The Meal That Almost Killed Me

I know the title of my blog includes "Smart and Sassy" but there are times when I am neither.  There are times like today when I completely give into all temptation and throw my chic and sophisticated inspirations out the window.  Enter Carl's BBQ.

About twenty miles north of Houston, in Cypress, Texas sits Carl's BBQ.  (I could also mention that its on the feeder road to highway 290 and that its entirely made up of wood panelling, but I'll keep those details to myself.  I fear I'll lose all of my smart and sassy credibility if I reveal too much.)  I passed this place once with my mom and she told me tales of its deliciousness, but warned me of its "country" interior.  I shrugged off the thought of eating there as I saw the blinking open sign.  Nooo thank you.  However, later that night, on our way out of Houston, Matt and I still hadn't eaten dinner and were absolutely starving.  We thought about PF Changs, Pappasitos, or one of the other amazing restaurants we don't have in the crappy town we live in, but after a long day or furniture shopping, I insisted by jeans and v-neck tshirt were appropriate for none of those spots.  Used to my insistence of "I'm not dressed for that" Matt didn't argue and moved on to the next idea.  "So where should we eat?" he asked.  "Well there is this one place my mom told me about on the way out of town..."

Twenty minutes later we're standing in line at Carl's.  While I certainly anticipated my tshirt and jeans would be underdressed for PF Changs, I feared they were overdressed for Carl's.  But I went along with it as the place did smell fantastically amazing.  Five minutes, seven deer heads, and a two meat plate later, I'm completely overwhelmed, yet totally amazed by the food in front of me.  The plate is piled high with Texas BBQ and accented perfectly with banana pudding AND pecan pie.  (Before you judge me, one dessert was mine, one was Matt's!)  Soon, I forgot about all the wood panelling and the creepy animals mounted on the wall, consumed by the incredible taste of Carl's BBQ.  The brisket, the green bean casserole, the cornbread, were all to die for (and totally fat free I'm sure.)  Seriously people, for a girl born and raised in Texas, this might be the best BBQ I've ever eaten. 

So, don't let the exterior of old Carl's fool you; this place is amazing.  Granted, I would recommend "dressing down" for a dinner, here, but trust me, show up hungry and you won't be disappointed.  I've included some photos, but your arteries will likely become clogged just looking at them.  If I've lost any blog followers through this post, I am sorry.  Perhaps I should change my blog name to "Smart and Sassy with Barbecue Sauce."

** I should also give credit to Matt for his inspiration of this blog title.  Clearly, it is an integral part of the post.  Thanks babe. **