pork, slaw and a fried green tomato, and the Shrimp, Catfish and Bar-B-Q combo for me, ribs, fried catfish, fried shrimp and two sides: mac and cheese and onion rings. I wanted to try everything! Don’t judge me! We pulled out our trusty set of dominoes and chatted a bit about our road trip over a few hands.

A little while later our pickles showed up with an apologetic smile as they had taken a bit longer than the young lady thought was acceptable. We happily dismissed her lament being sure to let her know that we were in no hurry and dug in. The pickles were surprisingly well executed! A thin sandwich-sliced pickle was breaded in heavy, hearty, well-seasoned breading similar to a chicken tender, crispy on the outside and warm and chewy in. The sparse pickle hidden in the middle of the mound of breading was just the right mix of juicy and tart to balance the cool, salty ranch served alongside.

Getting Served; Food Too!

I continued to get my ass handed to me in a game of bones (what I grew up calling dominoes, not actual bones) before our entrees showed up. Wife’s burger was perfectly cooked, nice and juicy, flame-charred and expertly seasoned. The Pork was tender and seasoned to enhance the flavor, not coax it out. The tomato was coated in that same awesome breading as were the pickles. The fries were hand cut, double fried, soft and chewy inside and crisp outside. Even the coleslaw was well done, not overly sweet or clumsily drenched in dressing. Excellent!

While Wife dug in, I had to take a moment. The shear mound of food, served on a half sheet tray (classy) was enough to have me taken aback but that wasn’t even the best of it! Everything was Brilliant. The shrimp and catfish were coated in a classic cornmeal base and fried just enough to cook them through. The shrimp still had that nice snap when you bit into them and the catfish was moist and flaky, as it should be. The unmistakably muddy flavor of good, fresh catfish was mellowed out by house-mixed tartar sauce, but I opted for just a splash of fresh lemon from the wedges served alongside. The ribs were also stunning. Tender and smokey, nice and dry. Despite the heavy and sometimes cumbersome nature of the meat, they were surprisingly delicate.

The meat fell off the bones and paired well with the sweet, dark barbecue sauce on the table. Even the damn hushpuppies were good! Wonderfully sweet from the caramelized onion mixed into the batter, moist with a super crispy exterior. I could have cut my mouth on them if I were a more reckless man. The only detractor from the whole experience was the overcooked pasta in the mac. It was tasty, but a bit mushy. Even so, I ate my fill and packed the rest up, enough for another meal later.

Sharpening the Trusty Shanker

We finished up our meal and I sat back in the booth licking my wounds from the domino-slaughter by chewing on a piece of Texas Toast. This was an excellent adventure! I can see how it was possible to outgrow the original location and why Yelp raved about them. Nick’s did the damn thang! As for Chef, I think we all know what’s up. On a scale of tip-the-hat (low) to shank-the-chef (high) He’s getting stabbed. to. death. I’m talking burn the crops and salt the earth. To those survived: hold up the legacy. To the loved ones: I’m sorry for your loss, but the food was too good. I had no choice.

Chef Shanker

Keeping the world in balance.
Have you ever eaten something so delicious it made you angry?