Our adventures in carnivorism were kicked up another notch last night as our hungry bellies and case of cabin fever brought us way across town to the west side to this magical place called, Rudy’s Texas BBQ. (No, it’s not really magical, but we called it that to get the kids excited!).We had received a gift card for this place almost a year ago and the required drive and fact that we didn’t eat all that much BBQ at the time kept us away. But, more and more lately I had begun to hear how delicious Rudy’s is and since I am now a blossoming carnivore (can those two words go right next to each other?), we thought we’d better try it out.

The country vibe made it very welcoming despite the smorgasbord of people-types. And, when I say “country-vibe,” I don’t mean The Cracker Barrel. With a majority of bikers, some families, a large group of scouts, a few hipsters and a couple hippies, and a mix of folk in between, we didn’t feel out of place at all. The location of the restaurant, near the entrance to Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs, made this a haven for out-of-towners, as I think of that area as the most touristy in this city. The parking lot was filled with campers, SUVs toting storage bins on top, and Harley Davidson’s decked out for the long haul. We met a delightful couple super jazzed to be there who just rode in from Wisconsin, and, while sore from the commute, they were elated to finally be in Colorado Springs, which was their final vacation destination.

Upon entering, the boys were most excited about a freezer full of ice cream treats (why they had it at the front of the order line, I’m not sure-clearly whoever did that is not a mom or dad). For me, it was the atmosphere of a bustling country scene. Tin roof décor, country music, neon lights promoting MGD, Coors and Bud Light, picnic tables with the red and white checked table cloths…it felt good. I hadn’t realized that this was a wait-in-line, order-from-the-counter joint. We knew that the rumors of it being the BBQ place to beat must be true because we waited in the zig-zag line for a good 15 minutes, but it was hardly noticeable, with all of the stimulation everywhere to hold our attention. They even had two great big troughs, separating the wait line, that acted as vessels for ice and bottled beverages!

As we waited in line, we inevitably had the talk with the boys about how this place didn’t have a kids menu. “Do they have cheeseburgers?” No. “Do they have fish sticks?” No. “How about chicken nuggets?” No. “Hot dog?” Uh, No. We settled on  half a chicken that they would share. Chris and I decided to be bold and order the pork spare ribs and the weekend special of prime rib. Neither of which I think I’ve had before. Chris told me that the prime rib was the same cut that I devoured at Tom Collichio’s Craftsteak in Vegas. I do declare, I missed the resemblance! As you order your meat, they ring it at the register, all the while turning around behind them to a table containing all of Rudy’s offerings, they cut slabs, lay it on a piece of butcher paper, turn back around to the register to weigh it and do it all again till your order is fulfilled. Our sides consisted of cream corn, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw and peach cobbler. They put it all in a used bottled soda crate for transport!

There was something freeing about eating all this meat with my hands on slabs of butcher paper-there was not a plate to be seen here! I’ve come a long way from being grossed out by eating chicken wings during the Super Bowl! I started off tasting the chicken as I helped distribute it between the boys and it was sure good! (Hey! I said I put the kibosh on cooking it in my home, not eating it out when a restaurant has very nicely prepared for me!). It had lovely moisture and a solid peppery rub on the outside. MMM! Next, I tried the ribs. I picked one up, looked at it, dipped it in the Rudy’s BBQ sauce, looked at it again and asked Chris which part I should eat? He told me to just start biting until I hit the bone. Let me say, this rib wasn’t as delish as the ones Chris and I made at home a couple weeks ago. Since then, I have tried two different ribs, this and one from Bird Dog BBQ and neither one of them touched Paula Deen’s recipe. We’ve gone and set my standard for ribs super high. I would have liked a little more meat on the ribs from Rudy’s. The prime rib was very fatty, but Chris was able to find a few bites that were nice, full flavored meat – with less fat. I decided last night that I may not enjoy the actual taste of beef that much.

The cream corn was surprisingly sweet and satisfying with a good consistency-not runny at all-it held it’s own on my fork. Chris and I both thought the cole slaw could have been seasoned more and the peach cobbler was authentic and delicious with an equal representation of flaky crust and sweet peach. And, when it came down to it at the end, I did need to hurry up and find a place to wash the remnants of dinner out from under my finger nails and I could do just that at the over sized, three faucet, high powered sink that sat off to the side of the dining room!

While the kids wouldn’t decide to go the Rudy’s again, Chris and I would for sure. It was a fun experience, with adventurous eating. I think we’ll try the beef brisket next time.