We really wanted to like Lucille's, really, we did. I married a Southern boy, so as I was reading the online menu to him, he decided he really wanted to go. Unfortunately for Lucille's, we've already been to Bobby Q's and Lucille's just does not stack up. DRINKS: Hubby had an interesting dark beer made by Albita Ale in Louisiana (although our server mistakenly said it was from Mississippi) called Turbo Dog which had some rich coffee tones. I am not usually a dark beer drinker, but I liked it too. I had the sweet tea which was served in a big mason jar with a sprig of fresh mint. It was sweet, but not LoLo's sweet (God love ya' LoLo's, but you're not exactly helping prevent the diabetes!) and that's a good thing. APPETIZERS: Hubby just had to have him some fried okra. I tried two pieces to be a good sport, but the interior texture is something I just can't get over. He thought it was delicious and preferred the mustard dipping sauce over the spicy ranch. We were also served some biscuits (which we both felt were also made with some corn meal and this made them a little tougher) and some "apple butter" which was not really apple butter, but rather some sweetened butter tinged with cinnamon. Not impressive. MEAT: Hubby had the brisket and I had the tri-tip. The brisket is so far superior at Bobby Q's in terms of tenderness. Lucille's wasn't awful, though, and the "mop sauce" which is different from the three sauces that were in bottles on the table (original, Memphis, and Hot & Spicy) was really good, and I usually don't like BBQ sauces. My tri-tip was very smoky in flavor, but rather dry. I asked for it dry (meaning no sauce) and was even challenged to do so by the menu itself which claimed that the true test of good BBQ was having it sauce-less. And so I did. And Lucille's did not pass the test on the tri-tip. SIDES: Hubby had shoestring fries which we both agreed were delicious, and also the peanut slaw, which is a vinegar based cole slaw tossed with peanuts and peanut oil. It also had large pieces of yellow and red bell pepper in it, which made it inedible for me, but Hubby thought it was quite tasty and certainly different from any slaw he'd ever had. I had the macaroni and cheese and roasted corn. The corn was delicious, but I had no idea it would be on the cob. At Bobby Q's, they roast it, slice it off the cob and serve it in a little bowl, which I prefer. The mac and cheese was an abomination for a place that claims to serve Southern food. I am not sure there was any real unprocessed cheese in it. I have had better from a Kraft Deluxe box. DESSERT: I am glad we tried the dessert because the banana pudding was the true standout. I have never had banana pudding that has not been from a can, so the homemade version at Lucille's was a treat. It had some pieces of fresh banana and vanilla wafers tossed throughout the large serving (more than enough for 2). It was topped with real whipped cream (not Redi-Whip). SERVICE: The service was quite good, attentive but not annoying. A manager stopped by our table toward the end, and Hubby made a comparison between Lucille's and Bobby Q's. The manager said that a few other managers had come over from Bobby's to Lucille's, and implied that something was amiss at Bobby's in the overall running of the place. Whatever that is, it is not overt, as Hubby and I never noticed that there was an issue with food quality or service at Bobby's. We decided that we'll give Lucille's 6 months to work out what we hope are some opening bugs, and we'll return to try again. In the meantime, you'll see us at Bobby's.
How would this review be described in terms of sentiment?
OPT: [I] negative. [II] positive.
[I]