• ¼ Chicken, Beans and Rice, Potato Salad, Corn bread $7

It is with much anticipation that I watched this place being rebuilt into Mr. BBQ. It has been open for several months now and every time we were looking for a last minute restaurant of the week, I have suggested it and Steve has shot it down. Finally this week he caved. I think he still mourns the loss of Cousin's Subs in this location which was years ago.

We arrived a bit after 5 and it was already hoppin' which is a good sign. I tried their chicken. I have been looking for craveable chicken since Lucille's closed, again years ago. And I have finally found it. This is apple wood smoked and you can taste the smokey flavor and that combined with the BBQ sauce was a hit for me. I quickly wished I had ordered a 1/2 chicken, but I knew that 1/4 was really plenty for me and I just would have eaten the entire 1/2 which I did not need, it was that good. The beans and rice were very good as well, chunks of meat and a bit of spice made them a nice side dish. The potato salad was a very nice rendition. The corn bread tasted like corn cake which was fine. Our son for some reason was balking at trying it and then I told him it was cake and he tried it and loved it so even a two year old believed it was cake.

I excited that Mr. BBQ is finally open and we have a place to go, fairly nearby, when we are in the mood for BBQ.

• Texas Beef Ribs 2 bone, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, Corn Bread $12

Mr. BBQ is borderline good-to-excellent. The Texas beef bbq ribs were standard bbq ribs, and could have had a little more meat on them. The dinner comes with two sides and corn bread. The cole slaw was also standard cole slaw. The baked beans were rich and slightly above average. The corn bread was awesome. Whoever designed the menu knew that everyone should have a slice of heaven in this corn bread. So, all in all, it’s not the best barbecue ever or the best value ever, but it’s good enough. For better barbecue, I would still recommend Lee’s and Dee’s and Rooster’s, both in St. Paul, or Brasa, which has locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

If you go, it has been busy lately, although it may die down when the newness wears off. I recommend going on a nice summer night when the patio opens. Parking in the lot is plentiful even with a healthy takeout business.