The Little Dooey – Starkville, MS
After 3 hours of sleep we awoke this morning with our minds set upon The Little Dooey in Starkville, MS. Despite our sleep-deprived state, a little pep was added to our step when we got to witness Stan’s mother ride a bicycle up and down the driveway as she carted the garbage down to the road. She was quite swift. Watch out Lance Armstrong!
For some of you the city of Starkville might sound quite familiar. It’s the home of Mississippi State University and the place where our beloved Ryan Richardson was raised. After only an hour drive from Winona to Starkville, Ryan's mom, Mrs. Robbie, met us at the restaurant. Stan and his Dad even made the trip with us. Lucky for us, Mrs. Robbie’s southern charm had already been hard at work and we were fortunate enough to be greeted at the door by Barry Wood, the owner of The Little Dooey.
From this point on… things became magical.
Barry warmly welcomed us to his restaurant and showed us to the porch where we would wait to be served the Shocker Plate (pulled pork + 2 sides w/bread). As we were waiting for our food to arrive we sipped on Sweet Tea and to our surprise Barry had arranged for us to get free samples of their pork ribs, fried green tomatoes, sausage and their famous fried catfish. I must say, each of these items was perfectly prepared and among some of the greatest food I have ever tasted, plus it was free.
And then came the pulled pork…
The Shocker Plate is set before you begging to be doused in Little Dooey BBQ Sauce (you’re choice of Hot or Mild). I, myself, chose to mix the two, and it was absolutely unbelievable. With this being the first time I have eaten true southern pulled pork, I must say that it was utter perfection.
As we sat together around the picnic table, Barry told us stories ranging from how he got to meet Kirk Herbstreet of College Game Day to how The Little Dooey got it’s name. To finish off our experience, Barry brought each of us our own bottle of their BBQ sauce.
To be the first destination on our BBQ Tour, The Little Dooey has definitely set the bar high. While driving away, each of us agreed that this experience warranted a heart felt prayer for Jesus to immediately take the wheel.
Meat – 5 (no fat whatsoever)
Sauce – 4
Sides – 4
Sweet Tea – 5 (AMAZING! So good we didn’t need dessert)
Overall Atmosphere – 5
Dreamland – Birmingham, AL
It was quite suiting that after a long night of driving that our next destination, Dreamland in Birmingham, was simply a 3-hour drive. This city is the home of Samford University, the educational mecca for Baptists in the South, as well as our very own Timmy and Trey.
We arrived to B’ham around 5, with plans to meet up with friends at Dreamland around 6. With a little bit of time to spare we drove around downtown for a bit (I think we got lost) while Timmy and Trey both pointed out the many perks of living in the beautiful city of Birmingham.
BACKTRACK… I forgot to mention that on our way to Birmingham we stopped by the original Dreamland in Tuscaloosa where we got a chance to visit with DK and get a tour of their smoking pit. This place was classic. The walls were lined with license plates from all over the US and even the World. The atmosphere alone made this detour well worth it.
OK… After our tour of downtown Birmingham we headed over to Dreamland where we met up with some of Timmy and Trey’s friends. With it being a Monday night the restaurant wasn’t crowded and we were immediately showed to the back room. I even got to catch up with some great friends from my time in college, Casey and Sheena who now live in Birmingham. It was awesome to get to see them. Having visited the original Dreamland in T-town, the décor in the B’ham Dreamland almost paled in comparison. To me, it came across a little more commercialized and less “down home”.
The waitress took our drink orders and quickly came back with some delicious Sweet Tea we (Trey, Timmy, and Slack) thought it was a little better than Little Dooey’s and Jonathan liked Little Dooey’s better. As far as food goes, at Dreamland the only real option for dining is to order their famous Ribs, either a whole slab for $19 or a half for $10. With our stomachs still full from lunch, Jonathan and I decided to go halfsies on the Half Slab and some Banana Pudding (another must have at Dreamland).
While waiting for our food to be served, we were given slices of white bread and some BBQ sauce for dipping. Dreamland’s BBQ sauce is what it’s all about. It’s sweet and a little bit tangy with just the right kick to make whatever it’s slathered on taste like perfection. I must admit, I caught myself munching on bread and BBQ sauce like I would chips and salsa at a Mexican joint. I can feel the South taking me over.
Our ribs were served to us piping hot and drenched with BBQ Sauce. On my own I must have gone through half a roll of paper towels trying to keep my hands from being overtaken by the sauce. It was slightly awkward trying to catch up with old friends whilst relentlessly licking my fingers (o’ the perils of the BBQ Tour).
I must say that I was a little disappointed with the meat preparation at Dreamland. It was a little bit overcooked, thus causing you to gnaw just a little bit too much on the bone. Maybe Dreamland just had a bad meat prep day. But like I said, the BBQ Sauce is what it is all about at Dreamlands, which more than made up for the ribs.
On our drive from Birmingham to Cullman (where Timmy’s parents live) we had the chance to debrief from the day. It seems that our experience at Dreamlands was yet another great showing for Southern BBQ. While I was little put off by the toughness of the Ribs, we all agreed that this stop resulted in Mama certainly being on the receiving end of a couple black eyes with the understanding that Jesus might just have to be called in for relief.
Meat – 4 (a little tough, maybe just an off day)
Sauce – 5+ (UNBELIEVABLE)
Sides – 4 (the bread and BBQ Sauce were all the “sides” needed)
Sweet Tea – 5 (w/a lemon wedge = the parousia)
Desert – 4 (the Banana Pudding was South-Tastic)
Overall Atmosphere – 4
Porkin’ ain’t easy,
The Boys of the BBQ Tour.
HERE ARE SOME PICS.
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