Chico's fame as a backyard chef has been growing steadily, and Barbecue for You opened a few weeks ago by popular demand in the historic Coomer's Cafe building on the Square. They offer eat-in and carry-out service.

The lunch menu is different every day, but consistently includes barbecued pork chops and chicken. While it's not intended to be a signature dish, we found the smoked cabbage offered today to be a very nifty addition to the local culinary scene, and worth the trip by itself.

Pedigree: the sauce is tomato based, and sweeter than hot, putting Chico's closer to Louisville than Tompkinsville--or closer to Texas than North Carolina--for those of you who keep track of these things.

According to ColumbiaMagazine's esteemed panel of Predictive Statisticians, if barbecue restaurants continue to open in Columbia at the present rate, we should overtake Owensboro as the Barbecue Capital of the World within 18-36 months, and possibly merit a visit by Calvin Trillin. If plans to annex Edmonton are successful, the title could be ours in less than a year. Previews of the t-shirt should be available shortly.

*Of course, Huston Murray, Larry Russell Bryant, and Gary Phillips (aka Jim Billy), should be given credit for pioneering efforts to introduce barbecue to the Columbia palette.