Rib Crib, Bartlesville, Okla.

Our second dining excursion was on my last night in town, when we all went to the local store of the regional chain barbeque joint, Rib Crib. May was "all-you-can-eat-ribs month," so I took advantage of the opportunity. They've added a new sauce to their usual mild and hot choices. The new sauce is a Carolina style mustard and vinegar sauce that I didn't like at all.

Anyway, the food came. My dad got the chopped beef brisket plate, with a big house salad and a bowl of baked beans as his side dishes, plus a dill pickle spear and some white bread.



My mother and I both got the ribs. I picked fried okra and potato salad for my sides, plus it came with Texas toast, onion, and a pepperoncini pepper. My mother got okra and cole slaw.

I ordered unsweetened iced tea with dinner. The refills, though, as typically happens in the South, were sweetened tea, as waitresses passing by with tea pitchers routinely fill any empty glasses they see, and they usually are carrying sweet tea.

And, of course, since it was all-you-can-eat, I had to have rib refills. The first refill plate was a little anemic, but the waitress made up for it on the second refill. The ribs were pretty good, with a nice spicy rub on them. I usually prefer beef ribs, but I thought the pork ribs acquitted themselves pretty well.