Sunday, October 22

eephus ain't BBQ. but then, what izzit?

Well, Michelle's back in TBA [The Bay Area] after a week here in Big D.

Among other amusements, we hit four (4) different barbecue chains and she rated Sonny Bryan's at the top, followed closely by Spring Creek and Pappa's, with Dickey's a distant fourth (to be fair, we were the last to arrive before closing, and barbeque probably peaks earlier in the day).

We tried using a semi-scientific method, assigning various weights to the meat; sauce; veggies; bread; ambiance; and sundry. Each time, Michelle ordered the pork ribs so as to minimize the remaining variables (the meat was assigned about 50% of the score). Sadly, her bell pepper allergy proved to be a problem, as she spotted it in most of the vegetable offerings (whether it was really there is conjecture). We agreed that Sonny Bryan's had the best bread (fresh, buttered top) and Pappa's the worst (a slice of Wonder Bread wrapped in a bag).

Finally, Michelle's concerned about all the eephus that's here, there and everywhere. Presumably, eephus==bacteria, but I couldn't find anything anywhere which made that correlation. Is it possible this is a term used by her parents when she was a youngun, and she can't shake it from her vocabulary?

2 comments:

William Bob said...

My guess is that "eephus" means "junk", "trash", "trick", or something similar.

The most common reference on the internet to "eephus" is to a junk pitch in baseball. Another reference says that an eephus is an intentional act which others think was a mistake. ("No, really, I meant to do that.") And a third reference indicated a gadget or gizmo.

Perhaps there are some communities where eephus has come to mean dirty or germ filled because junk and trash are dirty and germ filled? But those references, if they exist, are too many pages into the google search.

Andrew C. said...

what a shame... not being a native Texan, Gene Bob, i cannot blame you for not having an authentic BBQ Rolodex, but it pains me nonetheless to hear of a visitor to the Meat State being taken to sub-par eateries.

While Sonny's and Dickey's are good for what they are (chains), spring creek and pappas are Inferior Replicant Impostors for true BBQ. After my 23 years of combing the metroplex, the best BBQ has been found exclusively in small joints. Up in Smoke BBQ, in southern Hillsboro is by far the best overall. The best M/P (meat to pound) ratio belongs to N. Main BBQ in Euless (read: Useless), TX. And the best ribs, while once a matter of great contention, now inarguably belong to none other than Addison's own The Quarter Pub on Addison Rd. These ribs are slap-your-mother good, and were certified best by my girlfriend, a West Virginia native and pig-bone connoisseur.

I think i may have to start a Dallas Hole-in-the-Wall dining blog. In the city with the world's highest eater/eatery ratio, there's never a reason to eat a sub-par piece of meat.