Our journey to see my oldest at her new place in Myrtle Beach required a stop so the Barbecue Babe could privately attend a virtual meeting. That’s when fate took over. Naturally, I began scouring the east Alabama landscape for a barbecue spot. Our exact location at the time of our pitstop would be Heflin. Bingo! Right off I-20 was Marie’s BBQ House, the perfect place to chill while adding another joint to Chase’s Travel Log. I love it when a plan comes together!

This trip we were blessed to have our middle child, Merritt, along for the adventure. She’s a barbecue fan and was more than willing to hit up a new joint. I love having company because it usually means I get to try something extra, either by equally dividing portions or scrounging off their plate. It depends on how familiar I am with my companion. With Merritt, this was a scrounging situation. Plus, she always has riotously hilarious stories from being a professional teacher of two-year olds. Let the good times begin!

Marie’s has that classic look, wood cabin exterior, open dining room highlighted with red accents and local advertisements on the tabletop. Its clean persona is a cue as to what to expect from the food. The flavors are straightforward, simple, and satisfying. That’s not to say they’re boring. They have personality in a forum that’s understated. Especially the house barbecue sauce, which goes with the pulled pork like a dream. It’s a thin, brown sauce with a gentle spice that slowly warms up on you. Although the pork carries its own weight with a slightly smoky flavor, a good sauce dousing compels you to wipe your plate clean.

The baked beans reminded me of pork n beans but laced with smoked meat. They were mild in flavor with a good texture. The onion rings were giants, battered and fried until crispy outside and soft and hot inside. Onion rings done this way are my favorite preparation. Despite all the satisfying dishes on my plate, the star was something Merritt ordered, Potato Babies!

Potato Babies are well seasoned potato wedges, crispy on the outside and almost creamy on the inside. Merritt got hers topped with Colby cheese and pork, which was a very generous portion of both. She preferred the Sweet & Spicy sauce, which was thick and tasty without a bunch of heat. Because its thickness held it on top of the pork, the Potato Babies on the bottom stayed crispy. Merritt rated it a 10, said she wouldn’t change a thing. When I asked how her food was, she said, “I’m having a great time.” That was convincing enough that the Barbecue Babe got an order with chicken for the road. Myrtle Beach is still a long way from Heflin.

While we were placing our order around 10am, a woman in the back was icing a red velvet cake. Throughout our visit they continued stocking a dessert case that was just left of the register. No way you could order without all those homemade goodies staring you in the face. However, I resisted as the last thing I needed was to load up on sugar for what ended up being nine more hours of sitting and driving. Next time, the sweets won’t get off so easily.