BB's Lawnside Blues & BBQ...As advertised

The sweet smell of smoke and the bass beat of blues met me as I closed the car door. A friend, Ryan Derks, and I walked into the crowded BB's Lawnside Blues and BBQ. The Sunday night show, from 7-9 started a bit before we arrived.

The joint was so tightly packed that strangers shared tables. Each group or individual squeezed in where they could. We found a seat at the end of a long wooden table, covered by a red and white checkered tablecloth, across from some older gentleman with whom we would later discuss politics between sets. Bum, bum, bumbum, bum, bumbumbumbum, bum bum.

The blues blared from the front, where the band strummed standing at crowd level. Lee McBee and the Confessors are the normal Sunday night band, but McBee was sick, so we were left with just the Confessors who still put on an enjoyable show.

We ordered a bucket of PBR, the evening special, and sipped along with the tunes. Dada, da da, dadadada, da da da da, dadadada.

I ordered the Porker, the larger pork sandwich, with battered fries. Derks ordered the BBQ sundae, served in a mason jar and composed of hickory smoked-pit beans, creamy-coleslaw, pulled pork. The jar came topped with a pickle spear. We also split a side of beans and a half-slab of ribs...for science.

We sat oblivious to any wait as our toes tapped, and our noggins nodded. The wood walls, lit only by Christmas lights and beer signs, was adorned with ancient newspaper articles and concert posters depicting Kansas City and Missouri's musical past. A poster advertising Stevie Vaughn (before he added the Ray), at Harlings on July, 4th caught my attention. That must have been the place to be that night, whether or not anyone knew of the young strummer.

A mural, on which blues legends from all ages, stood, sat and played in an old blues joint, hung with mystique above the band.Tap, taptap, tap tap tap tap, taptaptaptap, tap, tap taptaptaptaptaptap, crash.

The thick tender pork, although a little dry and slightly tough, maintained some pleasantly greasy juice, and held a soft hickory-smoked flavor. The grease and smoke-flavor made up for the dryer texture, although the sesame seed bun crumbled a bit. The thick substantial sandwich filled me up completely.

The ribs came with sauce, lightly draped on top. These greasy, juicy, thick chunks of meat slide, but did not fall of the bone. The meat submitted to the slightest suggestion from my teeth. I tasted the same soft hickory smoke that blended well with the natural juices. Bambam bam bambam, bam bam bam bam, bambambambambam.

Two types of sauce stood proudly on the table. I slurped the traditional, sweet, thin and smooth. I tasted mollasses and brown sugar. I thought it almost had an applesauce-like flavor, but I wasn't sure.

The spicy sauce had a slight slow kick that followed a sweetness, similar to that of the traditional. The kick did not overpower, but blended well a vinegar backdrop. 

The battered fries were incredible. These thick slices of potato were battered, fried, then re-battered and refried. So much potato meat. So much fried. The crispy outer layer, held in the soft potato meat. I would have liked a few more, but these were possibly the best fries I have ever eaten. Da, do, da da da, da do, da da da, dado dado dado dado.

The beans, held a subtle heat similar to that of the spicy sauce, but with a slightly sour blend. Pieces of beef, and celery floated in the thin juice alongside the navy beans.

BB's puts two of my favorite things in the world together, blues and bbq, so I might be a little biased when I say that for atmosphere, BB's cannot be beat.  The food was certainly not the best, but reasonably priced and more than serviceable. I'd put BB's food in the near the upper middle of all KC joints that I went to. Go there, sit, drink a few beers on a warm Sunday night and enjoy the best of what Kansas City has to offer. Do bum, dobumdobum, badadadada, tap taptap tap taptap tap, bum dum, budum budum, crash.