Laughing with friends is the best therapy.
One thing you don't realize happens when you reach your mid to late 30s - (ok fine, our 40s for me), most of your friends vanish into thin air. It's like Thanos snapped his fingers and that network of people you relied upon through your most formative years is nowhere to be found.
Some of them move into that stage of life when a challenging career occupies all spare brain matter. Others have kids and somehow juggle the demands of career, home life, and their kids' 3,785 social commitments. Sadly, some drift away, whether that's physically or emotionally. Get-togethers become fewer, and that chasm that divides you get larger.
And then there are the friends you know you'll have forever. You can go for days or even weeks without speaking, but it's like no time has passed. They are the ones who have your back without asking. And if you're incredibly lucky, they are the friends that you can pick up the phone and invite them to join you for an impromptu date.
Kara and J.D. are quickly becoming our rock-solid friends. We've only known them for two years, but we fit into each others' lives like we've known each other since the cradle.
Rarely does an afternoon pass that Kara and I aren't sending each other goofy memes, or in my case, my latest obsession, TikTok videos. It's an unhealthy obsession, really. We love their kids like they're our own, a fact made even more evident when I discovered I had introduced their oldest, Nalani, to Parks and Recreation, and she is now obsessed. I want to make her a Leslie Knope to describe how happy this news makes me!
With Brian's impending knee surgery coming up at the end of this month, we are trying to maximize all of the romance we can get into our busy schedules. OK, fine, his busy schedule. On Saturday afternoon, we decided to do dinner out, and Brian texted J.D. to see if they'd be up for an impromptu date night.
J.D. was curious to see where we'd choose to eat, but Brian and I had only one place in mind for a night of great food and easy laughs.
This past year, a local food truck became so popular the owners have opened a brick and mortar restaurant. Sadly, even though it's just down the street from our house, we haven't tried it out.
So we asked the Powells to meet us at the bbq joint and prepared to giggle like a group of 12-year-old boys in an R-rated movie.
What is this restaurant called? Well, I think a photo is worth way more than 1,000 words on this.
Now ordinarily, I respect the hard work and branding involved in launching a business. But I strongly suspect the folks at Deez Butts obviously know they're walking a razor-thin tightrope between hilarity and seriously good food.
And the food. Let me tell you. It did not disappoint!
Normally, I'm not much on BBQ, but after persistent tutelage from my Texan parents (and other BFF Kristi), I have fallen in love with one dish - brisket. Oh, my heavens gracious, how I love brisket. The last time we were in Texas, I took my carry-on luggage into Buc-ee's to fill it with brisket sandwiches before our flight back to Texas. My eternal love for this cheerful beaver is another post altogether. Long story short, the Knight family knows to supply us with chili and brisket anytime we're visiting.
Deez Butts occupies a former Jerry's Restaurant located on the south end of Elizabethtown. While urban sprawl has migrated most of the city's businesses and restaurants north of the downtown area, our little side of town has a lot of potential and is starting to show buds of economic growth.
The menu is simple - just BBQ with a small selection of kid-friendly items, but what they do, they do well.
When I spotted not only brisket but beer cheese on the menu, I was enraptured. I hate beer, but I can tuck a lot of beer cheese into my belly.
Deez Butts blew my mind with the abundance of options. You could even customize a baked potato with a hearty list of toppings, so Dr. Frankenstein in me secretly wondered, "would I tear a hole in the space time continuum if I ordered a baked potato with brisket, beer cheese, and topped with even more cheese?" The waitress didn't flinch, even adding, "oh that's going to be delicious!"
It's amazing how much people watching and conversations can be had while you're waiting on your food. The laughs and funny stories were abundant! This restaurant struck me as a place where regulars are known by name, and by the greetings from some of the wait staff, they were.
Our food arrived promptly and we devoured the smokey goodness. Guys. The beer cheese. It was incredible! The brisket was lean and smokey, with the perfect amount of seasoning.
Brian opted for pulled pork and marveled that the soup beans were better than any he ever had in another restaurant.
By the looks of J.D.'s picked-cleaned ribs, they must have been good. And Kara thought her smoked chicken sliders were great, even though she expected pulled chicken rather than sliced chicken.
Our inner Ron Swansons definitely got the meat sweats.
Overall, the food was great, but the atmosphere was relaxed and inviting. They didn't even throw us out for staying long after our checks were settled up and our table bused. As we were leaving, one of the staff bid us farewell with "see y'all next time."
Uhm, yes. You definitely will!
Thanks for reading!
~Christy
Comments