TBones barbecue is smokin' hot in Arlington

THE CUISINE: Mississippi-style barbecue, soul food

THE CONCEPT: Terry Coleman isn't quite a native of Mississippi, but he lived there during his teens and his first decade as an adult and has deep family roots there. Coleman thought Texans deserved to be introduced to Mississippi-style barbecue, which he says is known for being both sweet and spicy. About a year ago, he opened TBones in a tiny back-pocket area of a neighborhood shopping center that's seen better days, and then the city of Arlington did some work to Collins Street, making access difficult even for those who were aware of the place. Needless to say, business hasn't been what Coleman had hoped, but barbecue aficionados are really missing a bet if they don't check it out. This place has more character than 20 barbecue chains, and the meat and fixin's -- all of them made by Coleman -- are terrific.

THE FOOD: We'll start with the barbecue: It's all smoked in the back of the restaurant, and you can smell the fine smoked-meat aroma halfway across the parking lot, even with the front door to the restaurant closed and locked, as happened the first time we tried to eat there. Bud Kennedy claims to have discovered TBones by sniffing it out from Vandergriff Park when Bill Clinton was speaking there. Coleman says the wood he uses is a combination of hickory, oak and bodark, which is dense, and therefore makes a heavy smoke. Perhaps that's why the ribs on the rib dinner ($9.99) had the smokiest flavor of any ribs we've ever had at a barbecue joint, and we've had a few.

The sauce, as the owner said, was sweet -- sweet but tangy. Coleman bragged that his brisket is his best thing, but he was sold out when we ate there. We chuckled over the menu, which offers a catfish basket with any number of fillets from one ($3.99) to 10 ($23.99). The person who ordered 10 fillets would have to have some hearty appetite, considering that TBones' fillets are twice the size of the typical restaurant fillet. The fish had a thick, spicy, cornmeal coating and was fabulous, though it was served with an orange-colored tartar sauce that took us back a bit.

Coleman says the color is a Mississippi thing and that it comes from a couple dashes of hot sauce. We quickly warmed to the idea. A hot links sandwich ($3.99) was hefty and was covered with more of the same sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. I have to mention one of the sides: We participated in an in-home mac-n-cheese taste test about six months ago, and Coleman's was better than any of them.

THE ATMOSPHERE: The space is small, with three yellow-and-red oilcloth covered tables and handwritten advertisements on the window. It's the kind of rough-and-tumble joint you'd expect to find down some back road in the country. If you like your barbecue spots polished and pretty, well, this is a different kind of place. A hot place, on the day we were there. The air-conditioning was broken. Still, we can't wait to go back.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: TBones has modestly priced lunch specials, including, when we were there, a T-bone steak and spaghetti special for $6.50, and a half turkey leg with one side for $4.99.

THE DETAILS: Hours are noon-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; and 2-8 p.m. Sunday. BYOB. No smoking. Wheelchair-accessible. Restroom located next door. Major credit cards accepted. Press Pass accepted.

TBones

2324 S. Collins St.

Arlington

817-277-6833