Trailheads Debate The Depth Of The Women In “Landman,” Discuss “Competency Porn,” Then Queue Up For ‘cue Barbecue.

Trail Master gave the sad news that our girl, Fio, had a “crick in her neck” from catching Frisbees. 

“That’s the dog equivalent of pickleball elbow,” Dr. Patrick said. “I recommend anti-inflammatories and McKenzie Method exercises. And avoid plastic circular objects.”

“Shut up,” Guy responded, teary-eyed. “She’s just a helpless baby. And I hate pickleball.”

Elvis arrived with Brad in tow (he’s his dedicated Uber). The muscular beast immediately started playing with another dog as we prepared to hit the trails. Trailheads discussed receiving our earlier regimen of steroid shots, blood transfusions (Keith Richards’s 18% formula—the good stuff), and meditating about lifting weights to maintain our impressive physiques.

It was a pleasant day on the Jones Bridge Trail, with temperatures in the ‘60s and the sun hiding beneath a blanket of clouds. We headed up the path and down to the majestic Chattahoochee River, gently rolling along (according to Tina Turner, that’s what rivers do).

Elvis dove in for a refreshing dip, while a team of stylists with makeup kits prepared us for our selfie portrait. Unfortunately, there’s only so much the talented artists could do, so it will be up to Roy to do his Photoshop magic to make us presentable.

We resumed hiking, and a lively debate sparked over the portrayal of Texas women in Taylor Sheridan’s Landman show. George and Patrick criticized how Angela and Ainsley Norris—Tommy Norris’s wife and daughter—were depicted as superficial gold-diggers, obsessed with their looks and using sex appeal as a weapon. The two Trailheads felt the women were written as vain, devious, mercenary, and shallow. They believe Sheridan shortchanges the female characters by making them so one-dimensional. Were these writers jealous of Taylor Sheridan’s tremendous success, he’s created 612 successful shows, or were they simply showing signs of wokeness and DEI? 

Brad and Steve enjoy the Landman women and believe they accurately depict some Longhorn Ladies. The wife and daughter are caricatures, like The Real Housewives of Midland-Odessa. These Trailheads love the show. Despite the disagreement, everyone agreed that Billy Bob is terrific. As usual.

Guy loves The Pitt, and we all agreed the HBO show was excellent. Trail master said the show is “competency porn,” meaning we love seeing people who are kind, caring, and excellent at their jobs. This gives us comfort in these troubling times. Was he becoming woke? 

Guy said he read the phrase “competency porn” on the interwebs, and since we agreed with it, we snapped our fingers in unison, nodded our heads, and said, “Heavy, man. Heavy.” We hiked on.

Trailheads encountered a tree that looked like it had been attacked by beavers with tapeworms. Some joked that we should push the tree over, while their friends urged them to keep moving. We didn’t want to write eulogies.

Along the trail, we encountered cairns, stacked rocks used as navigation markers. George shared a brief history of how Inuit peoples in the Arctic built cairns resembling humans along trails to guide travelers and herd caribou.

We sat in a circle around him, listening to our professor and taking notes in the dirt with sticks. When he dismissed the class, we hurried away, glad there was no pop quiz.

The inevitable bellyaching about our bellies barking for food began, so we doubled back to the parking lot. George put on his turbo engine, hiking ahead of us at blinding speeds. He said he wanted to “burn some calories.” He certainly made us burn some of ours.

Our lunch choice was ‘cue Barbecue in Peachtree Corners, making this hike a repeat of one we took in January, 2025--read about that adventure here. We called Roy, who said he would join us. Although he’s not much of a hiker, he excels at lunching.

Roy had journeyed out to Marietta that morning to get his windshield fixed. Apparently, a rock (perhaps off a cairn) had flown out of nowhere to crash into his glass.

We secured a table on the patio and ordered drinks and a dozen wings to amuse our appetites. Roy joined us, looking fresh as a spring petunia, having not hiked.

Paul, the man who started ‘cue Barbecue, came by to thank us for our patronage. He has restaurants in Milton, Cumming, and Peachtree Corners. We’d assumed he was from Pittsburgh, PA, since his barbecue joints serve “Pittsburgh-style” coleslaw. We were wrong– Paul’s a Georgian.

 Mr. ‘cue Barbecue explained he was inspired by the Pittsburgh-based Primanti Bros. Restaurants, which had a location on Hilton Head Island. They are well-known for making sandwiches with meat, fresh-cut fries, cheese, slaw, and even a fried egg if you want breakfast too. Legend has it that the three-course meal inside two slices of bread was created for truck drivers so they could eat with one hand while driving.

Paul liked the idea, so he developed a recipe for the vinegar-based condiment and offered to top his ‘cue Barbecue sandwiches with the tangy cabbage concoction, fries, and an egg if it tickles your fancy. Good ideas travel.

Moving on to our lunches. The baby back ribs are delicious. The meat is tender, cooked to perfection, and eats clean to the bone as quickly as your teeth can get there.

The brisket is also a palate pleaser. The sandwiches are served on large, toasted buns, giving them the stability to hold all the beefy goodness, along with any tasty sauces that catch your eye.

The barbecue chicken will have you clucking its praise. George’s half bird looked like a whole turkey. It’s hearty poultry, seasoned for a good time.

The pulled pork is a pile of saucy, smokey, goodness.

Then there are the sides. The Pittsburgh slaw is an iridescent yellow, peppered with red pepper pieces, and soaked in vinegary goodness.

The Brunswick Stew is chock full of meat and veggies. Your spoon will thank you for visiting the bowl often.

Their fried okra is a delight. It’s crunchy and looks freshly-breaded. Okra was a divisive vegetable in our childhoods, but we have all come to embrace it. That’s the power of batter and a deep fryer.

The cucumber and tomato salad is served with a flavorful vinaigrette. The taste is rich and savory.

The veggie of the day was lima beans, which Guy ordered. The rest of the table said they hated the pale green vegetable, as Trail Master shoveled it into his gaping yap.

The Sweet Potato Casserole is great. You’ll feel like you’re at your Grandma’s Thanksgiving table. It has a sweet cinnamon flavor, and marshmallow cream makes every bite go down smooth.

We finished our meals, and R.J., the manager, came out to thank us for visiting. Everyone who works at ‘cue Barbecue is a gem– they’re all friendly and helpful. You feel at home the instant you arrive.

Trailheads sat around, our bellies full, enjoying the pleasant weather before we scattered to the wind and contemplated Taylor Sheridan’s depiction of Texas women. Next week, we’ll take on Taylor Sheridan’s depiction of less interesting Texas men.

No one would ever mistake one of our gatherings for a Mensa meeting.

Rating: Four Ribs*

‘cue Barbecue - Peachtree Corners

5260 Peachtree Industrial Blvd

Peachtree Corners, GA 30071

470-299-5117

cuebarbecue.com

*About Our Barbecue Rating System

Trailheads do not claim to be food experts, epicureans, or sophisticated palates. We are hungry hikers who attack a selected barbecue venue and ravage our way through whatever smoked fare and fixings they're dishing out. nj Ounr reviews feature what we believe are the highlights of the menu we sampled. So our intent is not to trash talk the saintly folks who tend to smoldering smokers on hot, humid summer days. They are sacrificing themselves in the noble art of smoking meats and feeding the drooling masses. Many are independent entrepreneurs who are the backbone of this humming American economy. Now that you know our standards, you may wonder why every barbecue place gets a four-ribs rating. The answer is easy: our group has acclaimed designers, and they think the ribs graphic looks cool. Who are we to argue? Enjoy.

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