Lunch Report: Rib House Update...

Here is proof positive that sometimes, even when you go to a place you like, you can have a less than tasty treat. It happens. You might recall my recent drooling all over the Rib House and their lip-smackingly good ribs. But at the time, I had this hankering for fish that just wouldn’t go away.

Today, a co-worker and I needed to make a quick trip out of the office and I suggested we make the short drive over to the Rib House. We did, and I have to tell you in all honesty, my lunch was mediocre at best. I only even bring it up because I would hate for you to take it on my word that this place is “all that”, and have you come back and give me the raised eyebrow signifying WTF?My friend smartly ordered the beef ribs with yams and some fried okra. How can you go wrong with that?. I have to tell you that I looked at his plate several times during lunch as the meat fell off the bones and he seemed to passionately inhale the perfectly prepared ribs. We all know that I have immediate regrets as soon as I order something, and when our plates arrived, appearances alone convinced me I would have been better off with the ribs.

My fish was not bad – please don’t let me give you that impression, because by any standard, it was not something I would complain about had I been in a Luby’s or someplace. But I guess I had built it up in my mind that it was going to be really, really, good, and frankly, it was just, okay. And from there, it went downhill.You get two sides with your plate, so I went with the hushpuppies (a must when you order fish) and the Cole slaw – another must when you order fish (unless onion rings are an option). Appearances alone would have resulted in an “Eeee-yuk” from my wife, had she been there to witness it. The hushpuppies were small and not real good. The Cole slaw looked like it had a coat of milk film or something on it, and again, I thought about not tasting it at all. In fairness, the taste was good and in fact, the taste was really good, but unfortunately, the visual of the runny, filmy like coating over the top was a deal breaker for me, and after two or three well intended forkfuls, I had to simply let it go.

In the end, I paid my nearly $11.00 plus another buck for the tip jar and left thinking that I’d just let it go. I mean, if I go through the drive thru at McDonald’s (believe me – a rare occasion) and purchase a Hot & Spicy McChicken and a double cheeseburger from the dollar menu, I don’t make a big deal of it if my sandwich is in full disarray when I open it up from the wrapper; I just eat it and move on. But then I thought to myself, it comes from the dollar menu. $12.00 for some lunch is a different story. It needs to be good for that price.

So, my guess is I just hit it on a bad day. My co-worker was more than pleased with his ribs and he tells me that the time he had a fish sandwich it was worth the price. But I’m not one to get over things like this easy. There is a reason they call it the Rib House, and for me, that is all it will be.; ribs or nothing.