Bites Nearby: Crazy Ron's Bar-B-Q

may be first noticed, of course, for its unique appearance: it's housed in a little train engine on East Ponce De Leon in the city of Stone Mountain. But what comes out of that cool exterior is just as worthy of attention, if not more.

I stopped in and picked up the lunch special, available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., of pork sandwich, a side and a drink for $6.99. I got a very generous portion of the tender, perfectly seasoned pork with the smoky flavor. It was hands-down the best I've tasted (quick tip: have plenty of napkins handy, and plan on sitting down to really savor the food and cut down on sauce drips on your clothes).

I ordered the potato salad and it reminded me of the kind my mother makes, just a tad sweeter and creamier. It had all the familiar flavors of a good Southern potato salad.

I also got a slice of lemony cake that sure tasted homemade.

Other items on the lengthy menu include smoked sausage, ribs, chicken breast, rib tips, pork slabs and veggie plates.

Owner Ron Herndon opened Crazy Ron's in 2000, but he had been cooking since he was a child. He told Patch last fall that he , a skill he learned from his father. Herndon is from a large family in Virginia, and recalled holidays and family reunions when a hog was roasted in a pit in the yard of a big family farm.

You can pretty much taste those memories in the lunch special, and likely in all the other dishes.

Crazy Ron's Bar-B-Q is located at 6187 E. Ponce De Leon. The phone number 770-413-5900. It's open Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.