New Cape BBQ joint to open in mid-July

I love barbecue. The tangy-sweet taste of the sauce. The rich texture of the meat, especially if it's from an especially tender rib falling from the bone. What a mouth-watering combination.

Jack Stack Barbecue was the best I had in Kansas City. Bandana's Barbecue House is the best in St. Louis, in my humble opinion. And if you're driving through Dyersburg, Tenn., you have to check out BadBob's.

Maybe B&H Barbecue, expected to open in the next week or so in Cape Girardeau, will soon be added to our list of best barbecue -- or BBQ for those with short attention spans.

Henry and Clara Winters plan to open a new barbecue joint at 435 Morgan Oak in mid-July. They didn't call it that -- a joint -- but I hope that's what it is. It's been my experience that joints tend to serve the best food.

The small, stucco-style building has been vacant for awhile, but there have been barbecue restaurants in there at least three times in the past, Clara Winters told me.

They plan on serving ribs, rib tips and chicken along with potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and soda. Of course, there will be pulled pork and pulled beef sandwiches. Eventually, they hope to add specials like spaghetti and fish.

The signs of this being good barbecue are good. The Winters have barbecue in their lineage. Henry Winters' mother and father had barbecue restaurants in St. Louis.

"We know how to barbecue," Clara Winters said.

And I, as a barbecue lover, cannot wait.

Oh, by the way, the restaurant will be carry-out only. That means your employer will like it because you can take it back and eat while you work.

Fox on Fox

Listen up, guys: No offense to the bespectacled, hat-wearing Kevin Casey, but now there is a good reason to throw our remote controls away, and her name is Leah.

Leah Mira is taking over today as the on-air host for FOX 23. As you can tell from her picture, she's an eye-pleasing addition to the station.

Casey, who also works for Zimmer Broadcasting, will continue as the voice of the station. His voice was great, but he lacked certain ... attributes that Leah will bring.

Casey didn't really match the demographic, said FOX 23 producer/director Tom Preston.

"We are Fox," Preston said. "Our demographic is men 18 to 49. That's not a big secret. Both of our last two on-air hosts have been burly guys in their 30s. Not to be sexist about it in any way, if you've seen pictures of her, you know she's quite a bit more attractive than Kevin is."

Mira, who is also a radio personality for WCIL-FM in Carterville, Ill., will be host of the weekday afternoon and late-night comedies on FOX, including "Dharma & Greg," "King of the Hill," "Home Improvement" and "The Simpsons."

I've never really heard her radio show, and I know next to nothing about how much talent Leah Mira has for TV, but I have faith that she will be absolutely great.

Scott City antiques

Timeless Treasures is expected to open Tuesday in Scott City at 1326 Main St., according to owner Karen Ledure.

The store will feature antiques and gifts, including tons of furniture, glassware, candles and bath and body items.

"What we have depends on what I find when I go on a buying trip," Ledure said last week. "One time I might come across some upholstered furniture, the next time I might find nice, stained wood pieces. We're going to keep a wide variety of things. There are so many different tastes out there."

She said her husband has been into antiques for many years. So has her mother, father and siblings.

"We call it a family illness," she joked. "But when we came across this historic building just sitting empty, we knew we could make use of it."

Business climate

The summer 2003 issue of "Southeast Missouri Business Indicators" is out, and it's asking the question everyone has been asking: When will the economy finally return to a period of sustained growth?

The quarterly publication is prepared by Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Economic and Business Research. Its position is that economic growth, slow for the last quarter of 2002 and the first quarter of 2003, is likely to be modest again in the second quarter -- suggesting something in the 2 percent range.

On the national front, the periodical suggests looking for the economy to pick up steam in the last half of the year, with growth reaching 3.5 percent by year's end. Unemployment will stay stuck in the 6 percent range, while inflation will remain low, less than 2 percent.

In Southeast Missouri, employment refuses to budget from current levels and retail sales have been flat. Indicators says there will be only modest gains for the remainder of 2003.

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, e-mail smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.