Bread Pudding, Too!

Everything was so good here that we could not resist the siren song of bread pudding. It was better than it looks. Of course, we did not/could not finish it.

Pulled Pork Heaven

I agreed with Steve - the pulled pork was awesome. Steve decided to buy his first bottle of sauce he enjoyed 17th Street's so much.

Finally!

Yes! Finally! The first truly awesome ribs of the trip! The sliced brisket to the left was also great, though not as good as the sliced brisket from the O'Fallon site. This BBQ sauce was delicious, but runnier or thinner than what we usually expect. The meat was like butter. When I keep mumbling "Wow," between bites, I know I have a winner.

17th Street BBQ in Murphysboro

Because the O'Fallon location was disappointing when it came to ribs, we decided to give the original restaurant a shot. The lunch combo plates seemedd right. I ordered ribs and barbecued beef with baked beans and cole slaw. Steve got the ribs and pulled pork with cabbage and garlic bread.

Driving O'Fallon, IL to Murphysboro, IL

Steve and I hit the road early on Monday, while it was snowing. The scenery was the same for two and a half hours - farmland. With this photo, you have just experienced southern Illinois.

Advice

Do not eat leftover ribs at midnight. Causes heartburn, sleep loss. All I can taste right now is BBQ sauce, and we will be eating more in about four hours.

Intravenous BBQ Sauce Prevents De-Barbecue-ation!

Hey! Salad Dressing is High in Saturated Fat!

Barbecue Beef Sandwich, sans Top - 17th Street

Steve claimed this barbecued beef was better than Arthur Bryant's. I tased not just one, but two slices, and I had to agree. It seems that the beef has been better than the pork on this roadtrip.

This Might Be Better Than an Essay!

Such hyperbolic thought is strange territory for someone like me into which to venture. Alas, 17th Street BBQ in O'Fallon (strangely pronounced OAF - ah- lon - no, not really) also was not as sweet as the apple my mind had plucked from my months, years, of information gathering. Again, overcooked. We will try the original location for this world champion, three times over, of barbecue in Murphysboro, Illinois, for Monday's lunch. I really hope it lives up to what should be the world-class acclaim lavished upon Mike Mills, author of "Peace, Love, and Barbecue," my favorite cookbook/BBQ thesis. I will also purchase additional sauce and some dry rub, along with a t-shirt and a cap. Then it is on to Memphis, two nights in Memphis!

Eating a Barbecue Beef Sandwich in Slow Motion

Eating Ribs in Slow Motion

Two Toothpicks!

I'm Not Going to Order the Salad Again!

Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch

Positive Inner-City Grafitti

Too Big To Fail

The Paige Drug Store and Building is boarded up, typical of Page Avenue, in which half of the buidlings were boarded up across a ten mile stretch. But at least Walgreens was busy.

My Sentimental Side

A mind gets to wandering while the road grinds on. I spent some quiet time reliving Arthur Bryant's burnt brisket ends sandwich.

Crossing the Mississippi River

Crossing the Missouri River