Be still my beating BBQ lovin' heart: that rascal Casper Townsend has gone and done it again, only this time he's opening another outlet of Casper's a Taste of the South even closer to my front door. If all goes accordingly -- and I'm counting on it -- he and his staff of rib-ticklin' Southern foodstuff-savvy servers will be yelling "Come and get it!" in Shoreline by early next month.

Casper, smiling at his Lake Forest Park "Come-get-some, Sugah!" shack.

The new restaurant will stand just off the corner of 155th and Aurora (nearby landmark: Safeway and Jo-Ann Fabrics) and you may know it as an abandoned Wendy's. Casper says he'll maintain the drive-through window, so folks like me can call ahead and order supper then breeze by and pick it up. And he promises when he gets done hanging his hat here -- among other things -- we won't recognize the space as the former Wendy's.

Get your gator here! Your first bite's free. Honest.

Aw, he's just playing possum with you, but do try those frog's legs.

Hop on down and get some!

If you've taken my advice, you've already been to the Lake Forest Park location and tried his fried alligator, catfish, banana pudding and "Miss Nancy's" mac 'n cheese (named to honor Casper's wife, not his biggest fan).

Sorry, Dave, but Casper's horizontal ribs beat your square fast-food burgers any day.

And if you live in Bothell, you might be sorry to hear he just shuttered his mobile unit last Friday. As for the Lake Forest Park location, it's not long for this world, says the South Florida native, who's looked at -- and decided against -- a Renton outpost, and now has his eye on another locale, in Kenmore.

"We'll keep Lake Forest Park open till next April, at least. We're growing out of this spot, and I'm pretty positive they're not going to renew our lease the site," he says, given that its expansive view of Lake Washington is a prime one. So get over there while you can, folks. And come December, I'll see you in Shoreline.

Today it's Casper's heated patio overlooking Lake Washington. Next year: condos?