Thursday, April 16, 2009

Scooter's Barbecue


Scooter's Barbecue was once located at Poplar and Kirby, in the location that's presently occupied by Mosa, and which was formerly a KFC. They didn't last long in that location, though based on memories of my one visit years ago it wasn't due to lack of quality in the food as much as the fact that you couldn't see them from the road.

They've rectified the "seeing them from the road" problem in their new location in Southaven, by slapping their sign on a Greyhound bus that they keep parked out front. I assume that's for their catering business, and probably how they manage to get around any sign ordinances.

The food isn't as good as I remembered it--when I visited them in their old home, I'd had the rip tips, which were pretty good. The sandwich I had on this visit was overflowing with meat that had been nicely smoked, perhaps a little dry, but it was difficult to determine that because it was drenched in a cloyingly sweet sauce that pretty much overwhelmed anything else on the sandwich. The slaw and sides (potato salad and baked beans) were similarly unremarkable; they could have easily come straight outta Sysco.

All things being equal, it's probably worth checking out the ribs, chicken, or other items on the menu, or asking them to go easy on the sauce, because it looks like there's a decent sandwich hiding in there somewhere, but at the default settings it needs a little help to rank with some of the other places around town. That said, if you have no great love for Interstate (which has a location one exit up or down, depending on how you're coming) or Tops (same exit as Interstate, but closer to the highway), or if you're in the mood for ribs or chicken, Scooter's may be the way to go.

Scooter's Barbecue
7065 Airways Blvd
Southaven, MS
662-349-4920