KaRock's Famous Ka-Bobs

If you blink you may miss this roadside chicken stand on Highway 11 near the Jones Junior College campus. But, if you find yourself in Ellisville it's well worth a stop.

Finding myself in Ellisville and in need of a late lunch I decided to give KaRock's Famous Ka-Bobs a try. I've heard good things about this little place for years, and I found it to be mostly true.

You'll notice that this is a place that loves to play on the college theme, decked out in the cardinal and gold of JCJC the place is a mini-shrine to all things sports in Jones County.

When I walked in about 2:00 pm and saw that the fry cookers were still up and going it had to be a good sign. The place wasn't packed but there were a number of patrons eating. KaRock's is catered towards the college crowd but that doesn't stop it from drawing soccer mom's, blue collar workers and professionals from around town.

Proprietor Rocky Purvis put KaRock's on the map with his Ka-Bobs, but I decided on the Kat Kombo, which consists of three chicken fingers, a hefty order of seasoned fries, a bread stick and ice cold sweet tea.



The fries although I am pretty sure were not home cut were pretty good, they were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. That's a sure sign that they keep the fry cookers hot enough. Purvis was manning the fryers himself during my visit, it's a pleasure to see chicken fingers being breaded by hand instead of just opening a box.

The chicken fingers were cooked nicely. They were crispy and light with a flavorful breading. Again cooked at a appropriate temperature that left them crispy on the outside while locking in all the juicy goodness inside.

A bonus was the bread-stick that was served with the meal, it was soft and piping hot - a nice addition.

The "Rock Sauce" for the tenders was a bit better than your average run of the mill chicken finger sauce. It wasn't that it was spicy hot, but you could definitely tell that it was full of flavor. It works just as well on the bread stick as it does the chicken fingers.

It's not a four-star rated dinning establishment, and nor is it trying to be, but the ever expanding roadside chicken shack has a loyal following and now I know why.