ANNOUNCER: Remember the amazing soul food in the back room at Lincoln Bowl Lanes? The folks who served those heaping dishes of Southern comfort have moved out on their own. Thurmond Brokenbrough and his wife, Linda, ran Uncle Thurms Soul Food inside Lincoln Bowl before moving a year and a half ago. Their family owned and operated restaurant is now housed in a small, unassuming building on South G Street near Flying Boots Cafe in Tacoma’s Lincoln International District. Uncle Thurms Finger Lickin’ Ribs & Chicken has a small town neighborhood feel to it with folks dropping by to say hi, pick up a to-go order or gobble a piece of pie.

JASON: Uncle Thurm himself greets you as you walk in, hands you a menu and offers you a seat in a welcoming way. The dining room shrinks when 10 people find spots, but chances are they’ll know each other. It’s a little cramped, but down home. The menu has a bunch of options: burgers, sandwiches, dinners, appetizers, desserts, even breakfast.
Comfort food. Comfortable people.

JAKE: Uncle Thurms is slim on décor and bursting with flavor and hospitality. The staff are the definition of Southern hospitality. Even when you just stop by for some takeout, they’ll offer you water while you wait and ask how many kids you have.

JASON: Two smoky barbeque pork ribs that could pass as lunch by themselves and not a small part of a dinner platter, lay among six fried chicken wings that dripped juice down my hand. Evenly seasoned Cajun catfish strips, flour-battered and pan-fried perfectly. The three flour and Cajun season-battered catfish strips were mildly muddy tasting, as catfish tends to be, but a little hot sauce rounded out the flavor and perked things up.

JAKE: Deli sandwiches, hamburgers, soups and salads grace the lunch menu. The Philly cheese steak is big enough to ride. Call in your order and get back into the 38th Street traffic mess within minutes.

JASON: Red beans and rice is always a tricky thing for me leaving me feeling like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Too much molasses, not enough salt or pepper, too much smoke flavor, too runny and wet, too thick and dry. It always seems to be one or other, but Uncle Thurm’s beans were easily just right with an even balance of firm rice to smooshy soft beans.

JAKE: Smooshy? You just wanted to give a shout out to your cat, didn’t you?

JASON: Moving along. … The sampler platter comes in two sizes and prices: $14.95 large or $8.95 small. They should be called “glutton” and “little piggy” as the small is still a generous helping. The large left me with breakfast and lunch for the next day (yeah, I eat fried chicken for breakfast, you wanna make something of it). Heaped on the platters are candied yams, which were mildly buttered and spiced with sweet cinnamon that was almost too sugary. The intense orange color made me think a can and not the earth was the lasting resting place for these veggies. Mind you, canned is fine, but I prefer local grown. Greens were smoky and vinegary, thoroughly cooked and juicy, and nestled up nicely to the plump generous portion of cheesy, nicely salted macaroni.

The corn bread muffin was only a bit corny and a little smaller than a tennis ball. Disappointing for me since I like to crumble half my corn bread into the pools of bbq sauce on my plate and eat it like an additional side dish.

JAKE: Your yam yammering rings true. I agree that fresh, local and organic are the way to go, but Uncle Thurms is not fine French cuisine. I want to feel my pulse slow in anticipation of mixing that sugary sauce with my mac ’n’ cheese topped off with a dash of hot sauce. Yum. My mac ’n’ cheese was much smoother at lunch — seemed to be re-cooked for dinner. Either way it filled my comfort food void.

The meaty ribs smothered in barbecue sauce confirms Thurms’ business moniker. Finger lickin’ good.

JASON: Sweet tea was ultra light in color; light lemony caramel with intense zesty, citrus flavor and moderate sweetness served in a mason jar ($1.50 to $2.50). The lemonade tasted like Crystal Light, which I believe is a flavor.

JAKE: My guess is the sweet potato pie (two small individual pies) came out of the freezer and was microwaved. The crust was damp, but the filling was tasty. The whip cream came out of a can. You know the saying … “When in Thurms.”

JASON: It’s true that family-operated businesses create a friendlier atmosphere. Uncle Thurm strolls to tables, put his hand on your shoulder and asks “how it is.” He’s referring to the food, to the day, to the things in your world. And you really get the sense that he does want to know “how it is” and is not just practicing politeness, because he stands there and waits for your response.

JAKE: And don’t worry about the calories. Thurmond told me it’s not his job to keep people thin.

Uncle Thurms Finger Lickin’ Ribs & Chicken

Where: 3709 S. G St., Tacoma, 253.475.1881
When: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Scene: Tiny, ultra-friendly joint with the neighborhood dropping by to chat. You feel at home.
Menu: Southern, home-style cooking with full breakfast, sandwiches and burgers for lunch and huge, massive, humongous dinners.
Drinkies: Sodas, lemonade, tea,   coffee
Damage: Moderate with the large platter hitting the ceiling at $14.95.