• Matthew Thorsen
• Big Fatty's BBQ

When country-pop star Martina McBride went to Woodstock for a holiday family getaway, the folks at Bentley's Restaurant got to know the platinum-selling chanteuse pretty well: She dined at the eatery on four separate occasions. Why the repeat eats? Reportedly, McBride was wild about the food. "She said they were the best ribs she'd ever had and the best pulled pork she'd ever had," relates proud Manager Brian Norris. And the woman lives in Tennessee!

Not only is McBride loyal, "She's a wonderful tipper," Norris dishes. He says that the singer left a C-note for her server every evening. She also signed a couple of autographs for enthusiastic staffers.

There's nothing like calling your favorite barbecue joint to place a take-out order, only to learn that the restaurant is "out of food." It happened to puzzled patrons of Big Fatty's BBQ last Saturday night, when an uncharacteristically intense weekend made pork production grind to a halt.

"Friday was really, really busy," explains Assistant Manager Misha Hudak. "We sold double the amount of food we had the previous few Fridays." By 7 p.m. on Saturday, she goes on, "We didn't have any more pork cooked, or chickens, or collard greens or macaroni and cheese. We turned off the lights at 7:30." Owner Clay Vagnini is currently on vacation in Panama, checking out the canal, but Hudak is sure that when he hears, he'll "think it's funny." Would he be so amused to discover the restaurant shut down early on Monday night, too? As for next weekend, the manager has made sure the Southern specialties won't run dry again. "Hopefully it's as busy," she says with a sigh.