RoundGuy's EPICurean Road Trip
11-02-2012
, 09:10 PM
See, I'm just not accustomed to this, uh, civility.
How can you guys possibly let me get by with forgetting my camera? AND miss the bone-in ribeye because of it? Can't I get a "moran" up in here somewhere?
And seriously, 48-hours and not a single, obligatory, "who was banging Mrs. RoundGuy while you were gone?"
I'm just not used to this form of "discussion".
How can you guys possibly let me get by with forgetting my camera? AND miss the bone-in ribeye because of it? Can't I get a "moran" up in here somewhere?
And seriously, 48-hours and not a single, obligatory, "who was banging Mrs. RoundGuy while you were gone?"
I'm just not used to this form of "discussion".
11-03-2012
, 08:08 PM
No BBQ in NOLA, but wait until you see the soft-shell crab po' boy!
11-03-2012
, 08:33 PM
Day 4 lunch is at the Ft. Worth stockyards:
H3 Brother's Ranch. There was really only one true option on this menu, that's right, Chicken Fried Steak:
PRG got the mashed potatoes, of course, but I was craving something green and went with the creamed spinach. Both of us agreed that we have never had a chicken fried steak even close to this. Homemade, excellent quality meat, perfectly fried, a truly unique seasoning either on the meat or in the breading, and oh damn! that gravy!
To die for.
Day 4 Dinner in Dallas:
This place is owned by some dude that's won a ****-ton of BBQ awards since the early 80's. It's only open Fri, Sat, Sun, and is an all-you-can-eat buffet of awesomeness. Are you freaking serious? An all-you-can-eat, award winning, BBQ buffet? Heaven on Earth. Here's my two plates:
I'm sure buffet experts will consider this a bit weak, but damn, remember what I ate for lunch!
This was not the "best" BBQ of the trip, but it was better than Arthur Bryant's (by a long shot), and damn, it was ALL YOU CAN FREAKING EAT! This is also where I learned to love Texas smoked sausage.
Absolutely recommend for anyone near Dallas, TX.
H3 Brother's Ranch. There was really only one true option on this menu, that's right, Chicken Fried Steak:
PRG got the mashed potatoes, of course, but I was craving something green and went with the creamed spinach. Both of us agreed that we have never had a chicken fried steak even close to this. Homemade, excellent quality meat, perfectly fried, a truly unique seasoning either on the meat or in the breading, and oh damn! that gravy!
To die for.
Day 4 Dinner in Dallas:
This place is owned by some dude that's won a ****-ton of BBQ awards since the early 80's. It's only open Fri, Sat, Sun, and is an all-you-can-eat buffet of awesomeness. Are you freaking serious? An all-you-can-eat, award winning, BBQ buffet? Heaven on Earth. Here's my two plates:
I'm sure buffet experts will consider this a bit weak, but damn, remember what I ate for lunch!
This was not the "best" BBQ of the trip, but it was better than Arthur Bryant's (by a long shot), and damn, it was ALL YOU CAN FREAKING EAT! This is also where I learned to love Texas smoked sausage.
Absolutely recommend for anyone near Dallas, TX.
11-04-2012
, 10:58 PM
Day 5 lunch in Dallas:
Bubba's Fried Chicken. This was ranked in the "Top 20 Best Fried Chicken" in Southern Living magazine. We figured it would be some hole-in-the-wall in a questionable part of town, but it turned out to be a 30-year old restaurant in Highland Park -- one of the most expensive, prestigious areas of Dallas. Excellent, excellent, chicken. Papa RoundGuy liked it better than Stroud's, but no -- I'm sticking with Stroud's.
Of course, I made my second blunder and forgot to take a picture of the food, but you can use your imagination.
Next, a LONG, tedious, traffic-packed, 5-hour drive to south of Austin. This is where we visit the two Mecca's of Texas BBQ, and by far the best BBQ on our trip.
Bubba's Fried Chicken. This was ranked in the "Top 20 Best Fried Chicken" in Southern Living magazine. We figured it would be some hole-in-the-wall in a questionable part of town, but it turned out to be a 30-year old restaurant in Highland Park -- one of the most expensive, prestigious areas of Dallas. Excellent, excellent, chicken. Papa RoundGuy liked it better than Stroud's, but no -- I'm sticking with Stroud's.
Of course, I made my second blunder and forgot to take a picture of the food, but you can use your imagination.
Next, a LONG, tedious, traffic-packed, 5-hour drive to south of Austin. This is where we visit the two Mecca's of Texas BBQ, and by far the best BBQ on our trip.
11-05-2012
, 09:07 AM
Quote:
Day 2 dinner, Little Rock.
An incredible dinner and quick overnight stay in Little Rock, and RoundGuy makes his first (but not last) serious blunder. I left my camera back at the hotel.
We were ready for a good steak. We chose an upscale steakhouse on the Riverwalk called Sonny Williams' Steak Room. I've eaten at a lot of good steakhouses; Boston, DC, Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, etc., but this place ranks at or near the top of my list.
I ALWAYS order the bone-in Ribeye. To me, it's the most flavorful, tender, fatty, awesome piece of meat on the planet. And this place delivered, big time. I ordered medium-rare, and PRG ordered medium. They both came out absolutely perfect. I don't even remember the sides that we ordered because, really, who cares when you have a perfect steak in front of you.
Day 3 lunch, Ft. Smith, AR enroute to Oklahoma City.
Not much to choose from between Little Rock and OKC, but found this place on one of the travel sites I researched:
This is an old-school 50's/60's drive-in that specializes in french dips. So, that's what we got:
No complaints about this lunch! The au jus was incredible.
Day 3 dinner, Oklahoma City. I found this place on the DD&D site, and since it's German, I thought it would be right in Papa RG's comfort zone:
Ingrid's Kitchen. Ingrid's is a German deli, market, bakery, restaurant, and bar all wrapped up in one. It took us a bit to realize that the restaurant was in the bar. We both ordered the sausage/schnitzel combo plate.
The sausage was excellent, the spaetzle that came with it was also very good. But the schnitzel was pork instead of veal (an absolute deal-breaker for PRG), it was covered with an odd-tasting brown gravy, and was not tenderized nearly enough.
We also discovered that the ordinary person in OKC isn't very attractive. All in all, would not recommend.
Next, Dallas/Ft. Worth.
An incredible dinner and quick overnight stay in Little Rock, and RoundGuy makes his first (but not last) serious blunder. I left my camera back at the hotel.
We were ready for a good steak. We chose an upscale steakhouse on the Riverwalk called Sonny Williams' Steak Room. I've eaten at a lot of good steakhouses; Boston, DC, Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, etc., but this place ranks at or near the top of my list.
I ALWAYS order the bone-in Ribeye. To me, it's the most flavorful, tender, fatty, awesome piece of meat on the planet. And this place delivered, big time. I ordered medium-rare, and PRG ordered medium. They both came out absolutely perfect. I don't even remember the sides that we ordered because, really, who cares when you have a perfect steak in front of you.
Day 3 lunch, Ft. Smith, AR enroute to Oklahoma City.
Not much to choose from between Little Rock and OKC, but found this place on one of the travel sites I researched:
This is an old-school 50's/60's drive-in that specializes in french dips. So, that's what we got:
No complaints about this lunch! The au jus was incredible.
Day 3 dinner, Oklahoma City. I found this place on the DD&D site, and since it's German, I thought it would be right in Papa RG's comfort zone:
Ingrid's Kitchen. Ingrid's is a German deli, market, bakery, restaurant, and bar all wrapped up in one. It took us a bit to realize that the restaurant was in the bar. We both ordered the sausage/schnitzel combo plate.
The sausage was excellent, the spaetzle that came with it was also very good. But the schnitzel was pork instead of veal (an absolute deal-breaker for PRG), it was covered with an odd-tasting brown gravy, and was not tenderized nearly enough.
We also discovered that the ordinary person in OKC isn't very attractive. All in all, would not recommend.
Next, Dallas/Ft. Worth.
but i seriously dont get whats going on with that plate. is that whats considered german eating in the usa? because i am from germany and have never seen a plate liek that.
i kind of like the concept of just pilling on different stuff, but it just seems like a weird combination schnitzel next to bratwurst and sauerkraut? also the spätzle look a bit pale. spätzle need to be tossed in butter before serving
Quote:
Day 4 Dinner in Dallas:
This place is owned by some dude that's won a ****-ton of BBQ awards since the early 80's. It's only open Fri, Sat, Sun, and is an all-you-can-eat buffet of awesomeness. Are you freaking serious? An all-you-can-eat, award winning, BBQ buffet? Heaven on Earth. Here's my two plates:
I'm sure buffet experts will consider this a bit weak, but damn, remember what I ate for lunch!
This was not the "best" BBQ of the trip, but it was better than Arthur Bryant's (by a long shot), and damn, it was ALL YOU CAN FREAKING EAT! This is also where I learned to love Texas smoked sausage.
Absolutely recommend for anyone near Dallas, TX.
This place is owned by some dude that's won a ****-ton of BBQ awards since the early 80's. It's only open Fri, Sat, Sun, and is an all-you-can-eat buffet of awesomeness. Are you freaking serious? An all-you-can-eat, award winning, BBQ buffet? Heaven on Earth. Here's my two plates:
I'm sure buffet experts will consider this a bit weak, but damn, remember what I ate for lunch!
This was not the "best" BBQ of the trip, but it was better than Arthur Bryant's (by a long shot), and damn, it was ALL YOU CAN FREAKING EAT! This is also where I learned to love Texas smoked sausage.
Absolutely recommend for anyone near Dallas, TX.
11-05-2012
, 10:10 PM
Oh, and I made spetzle last night! Great stuff!
11-12-2012
, 10:43 AM
11-13-2012
, 01:18 AM
Day 5 dinner, Lockhart, TX:
Anyone who knows Texas BBQ knows Black's. This is one of the two best-known BBQ mecca's in South Texas. Unlike other joints, they specialize in bone-in beef ribs. But they also claim to have introduced beef brisket to Texas. As the current owner has said on tv, "We started smoking brisket when less than a half-dozen people did it, now, less than a half-dozen don't do brisket".
Disclaimer: The following picture is a horrible, horrible representation of the awesomeness of Black's:
Like I said in the OP, I suck at pictures.
You really can't fathom the size and awesomeness of the beef ribs on the right side of the picture. These things were nearly the size of my forearm, and weighed nearly a pound a piece. They were absolutely incredible. The brisket was equally awesome. And, as I discovered in Dallas, I LOVE Texas smoked sausage.
Day 6 lunch, Lockhart, TX:
Smitty's Market. The next of the two best, most famous BBQ joints in South Texas, and without question my favorite BBQ experience of the trip.
This is how they do it at Smitty's. PRG and I ordered what we wanted, and they wrapped it all up together in butcher paper. No sauce, no forks, just a couple thin plastic knives, and your hands. Oh my. Absolutely incredible!
THIS is what the road trip was all about.
Anyone who knows Texas BBQ knows Black's. This is one of the two best-known BBQ mecca's in South Texas. Unlike other joints, they specialize in bone-in beef ribs. But they also claim to have introduced beef brisket to Texas. As the current owner has said on tv, "We started smoking brisket when less than a half-dozen people did it, now, less than a half-dozen don't do brisket".
Disclaimer: The following picture is a horrible, horrible representation of the awesomeness of Black's:
Like I said in the OP, I suck at pictures.
You really can't fathom the size and awesomeness of the beef ribs on the right side of the picture. These things were nearly the size of my forearm, and weighed nearly a pound a piece. They were absolutely incredible. The brisket was equally awesome. And, as I discovered in Dallas, I LOVE Texas smoked sausage.
Day 6 lunch, Lockhart, TX:
Smitty's Market. The next of the two best, most famous BBQ joints in South Texas, and without question my favorite BBQ experience of the trip.
This is how they do it at Smitty's. PRG and I ordered what we wanted, and they wrapped it all up together in butcher paper. No sauce, no forks, just a couple thin plastic knives, and your hands. Oh my. Absolutely incredible!
THIS is what the road trip was all about.
