Asheville- Day Three

I wish there was a way to incorporate the smell of something wonderful into a blog post.  Instead, you'll have to imagine standing outside in line for lunch today, hunched over against a bitingly cold wind, the air practically painted with the tantalizing smell of barbecue.  The little building that houses 12 Bones has stood for a long time.  It has an adjoining patio area, abandoned until warmer weather, and a full parking lot.  As we inch up to the front door (which slams from time to time with satisfied diners leaving the building), we get to the menu posted on the wall....and a sign that says, "sorry, cash only...our credit card machine is broken today."  Luckily, Krista has cash, so we are saved; everyone knows I rarely carry any.  We are, however, happy to see a Bama Alumni sticker on the door, so I'm confident someone would've paid for our lunch!

We finally get inside. We're starving, and the strong smell of smoked meat makes our hunger even worse.  There's still a line to order, but it moves right along, and we place our order in under ten minutes.  Next comes finding a place to sit...

Finally, tin plates are dropped off at our table.  We each have six ribs, and they are the best we've ever tasted.  The sides are all made fresh.  With full mouths, we talked about how sometimes you find good barbecue, but the sides are crappy...not here!  Homemade mashed sweet potatoes, baked beans, grits with cheese and jalapenos, smoked potato salad, cornbread with a subtle dash of sage...everything is awesome.  Heck, the iced tea is perfect, too, and the pecan pie is #1 in my book; it puts mine to absolute shame.  Yep, I can see why President Obama eats here when he comes to town.

We rolled out after eating every bite...two completely satisfied customers.  I'll pay 12 Bones the ultimate compliment:  my grandma would've loved this place!  Open Monday through Friday, 11 am until 4 pm only, on Riverside Drive in Asheville.