April 7 - Fat Matt's Rib Shack

As we get on in age we tend to get so caught up in planning and saving and using wisdom to direct our paths. That's all well and good, but oh, the blessed spontaneity of our youth is not something that should be packed away á la high school yearbooks and lettermen jackets. Sometimes, it's okay to be inappropriately dressed and unarmed with any real sense of a direction on a Saturday night in Atlanta. Unlike college days, we have a bit more disposable cash, a well-maintained car and health insurance. Hence, after not being able to find a parking spot at Midtown Landmark to go see the 8:00pm show of The Raid:Redemption, we found ourselves driving through Virginia Highland looking for some sort of dive bar with live entertainment, Yuengling and palatable appetizers until the 10:20pm show of The Raid: Redemption. We happened upon Fat Matt's Rib Shack.

 According to my betrothed, Fat Matt's is considered to be one of Atlanta's longtime, top destinations for heart-attack inducing grub. There's no pretense about this place. No gimmicks or ritzy restaurant design. It's quite literally a glorified shack with a kitchen and a patio. All the tables and chairs rock and not on purpose. The menu is painted on the wall. The stage is on the opposite side of the restaurant with the bathrooms right next to said stage. It was perfect.  We parked and stood in the line which was extended outside of the door. Great sign.

This being my third year living in Atlanta, I've learned patience and have given up the notion of Las Vegas type VIP consideration when trying to access any night time entertainment. At Fat Matt's we were going to have to stand in line whether we planned on dining in or taking out. While Hubby grabbed a table and ordered a couple of beers, I stood in line and weighed the options of splitting a whole rack of ribs for $20 or a half rack of ribs for $10 with a side of potato salad. I decided on the half rack. We were determined to see that damn movie AND get popcorn. Once, our order was placed I rejoined Hubby at the table and began sucking down my Yuengling. Turns out we were seated next to a group of musicians and entertainers who were trying to sit in with The Jump'n Jukes who were scheduled to perform tonight. Somebody knew the bass guitarist and played in another band with him or something and she sang and he rapped and they played big band jazz standards. Hell if I knew. Nevertheless, they were all quite pleasant.

I was reminded again of college days in New Orleans. All the guys in Jazz Studies at UNO just a giggin' about town at places like The Funky Butt, The Red Room, Cafe Brasil and Snug Harbor. We made the world better by enjoying each other's company with good music and good food instead of worrying about why the recalcitrant neighbor down the street wouldn't pay his HOA dues and was operating a business out of his garage.

The food arrived quickly. Compared to Fox Bro.s Bar-B-Q, the rib meat wasn't seasoned quite as well. However, the actual barbecue sauce and the potato salad was slammin. I'd go back. As for the entertainment, The Jumpin' Jukes were on point and the lady that sat in absolutely killed Route 66. I kind of felt badly for staying home on Monday nights to make fun of Christina Aguilera's stylist on The Voice while this real talent was floating about my new-found hometown. We left Fat Matt's feeling both satisfied and nostalgic. We vowed that we would make our first summer as married friends a dedication to our fun-loving, fancy free youth. And yes, we did see The Raid: Redemption at 10:20pm.