Comfort Foods

With so many people eating healthy these days, it's still not unusual for most people to get that familiar craving for their favorite comfort foods on occasion.  Even the healthiest, fittest, most active people get them.  So what do you do when those cravings hit you?  Yes, you will try to resist and keep munching on your turkey sandwich or your grilled chicken salad and sipping your green tea.  But then hours later, or even days later, that craving hits you again, and stronger than the last time. Now what do you do... keep munching on those celery sticks or protein bar, or head to the fridge to see what devilish treat you can down in 10 seconds?  Then suddenly, as you're swallowing that last bite of chocolate brownie, you've realized that the healthy eating thing just flew out the window.

Now if we're trying to stick to our healthy eating regime, barbecue seems a bit of a stretch, or you may think so.  Well, not so fast.  Here in Woodstock that's not really the case.  You can sit down to some good-for-you food that actually tastes good.  Where you might ask?  A cute little place called Bar-B-Cutie!

We headed out for a leisurely lunch to see what exactly was cooking (or should we say smoking) at this friendly, local establishment, and we were quite surprised when we found out it wasn't going to bust our calorie count for the day.  The comfort foods on the menu were abundant, but not all were unhealthy.  And since I was on my "diet", it was refreshing to see I had several options to choose from.

Now, yes they have your standard barbecue choices like pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chicken and smoked sausage (however, the flavor was not standard by any means), but they also had turkey and chicken breast and mesquite chicken, along with a long list of sides, with many of them that were healthy options.

The barbecue was delicious... juicy smoked pulled pork, fall off the bone ribs and tender brisket, served with a big thick slice of Texas toast.  With all the sauce choices they were just melt-in-your-mouth good.  But let's get to the slow smoked turkey and chicken.  How many barbecue joints have you been to where the chicken is actually lean white breast meat?  I can count them on one hand and still have a few fingers leftover.  Their chicken breast was moist, and you could almost cut through it with a fork.  The turkey, well, let's just say that was my favorite.  A real turkey breast slow cooked to perfection and you get a "healthy" serving of it to boot.

OK, on to the comfort food!  When I think comfort food, I think of recipes my grandmother and mother used to make.  Food that makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside, that brings back memories of home, family and good times.  Southern and soul food is exactly that.  And Bar-B-Cutie has an extensive list of them.  Just to name a few; white beans, bar-b-q beans, turnip greens, cream corn, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, green beans, cornbread and cinnamon apples.  I had a hard time choosing, but here's a run down.

The turnip greens consisted of mostly the leaf, hardly any stems like you get in most places.  Had a subtle smoky flavor and cooked perfectly.  The mac and cheese was creamy and cheesy, not thin and bland like you get in a lot of places.  The white beans came cooked with just the right amount of onion.  The bar-b-q beans were tangy, yet slightly sweet, with chunks of the pork oozing delicious flavor into the sauce.  The cream corn was just that, creamy, a little sweet, and made with fresh corn.  The mashed potatoes... they were just buttery heaven.  Made with fresh potatoes, whipped smooth, and topped with a homemade white gravy that's some of the best white gravy I've had anywhere around here.

While I focused on the turkey and sides, my dining buddy was devouring most of the smoked meats and ribs and ordered the coleslaw with it.  It was fresh, a little tangy, and had nice crunch to it, not the soupy, soggy kind that you frequently can get.  My favorite part of my meal was the corn bread pancake, yes a pancake.  It had a moist, sweet taste of cornbread, but with a slight crisp to the outside from being cooked in a pan, just like a pancake. 

Now, back to the healthy food for a moment, they also have many salads to choose from, with your choice of chicken, turkey and chopped barbecue.  Hand stuffed spuds, also with your choice of meat.  You can even get a veggie plate with your choice of 3 and bread.  And if you're really hungry, a nice starter of fried pickles or fried green tomatoes are the prefect choice, or finish it off with homemade banana pudding, yummy!

It's nice to know that in today's society of eating better and keeping healthy habits, you can find more and more restaurants and eateries that offer something for everyone.  And Bar-B-Cutie has really done it right.  I know that when I get a craving for some comfort food (and I do a lot), that I can have a home cooked, heart warming and heart healthy meal whenever I go there.  And did I mention that you will also get a heart warming welcome when you walk in?  Mike and Casey are there to make sure your dining experience is one that you will enjoy, whether you're chowing down on ribs and pork or nibbling on a veggie plate.  So next time you get that craving for something familiar, give Bar-B-Cutie a try. 

4427 Towne Lake Parkway, Suite 200
Woodstock, GA 30189 (view map)

Phone: 770-924-9491 

Hours: Mon-Sat: 11am-9pm 
            Sun: 11am-8pm