Keith Tanner, posing in front of his restaurant, Buckethead's in Stonefort
STONEFORT, Ill. - In light of the abject success of last week's offering regarding Big Blues Que in Creal Springs, our roving foodie Becky has taken to the highway again to find other outstanding, locally-owned eateries in downstate Illinois...and this week's is one after our own heart, as Buckethead's Catfish and Barbecue in Stonefort does some serious southern cookin...like, way southern. As in, Gulf Coast-and-swamps-type southern!
Here's her report.
The very neat interior at Buckethead's
By Becky Grimes
My latest adventure took me to my mother's hometown of Stonefort, located on Route 45 just south of Harrisburg.
I took the scenic route by way of Stonefort Road, reminiscing the many stories she told of growing up there and how their house sat right on the county line of Williamson and Saline. My dad said Roy Acuff came to town once to do a show on the railroad tracks in a flat car.
After all this I began to search for some food, and remembered someone had mentioned a restaurant called Buckethead's for some good eating. It was rather easy to find, right on the main drag in Stonefort across from a welding shop. There is ample parking on the south side of the building.
Once inside I immediately noticed the rather unique tin walls with a western flair. The sign out front said they had alligator which is rather unusual for these parts. The woman who waited on me was very pleasant and explained that the alligator was said to taste like a cross between chicken and frog legs. It is deep fried and served as an appetizer. Being the brave soul I am I ordered it, and some sweet tea.
Gator, served as it should be: Battered, deep-fried and with some spicy dip, which is homemade on site
After she brought my tea, I inquired as to where the name Buckethead's came from. She pointed to one of the two guys sitting at a table in the center of the restaurant and said "That’s what I call him; he has a big head."
"Is he your husband?" I asked.
"Yes," she said with a grin.
Keith said he wasn’t fond of GMOs (genetically modified organisms, which safety has not yet been fully ascertained, despite all the farm service's billboards to the contrary - ed.) and all their food was homemade. He even uses his grandfather's secret recipe with fish stocks when making his fish batter. Besides a regular menu, they serve up Cajun crawfish, crawfish tails and gulf oysters so fresh you can taste the salt water.
"Give me a couple days' notice, I can even make you some jambalaya," Keith Tanner said.
Smoked pork tenderloin
They smoke their own barbecue and I got to sample some fresh smoked pork loin he just pulled off, for which he uses cherry and pecan wood to smoke, with some delicious homemade barbecue sauce. A band plays every other Friday night with Bluegrass being the most recent.
"It’s kinda like a Texas roadhouse without the booze," Tanner said. "You come here, you get dinner and a show, because we argue a lot."
I was so full after the meal and samplings that I didn’t have room for the caramel apple, coconut, peanut butter or banana pie.
Buckethead's hours are Tuesday through Thursday 10 til 2, Friday and Saturday 10 til 8; they're closed Sundays and Mondays.
Head on down to Stonefort for some good eats and nice folks. Like them on Facebook and see their regular menu.
Menu and specials