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I’m going to tell you a story about a barbecue restaurant.

Tucked in the belly of the small town of Bayou La Batre sits an establishment that truly is worth a visit.

Last weekend, I rode with my parents to this restaurant for a late lunch.

We drove from across the bay, through Irvington and made our way to “Bayou La Bater” as the GPS called it.

It has been years since I visited the small town.

I had forgotten how close the town is to the water, so I was anxiously awaiting the sites and smells of the bay.

But what drew my attention right away — and as my mother pointed out — was a drawbridge. We hadn’t seen one in a while, and it was a treat to encounter the structure.

As we made our way through Bayou La Batre, I kept my eyes open for the restaurant. It didn’t take long to find our destination.

Capt. Frank’s Smoke Shack isn’t as appealing to the eyes as one might think. It’s basically a hole-in-the-wall type establishment, but the food is otherwise.

We walked in and knew we wanted to try their award-winning gumbo. We decided on a platter, which had a little bit of everything on the plate, from brisket, pulled pork, chicken and ribs, along with baked beans, potato salad and cole slaw.

The best part of the meal, to me, was the ribs. They were fall-off-the-bone good and had great flavor. The chicken was good as well.

My parents each had their favorites from the meal as well.

Full to contentedness, we made our way back across the bay.

Oh, and the gumbo was really good as well. Mom and I couldn’t finish our gumbo so we saved it for later.

The trip to Capt. Frank’s was a good one, and again, I highly recommend a trip to Bayou La Batre for this food.