Ms. Betty's House of Ribs in East Atlanta

The tricky five-point intersection that joins Bouldercrest Drive, Fayetteville Road, Brannen Road and Eastland Road would otherwise be a desolate dining dead spot in East Atlanta were it not for the smokehouse of a barbecue joint that is Ms. Betty's House of Ribs. Equidistant from most viable eating options by a solid mile or so, Ms. Betty's features some of the most tender barbecue selections in town.

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING: Ms. Betty's is practically a cliché when viewed from the outside. Its rectangular building with corrugated tin siding suggests a barbecue shack all right. (Opened in July 2006, its previous tenant also ran a smokehouse.) The tiny smokehouse in the back, which gushes as if a new pope is being announced hourly, brings the cliché to life. Inside, the building has a kitchen in the back, a restroom in the front, and a middle area that is two parts takeout waiting area to one part dining area, with two tables and some chairs that feel like an afterthought. Clearly this place is tailor-made for folks who need on-the-go barbecue, whether for a no-worries dinner or a catered afternoon of TV sports-watching.

SMOKE SIGNALS: They like to say barbecue is at its best when it "falls off the bone," and when my wife and I rushed home with our bounty and I pulled out my first stick of barbecue pork rib, the meat literally fell off the bone and back onto my Styrofoam takeout box. Amazing. One bite confirmed the smoke signals: That smokehouse benefits from wood chips of pine and hickory. The portions come as small as on a rib sandwich ($6.50) or as tips ($7.50) or as large as half ($11.50) and whole ($21.50) slabs. The half slab, big enough for two modest diners, also comes with two of the six sides (French fries, coleslaw, mac-n-cheese, baked beans, potato salad and green beans).

DON'T BE CHICKEN ABOUT THE CHICKEN: The chicken comes served two different ways, as sectioned barbecued and grilled parts (quarter, half, whole) or as wings (10, 20, 40, 50 and 100). Either way, they're even more tender than the pork and as blessed with that smoked flavor. And while chicken wings' size can vary from joint to joint in this town, Ms. Betty's wings are formidable yet cooked all the way through.

AS AN ASIDE: While the crinkle fries are nothing to write home about, they serve their function, particularly when matched up with the capable hamburger. But the more traditional sides are remarkably consistent. The mac-n-cheese, while not drowning in cheese, is deftly crafted with just enough cheese to keep you intrigued; the coleslaw is fresh and bright; and the green beans are still rich with flavor instead of having it boiled out of them. The beans benefit perfectly from the sauce, without being overwhelmed.

CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENT: "What kind of sauce did you like again?" Betty asked me, as if I'd been there recently (I hadn't). "We've got sweet and mustard," she said. "Why don't you get both and mix them up?" She had reason to ask; she likes to dabble in the extremes with her barbecue sauces. The regular mustard sauce sometimes is a bit too tangy, with a hint of soy sauce for snap (though she wouldn't admit as much; she just grinned and pleaded no comment). The sweet sauce had an almost sticky-sweet vibe -- was that honey? Sure enough, crafting a three-parts mustard to one-part sweet sauce achieved the right balance. The wings, by the way, come served with a choice of hot, mild, barbecue, "Boss Sauce" and plain. If you're sensitive, even the mild version has a little peppery kick to it.