Camp 31 BBQ - Paris

Camp 31 BBQ
http://www.camp31.com/
22 Paris Road
Paris, ON

Due to my obsession with the Deep South, finding Camp 31 - a real Alabama Bar-B-Que joint - out on the road to Paris was a delight. And yes, it got even better.

Heather & I did lunch, but we didn't do ribs (sorry about that, maybe next time). We started with "onion straws" which were like a spicy haystack of onion rings. It came with a cool dip, but we headed for the award-winning BBQ sauces to dip them in. The original was my favourite, Heather's was the honey mustard, and the Cajun was just too spicy for the already spicy onion straws.

We were excited to see the portion sizes (big) and the prices (small) of our lunch entrees. I got Saddlebags (tortillas packed with meaty chili and baked with cheese), and she got a Duke Sandwich (Buffalo chicken finger on a giant "hoagie" bun with all the fixin's). Both under $10, both filling and delicious.

All in all, it was the atmosphere that did us in. I'm a big True Blood fan, and the interior of Camp 31 looks just like "Merlotte's Bar & Grill" in fictitious Bon Temps, Louisiana. Minus the vampires. That said, it kind of looks like a Southern-style. . . shack. So if you're into that sort of thing, it comes highly recommended by me!

In the neighbourhood: head into Paris (follow the signs for Paris "business district") for a quaint downtown on the Grand River. Stop for an ice cream at the little parlour, or shop for antiques at the General Store or vintage items at the very cheap thrift store. Continue a little further to Mary Maxim, the epic crafts & needlework store, also in Paris.