If I could bottle the smell of this place and take it home to my kitchen, I would. As it is, we just ordered extra food to take home. Mmmmm.
It's a real bare-bones ambience at Allison's, but between that smell, the two-step music, and the paper towels on the checked tablecloths, it feels like the real thing. And Texas, not South Carolina or some sauc-y version of BBQ. You can douse your food in sauce if you like, but you'll be missing the smoky goodness of the meat that way.
My friend and I had two two-meat platters, both with the addictive corn souffle, and loved it all. Too stuffed for the pecan pie, but will plan for that next time.
BTW, they don't stock the sugar-version Dr. Pepper anymore; the (very friendly) owner regrets to say Dr. Pepper sued the bottler and it's not available now. Also, the previously mentioned jalapeno and venison sausage is actually jalapeno and pork--but it's really good, no matter what's in it.
The sausage was one of my meats, the other was burnt ends. That's not on the menu, but when I asked for it, the owner accommodated me. Of the three sauces, I liked the sassy, which I guess is a cross between the sweet and the spicy. My friend shared her ribs with me--they were almost melty. The burnt ends were chewier, but some pieces were almost caramelized. If you like burnt ends, I recommend them.
Allison's is a long way from home for me, but I know I'm going back there in the near future. Now if I can just figure out now to make that corn souffle . . .