Sunday, May 13, 2012

Bottley's Bar-B-Que

"Love At First Bite?"  Exactly.

Bottley's Bar-B-Que
2210 Country Club Boulevard
Stockton, CA
Bottley's Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Nearly 20 years ago, my late father hired Bottley's to cater his company's annual picnic.  I distinctly remember one dish: Dirty Rice.

Fast forward two decades, and I'm standing at the counter inside their newest location, talking to a family member who not only remembered catering that function, but my father as well.  Unbelievable!

Unfortunately, they no longer offer Dirty Rice as a menu option; however, I was given a sample of the Boudin, which is a spicy meat and rice mixture formed into sausages.  Odd-sounding, but mighty delicious.

I ordered the Pork Ribs Lunch Plate which included four fall-off-the-bone ribs in my choice of sauce (medium), a scoop of tangy Potato Salad, two slices of soft white bread and a choice of sides (in my case, creamy Macaroni and Cheese).  For $8, it was a bargain of a deal, especially when factoring in the genuine hospitality emanating from each and every employee.

The food is prepared with care, the walls are covered with decades of local sports memorabilia, and the operation is family-run. There's little room for improvement as far as I'm concerned.  On second thought, if they could wave a magic wand and make it all fat-free, then that would be perfect.