This is not a typical post for me, it is about a diner in Springfield, Illinois.  However I will make this about BBQ somehow.  Charlie Parker's is a small diner that is not necessarily the easiest thing to find, but every time I have been there they have been packed.  They have been featured by the Food Network program Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  This place is absolutely the best diner/dive I have ever been to.  They are famous for their extremely large pancakes and their horseshoes.  The traditional horseshoe is a couple slices of toasted bread covered with a meat, french fries,and a cheese sauce.  A smaller version of the horseshoe is a ponyshoe, which is plenty big enough to fill up most very hungry appetites.  This dish originated in Springfield, IL and is definitely a favorite in central Illinois.  The standard horseshoe is extremely good, but Charlie Parkers serves a breakfast horseshoe that makes the absolute best breakfast one can imagine, couple slices of toast, topped with eggs, choice of breakfast meat, hash browns, and a gravy sauce.

This restaurant has given me a new idea for BBQ leftovers, the BBQ Horseshoe.  Start with the typical couple slices of toast, topped with left over brisket or pulled pork, hash browns or french fries, then topped with a good BBQ sauce.  This is something I will definitely try next time I have left over BBQ.