First Bite: Edley's Bar-B-Que in 12South

, I took a trip to

at 2706 12th Ave. S. repeating my optimistic mantra, "Please be good! Please be good!" After sharing a lunch with three foodie friends, I can say so far, so great.

First of all, there is parking available behind the restaurant, which is a major plus for any place in the 12South neighborhood. Spots are available on the street in front of Edley's, and also if you turn down Halcyon there is a sign pointing to another lot. While this may seem like a superficial detail, it's enough to make or break a restaurant near the urban core. Until they are fully staffed up in the next month or so, Edley's plans to be closed on Tuesdays so they can serve the neighborhood on Sundays.

The space has been developed into a really attractive dining area, with exposed barnwood rafters, a comfortable eight-seat bar and a huge deck that should be a very popular spot come next spring. Diners order at the counter that adjoins the open kitchen, and then servers bring your food to the table. Even with a fairly busy lunch rush the day we visited less than a week after opening, service was, fast, efficient and friendly. Drinks are serve yourself with free refills, unless you're drinking from the bar, of course. We weren't certain whether you are supposed to bus your own table since a server came by to take half the baskets off of our table and then never returned. We appreciated the effort but were sorta confused by the procedure.

A mix of booths and tables seat around 50 to 60 patrons inside, with high-def big screens hanging in each corner of the room. (Yes, this is one of those places that TV haters will hate.) Almost every table was snacking on at least one appetizer, which is understandable because they were very good. Crispy fried pickles rivaled my previous favorite from the Sportsman's Grille, and BBQ Nachos were inventively plated on top of house-made potato chips instead of the expected tortilla chips.