Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Mike Anderson's BBQ

I had the beef brisket and ribs. The brisket was some of the best I've had in a while. The ribs weren't exactly my fare. They were a dry rub with a strong smokey taste but weren't the most tender or flavorful I've ever had. The sides were outstanding, though. I had the cheezy cornbake which is like a cornbread dressing with whole kernel corn, onions, peppers, and lots of cheese stuffed inside and the double-breaded fried okra. Both were just top notch. I'd love to find the recipe for the cheezy cornbake to make at home sometime. The website claims that all their sides are homemade daily and after tasting them, I believe it. They had the standard tomato-based, Texas-style sauce and they had a jalapeno sauce. It was basically their regular sauce spiced up a bit with pickled jalapenos floating. It was quite good - and quite spicy.

Other random thoughts... the guy behind the counter was quite nice. He noticed I wasn't familiar with the way they do things there. He asked if it was my first time and where I was from. When I told him Atlanta he immediately replied that next time I come I should bring some Brunswick stew and he and I can work out a trade. I don't think it was Mike Anderson I spoke with but the guy was extremely nice. Another nice plus that I didn't notice until I was on my way out was they also have a soft serve machine that's free for all customers. That along with the available outdoor seating area (covered with a lattice type structure around it) were both very cool.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse

I'm traveling tonight on business in Dallas and I'm thinking about where I want to go to dinner. I decide to try BBQ because I love BBQ. I look up on Citisearch to find the best BBQ in Dallas is at a place not too far from where I'm staying called Sonny Bryan's. On my way there I'm thinking about all the BBQ I've had and decided I'm something of an informal connoisseur of BBQ. I decided to do two things.

First, I've created a reference of all of the different BBQ places I can recall that I've eaten at. I'm sure I've eaten at a number of other places, but these are the ones I can positively recall. You can view the listing here.

The other thing I did is that I decided in the future when I visit a BBQ place that I'll try to write up a review here for your viewing pleasure. Without further adieu, here's my visit to Sonny Bryan's...

I tried going to the original Sonny Bryan's but neglected to read that it closed at 4pm. Fortunately I remembered from looking at the locations that there was another one just a couple of miles away on Lover's Lane. I had the ribs, brisket, and sausage combo. According to other reviews, the brisket is the way to go. I had to try the ribs because I'm a rib guy. They had a 3 meat combo and the guy behind the counter recommended the sausage. The sausage was ok, the brisket was good, and the ribs were surprisingly good. The brisket was very tender but didn't have a whole lot of flavor other than the sauce I dumped on it. The ribs were full of a deep smoky flavor, though. Quite tasty. I finished it off with mac and cheese, spicy beans, and a Dr. Pepper (I figured, I'm in Dallas... why not?).

The sauce was good - the typical Texas fare. Tomato based but not as bitter as what you often find. The mac and cheese and beans were average. The atmosphere was ok. Quite surprising for a BBQ place in a strip mall, actually. The blues playing in the background added a nice touch. The price was very reasonable; I was out $15 and left full. I'll try to post a copy of the receipt later.

Other random thoughts... They didn't just have beans, they also had spicy beans which I thought was cool. The onion rings are supposed to be outstanding but I forgot to try them.