The So-So Corral

Today we took Theo to the scariest looking restaurant in Seattle, OK Corral BBQ. I have been fascinated by the complete dilapidation of this place since we moved here--it looks like a shack with a bunch of trashed furniture outside -- and somehow is actually a business. Because we parked right in front of it to go to the Greenwood Art Walk, and because we were hungry when we got back to our car, we decided to go in. Whoa. Inside, it looked like someone's dirty rec room, and the big owner dude saw us, hung up the phone and said "Sh*t," as in "I wasn't expecting any actual customers to come in here." Well, it turns out his name is Otis and he is a real character. While waiting for the catfish to fry (there isn't really a menu, he told me to have the catfish, so I did), we learned that he raised his three sons himself, he used to be a boxer and worked in the music (blues) industry, fought cancer and beat it although it took all his money and his teeth. We also got to sample the "hood juice" a rotating flavored mixture of "pop and tampico." And we witnessed a meal called the Hook Up, a platter of meats and sauces and fried things, unlike anything I've seen before. Anyway, the catfish was just OK (fitting, I suppose), and was missing the greens and rice. John said his chicken was pretty good. And he also liked the "concoction, whatever it is" referring to a beany-meaty-smokey side dish. But the best part was that Theo was giggly and totally charmed Otis, who more than once sat down and said to us "Aren't they the best?" referring to kids. And he pointed out that Theo has more teeth than he does.