Soul food

Sister to the original Bremerton location, Heckle and Jeckle’s Chicken Shack opened Oct. 1 inside the Caballerous Club, which anchors a dead end Tacoma Hilltop street. Heckle and Jeckle’s, a soul food restaurant, is open even when the nightclub isn’t pulsating music.

Heckle and Jeckle’s menu swells with Southern cookin’ favorites such as hickory smoked barbeque ribs, brisket, seasoned pork chops, snapper, catfish and prawns, cornbread, collard greens, red beans and rice and macaroni and cheese. Most are made from scratch — like Sunday dinner at mama’s house.

Guilty pleasures include tangy sweet and tart blackberry lemonade topped with whipped cream made by co-owner Tonita “LuLu” Naylor. Along with her sister, Nanette Lewis, the two cook up a storm and are quietly gaining a loyal customer base thanks to quality ingredients and creative recipes.

Check out LuLu’s sweet potato puffs and her hot lick on a stick — similar to a corn dog, it’s a spicy sausage hand dipped and deep-fried.

Heckle and Jeckle’s is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday and 9 p.m. Saturday. — Jennifer Johnson

[Heckle and Jeckle’s Chicken Shack, 1516 S. 28th St., Tacoma 253.573.1778]

Speedway BBQ

Lacey’s best barbeque joint celebrates its third anniversary this Friday, Nov. 20. Voted third best barbeque in Evening Magazine‘s 2009 “Best of the Northwest,” Speedway BBQ earned this recognition by using quality ingredients to turn out a quality product, offering fair pricing and portions, and specializing in good customer service and seriously tasty barbeque. 

With televised sports and racing, live music, free wi-fi, an onsite brewery, a new full service bar, a family friendly casual dining room, and huge slabs of moist, tender ribs slathered in cranberry chipotle barbeque sauce it’s not hard to see why the family owned and operated restaurant can is so appealing.

In addition to brewed right beers, now there’s liquor — which is always a plus.
Happy hour Monday through Friday will now be complemented by cocktails and $2.75 well drinks. Check out the monstro 16-ounce handmade “Hot-Rod-a-Rita.”

On the food side my favorite is Speedway’s Big Daddy sandwich — spicy hot sausage link, mounds of pork and brisket covered with coleslaw on a huge roll.

Speedway BBQ is open Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m., and Sunday until 8 p.m.  — JJ

[Speedway BBQ, 1225 Ruddell Road SE, Lacey, 360.493.1616