Miss Kim’s by That Boy Good

Miss Kim’s by TBG, 207 N. Coast Highway, is the new name for one of Oceanside’s favorite restaurants, That Boy Good.

The same owners of Miss Kim’s by TBG, Kim and Mark Millwood, with the same great down-home cooking locals have been enjoying since 2012, now have a second location — the That Boy Good BBQ Counter — at 326 Horne St.

The name change is a salute from Mark to Kim in recognition of the hard work and dedication she has put in to make the restaurant a success.

“I was one of two girls working in the front during the first year, every single day. The Marines would come in and call me Miss Kim. Then they would go on deployment and come back in. I would just be hugging them and telling them I was so glad they were back. They would tell me, ‘Miss Kim, we love you, we love you.’ That’s how the ‘Miss Kim’ came about. I didn’t want to do the name change because I didn’t want people to get confused but it really is just Mark’s way of saying thank you.”

A true Oceanside success story, Miss Kim’s by TBG had humble beginnings.

“We bought our first table and made our first payroll using Mark’s credit card,” said Kim.

Mark and Kim had a long history in the restaurant industry prior to their decision to open their own place. Mark was the chef aboard the USS Chosin before going on to the executive chef position at five-star places like Arabella and the Villa Marriott in Vail, Colorado, then to the Ritz Carlton at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kim had worked across the county in all aspects of the restaurant business for 30 years before the couple made the decision to leave the corporate restaurant scene.

“It was just after we got married in Maui that Mark said he wanted to open his own restaurant. I said he was fricken crazy because that’s a lot of work but I said, ‘let’s make it happen because I don’t want to work corporate anymore either.’”

Kim had always wanted to return to Oceanside after raising her son from a previous marriage here. “In my heart of hearts, I always knew I wanted to return to the place my son was born. Oceanside was a completely different place then but I totally fell in love with it.”

After deciding Oceanside was where they wanted to open their own spot, the couple had to choose what kind of cuisine they were going to serve.

“Mark is a chef and he can do anything but we realized there are a lot of military people on base that come from the South and they need some Southern love,” Kim said. “That’s why we decided to go with barbecue. To go with the menu, I wanted to create the feel of a southern juke joint. Instead of a place to just go and get a meal, I want people to enjoy an experience.”

Kim was unsure about Mark’s choices for the menu before they opened the first restaurant. “Mark told me we were going to put chicken and waffles and red Kool-Aid on the menu. I’m from Missouri and all of his family is from Mississippi and Louisiana. I’ve eaten chicken and waffles and even drunk red Kool-Aid but that is the silliest thing I ever heard. Turns out, the chicken and waffles are one of our best sellers.”

Another customer favorite is the Dirty Fries: fresh cut potatoes with Mac n Cheese Sauce, choice of pulled pork, beef hotlinks or beef brisket and fresh jalapenos.

“They are silly good,” Kim explained. “Dirty Fries was just an accident that happened during football season in 2013. I had some leftover Mac n Cheese Sauce and put it on some extra fries. I called to Mark and said you have to taste this. He did and went back to the kitchen. He came out a few minutes later and said, taste this. I did, it was the Dirty Fries and it is ridiculously yummy.”

Kim and Mark have brought back most of the original menu. “We had taken a lot of things off the menu and put in a lot of New Orleans-style items: gumbo, jambalaya. We have brought stuff back so now we have a bigger menu, including the Po’Boy of the Day. You can get the Po’Boy and a bottled beer for 8 bucks.”

The new location menu is just barbecue and catering. “One of the main reasons we went with a second location was the size of the kitchen. We would get a lot of requests to cater large groups but our original kitchen just wasn’t large enough to handle the requests. Now I like to say we can cater to you and your closest 1,500 friends.”

To learn more about Miss Kim’s by That Boy Good along with the new counter location, visit their website, www.thatboygoodbbq.com, or their Facebook page, facebook.com/misskimsbytbgbbq. There you will find the current complete menus, specials and catering options.

Miss Kim’s by TBG, 207 N. Coast Highway, is open Monday 4-9 p.m. and Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. 760-433-4BBQ (4227)

That Boy Good BBQ Counter at Horne Street is open seven days a week 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 760-754-1275.