Butt Shack BBQ

It has been a while since we have technically gone "diving".   Life, kids and daily routine can be used as excuses.  Probably the main reason for the absence of dive adventures is both moms being fulltime "Teen Chauffeurs".    Our fun time has been returning to our regular dives and the old reliable church festivals. Our daughters are sophomores now and loving the high school social life.   With new high school friends, we have learned to navigate rural Colerain Township and western areas of Hamilton County.  Tracy grew up here and I have been in the area for 26 years.  Within the last several months we have found secluded, rural areas only within minutes of major Cincinnati thoroughfares within Hamilton County. 

Late this summer one half of the dive team had an open Saturday evening to explore the interesting westside of the county..  Mickey and I dropped our charges off at a church festival in northwest Cincinnati and began driving.   A friend had recommended The Butt Shack Grill.  It is near Rumpke softball fields so it is fairly well known among the baseball and softball teams there.  The Butt Shack is located in New Baltimore, Ohio just west of the Great Miami River. Although New Baltimore is a mere 4 miles from the I-275 loop and suburban sprawl, it could have been any Midwest small town, isolated miles and decades from a large city. 

Street View

The Butt Shack was not hard to find since there were only a few blocks in town.  Close your eyes and let the smell of smoking ribs take you there.  Park around back and pass your ribs smoking in the rear.  The restaurant area is located below street level and is entered from the side.  We were told that you go to the Butt Shack for food and friends and not so much atmosphere.  The ceiling was low and the dining area smaller than you would expect. 

A team of little leaguers followed us in and quickly took over most of the remaining tables.

Simple and cozy interior

 Since ribs are only available Fridays and Saturday evenings, we both ordered a half rack with two sides. .  Mickey had originally ordered a full rack and the waitress highly recommended he reduce his order.  He did and was glad he did.  Our meal was served in plastic wicker baskets with a wax paper liner and sides in styrofoam cups.   They were perfectly smoked, moist and loaded with plenty of meat that fell off the bone.  The fact that we paid $14 for the rib platter was even more satisfying. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and would stop by again.  We did not linger.  The surroundings were functional but not conducive to lingering to watch the end of the game.  We felt we needed to eat and move on for the next group.

Good News:  The recent addition of the Greenhills Press boasted "Butt Shack Coming Soon".  We'll be excited to have one close to our home, ready to blog about the new location.  Will keep you posted.