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BACKYARD CAFE & BAR-B-QUE: Finding comfort in food

Sunday, October 25, 2009

"Mobile's Soul Food Connection." You have to admit, it takes a lot of nerve to post a sign like that in a town that prides itself on its down-home, country cooking.

But the folks at the Backyard Cafe & Bar-B-Que at 2804 Springhill Ave. can back up what they boast with some of the finest fried chicken, smothered pork chops, banana pudding and macaroni and cheese in town.

Let's get something out of the way up front. Regardless of what you call it — soul food, country cooking, cooking like Mama did or whatever — it's all the same to me. It's good, it's filling and it's what I grew up eating. The difference among any of them is minimal, as far as I can tell.

Now, with my cultural bias out in the open, let's get down to the business of eating.

Kendall Gunn, the owner of this fine establishment, shares my lack of concern for labels when it comes to food. "Folks who come here want comfort food, food like your grandma used to make," Gunn said.

That's what I'm talking about.

When Gunn opened the Backyard Cafe & Bar-B-Que

13 years ago it was limited to take-out only. But as demand grew for his own particular brand of home cooking, they added seating.

Now about 65 folks can dine in, but Gunn said take-out is still their biggest block of business. "We get doctors, lawyers, bankers, everybody comes in here; black, white, everybody," he said.

The parking lot of the low-slung, block building was crowded on a recent sunny afternoon, my first visit in a long while to the Backyard Cafe & Bar-B-Que. It was an omen, a good one at that.

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