Here at Oinkety, we, too, hear the thundering march of the advancing horde: It seems that people like Rudy’s “Country [...]]]> In the entire history of world conflict, there are moments when one side is badly outnumbered by the other. Sparta, Custer, the Alamo. The defiant courage of these warriors, when faced with nearly impossible odds, is admirable.

Here at Oinkety, we, too, hear the thundering march of the advancing horde: It seems that people like Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q, including The Gazette’s dining reviewer.

This doesn’t mean that we’re backing off on our hotly contested earlier thoughts, no. Just pointing out that when it comes to barbecue opinions, you must be prepared for battle.

We also didn’t intend to go out for dinner this night, but as were walking out of the Fine Arts Center, we overheard someone in a small group of people say the word barbecue. We are weak when it comes to [...]]]> I didn’t intend to pay $30 for a shot of bourbon, but that’s exactly what happened.

We also didn’t intend to go out for dinner this night, but as were walking out of the Fine Arts Center, we overheard someone in a small group of people say the word barbecue. We are weak when it comes to barbecue.

Since Slayton’s is relatively new, we decided to give it a shot. Turns out it’s not a typical barbecue joint with greasy floors and paper towels on the tables. Instead, it was a very pleasant upscale place with what turned out to be great food and a great atmosphere. There were even lounge singers!

Adrienne had the Hummus and Grilled Flatbread Trio (grilled rosemary flatbread with roasted red pepper hummus, Greek olive spread and a roasted garlic and creamy ricotta cheese blend). Seriously scrumptious.Really? Did I just use the word scrumptious? You know what? Yes I did. So what.

I had the barbecue combo platter, which was plenty of food for the two of us even though it’s priced as a single meal.

Now, about that bourbon. Check out their menu: It’s got a lot of drink options. Fifteen whiskeys, including Old Grand-dad, one of my favorites. One of them, though, caught my eye: The Pappy Van Winkle 23. I’d heard of it, but I’d never tasted it, so here was a good chance to have a drink without buying a whole bottle. I might have considered it was a special bourbon when the bartender pulled out a ladder to get to it.

Turns out there are a bunch of Pappy Van Winkles. This one is the 23-year-old Family Reserve Fancy Pants bourbon. It didn’t occur to me that a $300-a-bottle bourbon would be sitting at a downtown Colorado Springs restaurant. So when I got the receipt, I was a little mystified, but when you’re a bigshot ordering all the most expensive drinks and making bartenders climb ladders, you can’t go, “Oh, hey, uh, what’s this? $30?! Are you insane?!”

No, you have to suck it up and be a man: Pay the tab, tip well, and find a part-time job to supplement your income.

We enjoyed ourselves a great deal, and we’ll definitely be back. Of course next time, I’m having the Old Grand-dad.

Also, if you’re hiring for anything, I’m available.

Hummus plate on the left, barbecue sampler on the right. And glistening like gold in the center is the $30 shot of bourbon.

A bottle of Old-Grand-dad, at $20, is less than a single shot of the Pappy Van Winkle. Also, it's "Bonded"!

A side story

So Adrienne and I are bicycling to dinner, and a carload of people pull up next to us at an intersection. The driver shouts at us: “Get a job! Get a car!”

I notice he’s driving a Hyundai, and while I know I’m absolutely right about this and on the moral high ground, I don’t want to start a fight since I’m outnumbered. But you can’t yell out “buy a car” when you drive a Hyundai. So I try to point this out to him in the politest, most nonconfrontational way possible.

“You mean like a Hyundai?” I ask. “That’s a pretty sweet ride.”

Then, they start making fun of Adrienne’s bike, a Huffy.

Really? You’re a grown man driving a Hyundai, and you’re taunting a girl on a Huffy? Who does that?

At any rate, it was a long light. I kind of felt bad for the people in the car because I don’t think they expected to be stuck at the intersection with us, and I don’t think they really considered that they were all in a Hyundai. And because they could only taunt a girl on a Huffy, they seemed pretty deflated.

Moral of the story: If you’re in a Hyundai, you can’t make fun of anyone else’s transportation. Even if it’s bicycles.