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.
A co-worker asked me last week if I had ever heard of the Rib House. Ever heard of it? I love the Rib House, I just hadn't been there in quite some time, even though my wife taunts me with tales of good eats every time her and her mom stop by for some of their famous ribs. The idea was in my head and by Friday, it was a done deal, we had to get over to the Rib House so I could get some of their catfish.
I know that sounds odd, but having never tried the catfish before, I had this big plan to get some!
This restaurant is located just north of what is now Port San Antonio, formerly Kelly AFB, on Old Highway 90. If for some reason you look at the Google Map and it has the place located in Castroville, just ignore it. The address is 757 Old Hiway 90 just west of 36th Street. If you can't see or feel a big C-5 flying over head, you aren't there.
So we get there right at opening and commence to inspect the menu. I have to confess, I had this sudden unsettling idea that if I had the catfish, I was missing the entire point of going to the Rib House. I mean, they don't call it the Catfish House, right? And this is why I have problems at restaurants. Too many options is a recipe for disaster.
There were three of us in our group and after serving us our tea, it was time to actually place the food orders. I opted to go last hoping that in the remaining few seconds, I could make my mind focus on the benifits of catfish over ribs.
The first guy ordered the two meat lunch - beef ribs and pork ribs and for sides, yams and fried okra.
The second guy went with the brisket (which I have had many times before - delicious) and green beans and Cole slaw.
It was suddenly go time for me. I had the sides down for sure. I was going with the green beans and potato salad. As soon as I was about to say catfish, my mind made some sort of left turn at Albuquerque and my mouth announced, "two meats, beef and pork", all on its own. As the guy left, I almost felt like I was having an out of body experience because I really had catfish on my mind. Really.
But I was not disappointed at all. First, I am a huge fan of Bill Millers green beans. I love them and would eat them daily. The green beans at the Rib House do not have the same pica-factor (they aren't spicy hot), but they have a great home made flavor that I truly enjoy. Order them and you will agree. The potato salad is good - I wouldn't turn it away and I surely licked my plate clean. The ribs are simply to die for and I don't mean maybe. I like the beef and the pork. One of our group said that he liked the beef a little more than the pork but followed that with, "It was like the difference between an A and an A+". Hard to go wrong with that.
No offense to the fine people at Tony Roma's (I haven't been in years), but the Rib House puts them to shame. Shame, as in give me back the hundreds and hundreds of dollars I spent there over the years thinking I was eating "The Best".
Now, before you gather up the entire family reunion or want to take your seventy nearest neighbors over for a little feast, you have to understand that there are some limitations. First, there is no parking to speak of. Second, the restaurant itself is not very big. I don't know how many they can hold, but it can't be more than 30 at a time. Having said that though, you can get it to go.
But if you have a small group of 4 to 10, I'd say they would be able to hook you up, just get there early.
So as soon as I got back to work, I whined over and over to my friends that I should have gotten the catfish. I'm guessing there is going to be another trip in the near future.
Bottom line: Tasty Treats. If you even think you like ribs and you don't try this place, you are missing out. Say Howdy to Miss Taylor - she'll be there waiting for you.
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.
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.
