401 South Quintard Ave

Anniston, AL 36201

(256) 237-1411 

Betty's Logo

Alabama is one of those places that takes great pride in their own style of BBQ. Growing up in Florida I am a fan of sliced BBQ and not so much on the shredded. But the people at Betty’s Bar-B-Q do have a good product. On this particular day, I was craving a good meal. My lunch had been disappointing and I was hungry.

Betty's Sign

My server let me pick my table and left a card on the table telling me that her name is Shala. She stepped away to bring me a sweet tea that she recommended. The tea was good, not great though, little bit bitter. She asked me if I knew what I wanted and I told her I needed to look at the menu, but would love to start with some hushpuppies. She smiled and disappeared to put in my order. For the next few moments I sat there, and the next few minutes turned into close to 10 minutes and I was actually in the process of standing up to leave when I heard the cook yell “HUSHPUPPIES UP”! I decided to wait for a few more seconds. Shala came back to my table and dropped off 5 large hushpuppies and in her sweet southern drawl asked if I was ready to order. Being torn on 3 or 4 different items I went with the sampler platter. But I did have a little modification to the order. Instead of the catfish I asked if they would trade it for the special of the day which was chicken croquettes. Shala let me know that this would not be a problem. She left me with my hushpuppies and a bottle of BBQ sauce. The HPs were extremely dry on the inside and fried too long on the outside. Maybe it is a personal preference, but I do not like my HPs to be deep brown.

Hushpuppies

I sat there watching the weather channel with the volume off and waited for my sampler. When it got there it did look good. My disappointment started as I ate. The cornbread was so hard that I could not break it with my teeth. The okra was good, but cold. The chicken croquettes were also very good, but cold. The green beans were good and not cold but not hot. The shredded pork with the sauce already on the top of it was good, but cold. The item that was not cold was the one fresh chicken strip. They make the strips fresh each day and they are never frozen. Not only was the chicken strip hot, it was fantastic. When I visit Betty’s BBQ in the future I will be back specifically for the chicken strips.

Sampler Platter

Most of the items are very reasonably priced, with sandwiches in the 3 dollar range and the plates around 6. My hushpuppies order was under 1 dollar. The sampler platter was just over $10 and the tea was about 1.50. Even though I was not offered a dessert they claim that all of them are homemade, lemon, peanut butter, chocolate fudge pies and cobbler. They do have a special menu for both the kids and the seniors. The sign outside and on the back of the menu tells you that the home cooking meals change daily. Also they want you to know that they are ready from 4pm till gone. The staff of Betty’s Bar-B-Q encourage you to call for the daily specials. So, overall I was under impressed, but will go back if only for the chicken strips.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

637 Hwy 17 North, Palatka, FL
Palatka, FL 32177
386-328-6881

www.bigdssmokehouse.com 

Big D's Smokehouse

There is a restaurant that I have seen in my travels of US 17 in North Florida for a few years now. This place is quite noticeable as you are traveling between Green Cove Springs and Palatka Florida. If these cities are absolutely foreign to you I will let you know where we are talking about. For those of you who are not from the south the directions would go as follows. Drive South from Jacksonville on US 17 about 40 minutes toward Palatka. Big D’s is on the right. Now, for those of you from the south the directions are like this. Just when you go South of Bostwick, Florida on 17 and you can see the power plant stacks on the left but before you get to the Rice Creek Bridge you will see Big D’s Smokehouse on the right. Now before anyone gets upset with my description of the directions. I am from the South and give you these directions because I know they are true. 

When I go into Big D’s I see that the restaurant is not quite as large as I thought. It is a seat yourself place with a partial view to the kitchen from most tables. The walls are decorated with photos from the family memories of the owners of Big D’s. My first stop before grabbing my table was the restroom. This was just a large room with a commode. It really could have used a cleaning, trash was on the floor and there was a little bit of an odor. It was during lunch so I gave them a pass on that. I then grabbed a table near the front door and sitting there, my waitress (Terri) got my order of a Diet Coke and water. Terri hands me a menu and goes off to get my drinks. Before I look at the menu I can see the specials on the board. I then asked my server if I could try the soup of the day. The soup was a mixture that the guys in the back had come up with. It was a cream of chicken with rice and wild mushroom. Now I was really interested in a beef brisket. But the shot of soup that she brought me was so good, I caved in, I ordered the soup with a side of mac n cheese. The mac n cheese was by Terri’s recommendation. It was a close race between that and the baked beans but ultimately I went with Terri’s choice. When I got my food just a couple of minutes after I ordered it, I heard some guys talking. They were telling the owner of Big D’s how they have been wanting the beef brisket for days. So now I am thinking to myself that I may have made a mistake. But once I start to eat this meal I know that I have made the right decision. This was a perfect meal for what I needing. The soup really was fantastic. Now the macaroni and cheese was good, but it wasn’t my mama’s. It was very buttery to the point of really noticing it. The butter gave it such a distinct rich flavor that I decided to save for a kind of dessert.  

Soup

Terri did a very good job of keeping my drinks filled and seemed to enjoy what she does. She soon brought me my bill and for a good size bowl of soup, side of mac n cheese and a Diet Coke it was $7.25.  Looking at the menu I have to say that the prices are a little bit high for a standard BBQ place. They offer a hot dog, bun and baked beans for $5.99 with most of the ’sammiches’ (as the menu says) over $7.75 and even a couple of them close to $8.50. All of the ’sammiches’ are served with French fries. If you are interested in a different side such as beans, slaw, or jambalaya you are going to spend almost 3 bucks. They do offer a kids menu of burgers, dogs, and even shrimp. The kids menu seems to be a much better bargain than the adults menu. The ’suppa’s’ (as the menu says) has most of the items priced over 12 bucks. They do offer the cajun catfish, jambalaya, and the chicken strip dinner for just under 10 dollars. All of the ’suppa’s’ offer a choice of 2 vegetables. The vegetables available are beans, ‘tater’ salad, mac salad, and slaw. When I go to most BBQ places there seems to be more cost effective items or meals available. This is a very good meal but a family or a couple on a date can expect to be shelling out $25 to 35 dollars without ordering dessert or even beer and wine.

Even with the drawbacks of the menu cost I do believe that this would be a good place to order a featured special. At the time of my visit they did have a chicken wing special available that would not break you. The bowl of soup is priced at $2.99. So just be aware that this place is good but can be costly. Terri did not offer me a dessert and that is okay because I was stuffed. But looking at the dry erase board they did have a home made sweet that sounded wonderful. Apparently all of the desserts are homemade even the apple, chocolate chip bread pudding with vanilla drizzle that I was interested in. I decided not to ask for a sample of the bread pudding because I knew that might be pushing my luck. So the next time I am in Palatka I will stop by Big D’s. But I will make sure I have an extra few dollars in my pocket. 

Smokehouse Sign

When you stop by Big D’s you should be able to find at least one of the owners there at all times. They are a very sweet couple from Maine. His name is Wayne and hers is Betty. So I asked Wayne if he was also known as Big D. He told me yes, he stated that he has been called big dummy (while he chuckled). When you visit Big D’s Smokehouse you should know the hours are Mon – Thur 10:30 am until 8:00 pm, Fri and Sat 10:30 am until 9:00 pm and the Sunday hours of 11:00 am until 6:00 pm. They do offer eat in or take out. If you wish to call them the number is (386) 328-6881. You can also find them on the World Wide Web at www.bigdssmokehouse.com

 Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q

4838 Highway Avenue
Jacksonville, FL 32254

Monroe's

Many restaurants are the product of a successful catering business. This is the case with Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q & Catering on the Westside of Jacksonville. Keith (the owner of Monroe’s) has run a catering business in North Florida for several years. When the timing was right he decided to open a full restaurant. Keith can be found at the restaurant location on any day that they are open, unless they are on location for a catering event. Monroe’s catering has been a reliable and a favorite for many of the large corporations in metro Jacksonville area. Right on the take out menu they tell you they will cater from 50 to 10,000 for delivery or full service. 

On this visit I got to meet up with some friends of mine for lunch. It was just after noon when we got there. As always if you stop by between 11:45 am and 12:30 pm or so, you will need to be prepared to wait in a line to place your order. When you enter Monroe’s from one of the 3 entrances you need to make your way to the middle of the building to where you place your order. At the counter you will place your order and pay at the same time. Then you will get your cup to fill your soda or tea, as it is self serve. They will give you a number and you grab your seat. Not to worry, because there is never a long wait for your food. 

Keith

With Monroe’s being a Bar-B-Q place I usually order a pork sandwich or some of the best chicken wings that you will find in the south. On this particular day I decided to go with one of the lunch specials, which was the meatloaf. Keith informed me that it was a secret recipe from his grandmother. This meatloaf has some of the best flavor of any meatloaf that I have ever had. For my sides I went with the collard greens and the mac n cheese. The mac n cheese is really good but the greens are fan-flippin-tastic. As in every Bar-B-Q place my meal was served with Texas toast. The food is always wonderful at Monroe’s, and this day was no exception. Now this wasn’t all that I had ordered on this day… They did have banana pudding available, so of course I had to order me some of that. The banana pudding was really good. It was not my mama’s but it was dern good and I would order it again. Keith did offer me a slice of their own banana split pie. In the past I have tried this pie and once again the guys at Monroe’s have created a wonderful new item. If I recall the pie does have pineapple in it. I personally do not like pineapple, but this pie is wonderful nonetheless. 

Dining Room

The dining area is filled with the blue and white collar workers of the area. The walls of the restaurant are decorated with everything from Indian artifacts, Gone With The Wind pictures, classic album covers, and even photos from a fire that occurred in Jacksonville years ago. There are a lot of great stories on the walls there, and Keith will be more than happy to let you know what those stories are. Even though the place stays busy, the staff makes sure that the tables are clean. We have never had to wait for a table to be bussed or wiped down before we can grab a seat.

Pie's Meal

Visiting Monroe’s for lunch has been a favorite of mine for over a year now. They always offer a great lunch specials from bar-b-q to fried chicken. You can even get a veggie platter if you like. Recently they have started offering a family style dinner menu on Thursday and Friday evenings. This menu is available after 5:00 pm and features the best of their Bar-B-Q items. Before I left I grabbed a menu of the family style offerings. Monroe’s serves this in parties of 2 or more at $8.50 per person for one main course or $8.95 for 2 main courses per person up to4 at the cost of $11.95 per person. The main course offerings are from pork chops, fried steak, the delicious meatloaf I have just mentioned, pulled pork, turkey, and really about 4 or 5 more items for the main course. The veggies or sides that are available consist of the mac n cheese, collard greens, fries, beans, and potatoes. The meal is served with a basket of cornbread as well. If I were to guess, this offering will soon become a great tradition in Jacksonville. 

Monroe's Store Front

To find Monroe’s you should know it is just off of Highway Avenue. If you are like me, you have never heard of Highway Avenue. It is easy to find and is very close to I-10 when you exit off of I-10 head north. Ok, for those of you with a bad sense of direction. If exiting from I-10 going towards Jax (heading east) you will turn left on Cassat then right on Highway Ave less than a quarter mile ahead. Or if you are going west on I-10 (away from Jax) then you will just turn right on Cassat and then left on Highway Avenue. Monroe’s is on the right almost right after you make the exit. The hours of Monroe’s are M-W and Sat 11 am until 3:30 pm on Thur and Fri they are open from 11 am until 9 pm. You can have the daily specials faxed to you or your office. If you want to call Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q you can do so at 904-389-5551. And one of my favorite things is this. You can reach them on the World Wide Web at www.monroessmokehousebbq.com 

Enjoy and tell Keith Moonpie sent you by.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com

850 Lane Ave South
Jacksonville, FL 32205-4705
(904) 783-9579 

Cross Creek

We were hungry for something a little different.  We were driving around and decided we wanted some steak, something grilled and meaty.  We came across Cross Creek Steakhouse.  The place doesn’t look like much from the outside.  Wooden building made to look like it was made out of barn wood with a screened in porch.  We entered the restaurant and I was surprised at the décor.  Lots of cool, old and unusual stuff to look at.  There was a corner display of scarecrows and pumpkins for fall.  We were seated way in the back of the restaurant.  This place is huge!  Like I said, it didn’t look like much from the outside, but inside…the place seemed to go on and on forever. 

View of the Bar From the Lobby

Our waitress quickly came over and went over the specials with us and took our drink order.  She came back just as fast with our drinks and we ordered some sweet potato fries for an appetizer.  We were going over the menu and decided on what we wanted to order.  Our waitress came with a huge plate of sweet potato fries and took our dinner order.  I was having the barbecue sampler plate with chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket and ribs with a side of coleslaw and steamed broccoli.  Pie got the endless plate of grilled shrimp with a side of steamed broccoli and a baked potato.  Now that our dinner order was in, we got back to our appetizer.  Let me tell you, these sweet potato fries were amazing!  They didn’t taste greasy even though they were fried.  They were crinklecut and cooked crispy, but not hard and crunchy.  We dipped them in some honey mustard and before we knew it, they were gone.  As we were looking at the empty plate wishing for more, our dinner order came to our table.  Perfect timing! 

Sweet Potato Fries

Our waitress asked if we needed extra napkins, ketchup, more drinks and basically made sure that we had everything that we needed for our dinner.  The dinner was fabulous.  The ribs were to die for and the chicken was done to perfection.  The pork was pulled and not shredded into a pulp like many restaurants do.  I wasn’t thrilled with the brisket, but only because I am not a fan of that cut of meat…it kind of reminds me of corned beef and corned beef freaks me out.  It’s a texture thing I think.  Pie got 2 more plates of the shrimp.  Our waitress made sure that the next plate was right there when he finished the first one.  Many times when there is all you can eat shrimp, they aren’t that quick to bring you the next plate.  Not here!  He wasn’t a fan of the broccoli, it was seasoned with some spices and it just wasn’t his taste.  I put it with mine and finished it up.  When our dinner was finished, our waitress asked if we would like some dessert.  We settled on sharing a piece of cheese cake.  Great cheesecake!  I ate the top of it to avoid the crust and Pie got to eat all the crust and what was left over.  

Fall Display

We got our check with our dessert and paid our bill.  This was nice since most restaurants can’t get the timing of the check right.  They either bring it without asking about dessert making you feel like they want you out of that table; or they bring it way after you have finished your last bite and just about to slip into nap mode right at the table.  Dinner for both of us was about $35…not bad, not bad at all.  Well worth the money! 

Stuffed Lynx? with a Sucker in it's Mouth

When we were leaving, we asked for a menu to take with us.  They were coming in from the printer the next day the hostess told us.  She went out of her way and asked a couple of the staff if they knew if there were any stashed away somewhere.  They searched high and low to find one and they finally did.  They were so nice and friendly; so was our waitress.  They do have a kid’s menu although I have to admit that we didn’t look it over.  Cross Creek has a great restaurant going on Lane Avenue South.  If you are looking for great food, great service and a great price all at a place that makes you feel right at home and appreciated…go to Cross Creek (but wear some stretchy pants!).

Review by Rhonette, email:  rhonette@piesplate.com

1208 S Ridgewood Ave

Edgewater, FL 32132-2716

(386) 423-5299

www.dustinsbarbq.com

I was driving through Edgewater, FL on a Sunday afternoon with some friends who were craving fast food burgers. I made the executive decision to stop at Dustin’s. When the others in the car complained about the stop, I simply said to them. ‘Listen guys, I weigh more than the rest of you combined. We are getting Bar-B-Q!’ With a little bit of grumbling from them, we parked in the very busy parking lot and went inside. 

Walking into Dustin’s we started to wait for a hostess to find us an available table. After standing there for a few minutes we were told that it is a seat yourself at the first available place we could find. This took us to the back of the restaurant at one of the 2 or 3 available tables in the whole place. We sat and waited for our server. With the place being packed the way it was, she was definitely “In the weeds”. So we were patient while she was catching up and got to our table. She brought us a menu and took our drink order. In a matter of minutes she was back with our drinks and ready to take our food order. 

My mind was made up early on what I wanted to order. My plan was a sliced pork sandwich, fries and a side order of baked beans. Although the menu was diverse in offering hamburger, chicken, ribs, even fish and shrimp. Knowing that I was going to have to wait for a few minutes to get my food, I decided to go and wash my hands first. The restroom in Dustin’s is located in the rear of the rustic looking restaurant. It was actually close to where we were seated. Going into the restroom was a major disappointment. The rest of Dustin’s looked almost new, or as if it was meant to look older. The restrooms clarify the age of the restaurant. Even though they were extremely busy, the smell of the men’s room was absolutely disgusting. Overall the restroom was comparable to a roadside truck stop. When I was finished in there I made sure that I grabbed a bunch of paper hand towels to open the door. Thankfully the staff had placed a small wastebasket near the door for what I believe is this exact reason. 

Getting back to our table I was kind of thinking the food might be there. It was not, but they were still busy. Even after I sat down, it took about another 5 minutes to get our order to the table. It was well worth the wait. All of the complaints from my skinnier friends had gone away. After a few bites they even commented about how they were glad that I had brought us here. With that thought in mind, when have you went to a fast food place and really felt refreshed or excited about your meal. Growing up in the south I will say that I absolutely love sliced pork sandwiches. The fries are crinkle cut which is another favorite of mine. Now when it comes down to it, I know it is hard to mess up French fries but it can be done! However, the guys at Dustin’s did a good job on them. The baked beans were also tasty. They had little chucks of delicious meat in each bite. After my friend’s thank yous and with our bellies full, we started to leave. The bill was very reasonable. My meal was $6.99 for the sandwich, fries and my unsweet tea. As I said before, I also ordered a side of beans for an extra $1.99. 

So, when you find yourself down near Daytona Beach you have 5 locations of Dustin’s Bar-B-Q to choose from. You can go to either Ormond Beach, Deland, Melbourne, Port Orange or the location we went to in Edgewater. To find the exact addresses or phone numbers for Dustin’s; you can look them up online at www.dustinsbarbq.com. Dustin’s will be celebrating 20 years in business in 2011 (according to their menu). With this being one of the best bar-b-q sandwiches I have ever had and the site of the crowds, you should expect them to be around for another 20 years. But remember to wash your hands and do ‘your business’ before stopping by the one in Edgewater.

Review by Pie, email:  pie@piesplate.com