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Sorry for the delay but here's my July pick!
My boss wanted to take the new team out for a team lunch and we decided to go to Cattleack BBQ. I've been wanting to go there but always heard there's a long line. Luckily it's like 5 minutes from our office.
They're only open for dine-in on Thurs-Sat, I think. And lunch only. I think we arrived a little past 11AM and ended up waiting over 75 minutes. Damn. The line didn't seem long at first, but once you get inside, the line wraps all around the place... it's deceiving. Was totally STARVING by the time we ordered. I may have gone a little overboard. Haha. And sorry for the lack of pictures. We were too hungry.
Cattleack Barbeque
13628 Gamma Rd.
Farmers Branch, TX 75244
cattleackbbq.com
(972) 805-0999
Price: $$$
Brisket (moist or lean) $18.99/lb~ For the meats I got a pound of Brisket, moist of course! Gotta get the good fatty meats. The half pound seemed too little, but once he piled the whole pound on the tray, I was like "whoa". Haha. The brisket was amazing. So freaking moist and tender. I'd highly recommend this.
Pork Ribs $15.99/lb~ I also got half pound of this. Also very tender but the brisket stole the show. As far as ribs went, these were great.
Sausages $5.50 per link~
Original, Hatch Chile & Cheese, Spicy Texan, Triple "B"
I never order sausage. I usually just want one bite. The ones I tried were pretty good. They always tend to be a little too salty for me.
We got the sides to share. A few pints of each.
Burnt Ends Beans. Pretty good! Beans aren't my thing though.
Cole Slaw and Potato Salad. LOVED the potato salad. The slaw was great too. I would get these two again.
We ate so quickly... and the meat sweats hit before we got back to the office. Hahaha. I'm not sure if I'd stand in line for this again, I don't like to wait for food... but it's legit good. Next time you have a party, you can pre-order so you don't have to wait. 20 lbs minimum per pre-order though. Enjoy! Hehe.
One of the most anticipated restaurant openings in Rockwall... My friend first tipped me off that HG Sply Co was going to open something in our neck of the woods months and months ago. For the longest time I thought it was going to be a second location but never really heard anything about it. Last week, I realized it was going to be a different name, Standard Service. I've actually seen the name on Facebook at some point a while back but the name didn't jump out at me. So the opening kinda snuck up on us! Do you have any idea HOW exciting it is to get a new restaurant in Rockwall? There's not many great places to choose from and something with the caliber of HG Sply Co and Remedy is huge! hehe.
Standard Service
760 W. Ralph Hall Pkwy
Rockwall, TX 75032
(469) 651-1100
www.thestandardservice.com
Price: $$$+
Once I found out Standard Service is the new restaurant name, I followed it's opening closely. Unfortunately they pushed back their opening date a few times since I started checking on it. We (a group of us) had been talking about going yesterday, then we found out the opening day got pushed to Monday, 10/10. Booo... Well, me being me, I decided to do a drive by with a friend Friday afternoon just to see maybeeeee they're doing a soft opening?! It's super close to my house anyways. As I drove by, I saw a lot of people inside. So I decided to park and go inside. They were doing training still so all the staff was there. I confirmed with them the opening date. MONDAY! And then they told me I'm welcome to sit at the bar and get a drink. Ooooo. So I casually asked if they are serving food as well. They said food service started at 6PM and it would be on them since they are still doing training. What?!? They're serving food AND it's free?? I immediately texted my husband and said change of evening plans and we're going to Standard Service! haha. I met back at the restaurant with my friend and her hubby at 6:30PM. The hostesses were super nice and said we can totally sit at the bar to eat and drink. Turns out they were having their friends and family night with mock services to practice. We felt so special that we were still allowed in since we're neither friends nor family. Although after the meal we felt like friends. :P
The space is super cool. High ceilings, lots of wood, the bar has a large window that opens up to their big patio. There's a ping pong table in the patio too. Definitely a cool place to hang out now that the weather is cooler.
We were given a smaller menu for their mock service night but the entire drink menu was available. We were so excited we didn't know whether to order food or drinks or just keep looking around the restaurant. Our bartender (who also took our food orders) was Jessica. She was super friendly and gave a lot of suggestions. You can tell she was very excited about the restaurant opening and their offerings. And... they have Moscow Mule and Old Fashioned cocktails on draft! What what!?! That's pretty freaking awesome. And they were good too. We tried both.
*I'm including the prices of all the menu items but the meal was on the house since it was a mock service. Sooo freaking awesome!!! :D
HG Moscow Mule (42 Below Vodka, Lime, Ginger Holy Kombucha, Agave) $10~ Very refreshing and definitely strong (for a lightweight like me) haha.
Right Grain Old Fashioned (Old Grand-Dad Bonded Bourbon, House-Mashed Barley Syrup, bitters) $10~ My friend really likes Old Fashioned and she said this one was really good.
Bison Chili Frito Pie (South Dakota bison, kidney, pinto, black beans, fritos, shredded cheddar, lime crema, guacamole, green onions) $9~
This was their only appetizer option of the evening so we go it first while still trying to decide what entrees to get. This was a pretty damn big portion imo. And it was definitely the prettiest frito pie I've ever seen. hahaha. Delicious!!! All the ingredients were super fresh and the flavors all complimented each other well. There wasn't too much of one thing or another. And it had the slightest little spicy kick to it. Yum. This could easily be a meal too.
The B-Webb (The Last Word: High Born Gin, Maraschino, Chartreause, Lime) $12~
Partial proceeds go to St. Jude Children's Hospital. They told us that they feature 5 different cocktails (the line up changes every so often) and each one has proceeds that go to a different charity. That's really awesome. Drink for charity, amiright? My friend got this. It was a pretty drink. It has a bitterness to it but is very smooth. Another winner.
Chicken Salad Wrap (chopped chicken breast, celery, green grapes in green goddess dressing, marinated tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, green onion, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, crispy brown rice; with side of potato salad) $13.50~
My husband chose this as his entree. I really liked the potato salad. You can also choose potato chips as your side. He liked the wrap... I thought it was ok. The flavor was fine but it was too saucy for me.
The Standard Stack (herbed smashbrowns with caramelized onion and jalapeno, green goddess dressing, marinated tx tomato and arugula; with choice of protein). Kansas City Kobe Beef Burger $15~ My friend's husband got this. He said it was good.
The Standard Stack (herbed smashbrowns with caramelized onion and jalapeno, green goddess dressing, marinated tx tomato and arugula; with choice of protein). Scottish Salmon $18~
I got the stack as well but with salmon. I shared it with my friend since we wanted to try everything. She said this was better than her husbands kobe beef burger stack. I ordered the salmon pink in the middle and it came PERFECTLY cooked. I mean.. just on point. And those smashbrowns... so good. Nice and crispy and flavorful. The whole thing was delicious and very well rounded. It didn't feel heavy at all. And at first the portion looked small to me, but its quite filling. Highly recommend this.
My friend got the Chicken Fried Chicken (sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken gravy) $16~
We also shared this one. Jessica (our bartender) recommended this one. They use chicken thighs instead of breast so the meat was extra juicy and tender. The color on the batter looked dark but it wasn't overcooked. I really enjoyed the crunch on the batter. The mashed potatoes were fluffy and the gravy wasn't too heavy. I think the chicken was my favorite thing of the night. Then the salmon and smashbrowns were a close close second.
We were having such a great time and the restaurant had completely filled up. The noise level is a little high but it's energetic not overbearing. We chatted with Jessica a lot throughout the night. It was very cool sitting at the bar watching them make all the drinks too. Since it's still their training, it's like we got a behind the scenes look at the restaurant. For their first night of food service, we thought everything went really well. The service was fast, attentive, and friendly. The food was spot on, no major snafus on anything. I'd say they're ready to open!
Finally we decided to ask if they were serving dessert even though it's not on the limited menu and they said yes. They only have 2 dessert options. One is a coconut blondie, called The Lucy. The other was The Ricky (dark chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate sauces, chopped peanuts, whipped cream) $11~
Such cute names! You can guess which one we got. hehe. It was pretty freaking awesome. I was on a no sugar diet, but I cheated and had 2 bites. The brownie was super fudgy and they gave enough ice cream to brownie ratio (this is important!) We killed it pretty quickly.
What a fabulous night! I saw the executive chef, Danyele McPherson, walking around the dining room later in the night but didn't get to meet her. She seems really nice. I saw her when she competed on Top Chef and have kinda been following her movement since. She used the be the chef de cuisine at The Grape then moved to Remedy and HG Sply Co sometime in 2014. I freaking love Remedy... especially their burger. I'm very pleased to see that the burger is going to be on the menu at Standard Service.
If you haven't noticed my excitement for this new opening... I'm telling you now... They open on MONDAY! Lunch & Dinner - 7 days a week! What a great addition to Rockwall. Go check them out. :) And say hi to Jessica for me!
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Had a serious craving for BBQ a few weeks ago so my friends and I decided to go check out Ten50 BBQ in Richardson. It's right by my work so I see it all the time, but none of us have ever been. I've actually heard that it's hit or miss, most people saying it's overpriced and not that great. But it was a good middle point for everyone, so why not check it out!
Ten50 BBQ
1050 N. Central Expressway
Richardson, TX, 75080
(972) 234-1050
www.ten50bbq.com
Price: $$
The place is pretty huge. To get into the building, you have to walk through their patio seating area which is almost a restaurant on its own! Pretty cool too. Mist fans since it was still quite warm, a live band playing and outdoor bars set up. Once we walked in, we were a little confused where to order. Apparently, you have to go outside and around the corner, where you'll see the meat stations.
The lines were not so bad, which is good cuz I was starving! Initially we planned on getting several different types of meat and just sharing family style. But then we realized it's more economical to order the 2 or 3 meat combo platter individually. I think the 2 meat, 2 sides was around $12.99~ I was thinking seriously on which meats to order that I didn't take a picture of the menu. haha. So we all ended up getting the 2 meat platter.
I got the Brisket - USDA Prime (fatty) and the St. Louis Pork Ribs. Among the group, we also got to try the Sausage (mild), Chicken, and Pulled Pork.
First, the brisket... Boy was it fatty! A tad much for me, but also made it super juicy. The meat was really tender and I loved the char. My friends' briskets were slightly less fatty than mine. I trimmed off some of the fat and it was sooo good. Definitely hit the spot.
St. Louis Pork Ribs. I always love ribs and usually prefer the ones with dry rub like this. It was ok. It was tender, but I've definitely had better.
Sausage. They didn't have the jalapeno cheese available. This was good. Pretty standard.
Chicken. Or maybe it was turkey... I have no idea. hahaha. :P It was fine. I don't come to a BBQ joint to eat chicken. haha.
Pulled Pork. Pretty good. Not dry like pulled pork can be sometimes. I'd say it's my 2nd favorite after the brisket.
With each of our platters we also got to choose 2 sides each.
Coleslaw. I enjoyed this. Not made with mayonnaise and wasn't so rich.
Potato Salad. I always love potato salad. This was pretty dang good.
4 Cheese Mac n' Cheese. Not too bad. Pretty standard, so it's good. I loved the breadcrumbs on top.
Roll. The rolls are free. I really wish I had gotten more than one because it was awesome. Perfectly warm and fluffy on the inside. Paired so well with everything. I made my own stuffed roll. haha. With a bit of everything in one bite!
They also had some free condiments for you, like butter, onions, jalapenos, and pickles. The pickles also had a kick to them. Nice compliment to the BBQ.
And... we didn't know beforehand, but it was Ten50's 1 year anniversary. Happy Birthday, Ten50!! So they were giving out free Banana Puddings to all the guests. It was really good!!! Lots of banana, light, and yummy. :) Yay to free food.
Totally satisfied my craving. Not the best BBQ I've had in Dallas, but it wasn't bad either. I would go back again if I'm in the area. :) Oh.. and seems like they have a pretty good bar? Craft beers, and their mixed drinks were pretty cheap.
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Last Saturday we were heading to Plano and I suddenly remembered that we still haven't tried the new Lockhart BBQ! I totally took the opportunity and suggested that we go there for lunch. Excited!!
Lockhart Smokehouse
1026 East 15th Street
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 516-8900
http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/
Price: $$
Walking in, I saw that there was no line!! No line!! That's freaking awesome. All I keep hearing was how long they still had to wait when they went to Lockhart. Apparently we came on the best day! Later after we sat down at the bar to eat, the bartender was telling us that they were swamped on July 4th with people coming in and ordering tons of meat for their "cookouts". And so the day after, it was much calmer, but still had a steady stream of people. We hit the jackpot on this one.
We waited about 5 minutes to order. That gave us time to look over their menu which was written on a chalkboard on the wall. As we got up to the register, they ran out of beans. Good thing we weren't going to order any!
We got a half pound of Beef Brisket (fatty) $7.99~ per 1/2 pound.
I asked if they had any more burnt ends but they didn't. But it's ok. The char on the brisket was fantastic enough. So much flavor. The brisket was just fatty enough to be juicy but not too fatty. I put some on bread with some coleslaw and made a pretty epic sandwich. I've heard that their brisket can be dry but we certainly got a good batch. :)
Pork Spare Ribs $6.50~ per 1/2 pound.
We got a half pound, and it was 2 ribs. TWO. Haha, they were a good size. I was so into the brisket sandwich that I only ate 1/4 of the ribs. We took the other one to go. The ribs weren't super tender but still very good. It did have a lot of flavor though. I still liked the brisket better, which is usually my favorite meat at a BBQ joint.
Lockhart Slaw (small) $2.50~
They also had a blue cheese slaw, but neither one of us are that big of fans of blue cheese. This was yummy. And SPICY! the heat starts slow and builds up as you eat more and more. My fiancee can't really eat spicy so it was all on me!! There were little chunks of brisket in there too. And it wasn't overly dressed and soggy. Yum.
Potato Salad (small) $2.50~
The potato salad was good too. Also had chunks of brisket in there. The potatoes had a good texture. And it was creamy but not overly dressed either.
The food was great, we were having a lovely lunch, but the best thing of all was their special dessert of the day. Whiskey S'mores Bread Pudding.
We saw it on the board and had to get it. Sounded too amazing to pass up. As the girl at the register was scooping it into a container, I could already smell the chocolate. It was hot and gooey and chocolatey. So. Freaking. Good. We almost went back and got some to go but fought our temptations. haha. It was an amazing bread pudding. Probably in my top 3 of bread puddings ever. I can't say I tasted any of the whiskey but it didn't matter. haha.
We both thought the hype was legit. The food was great. And I was really impressed with the service. We sat at the bar but didn't order any drinks. The bartender was still awesome. Laid out paper towels for us, filled our water cups when it got low, and chatted with us. Very friendly and attentive. We really came on the perfect day. I bet when they get really swamped, they probably don't have the same amount of time to spend on each customer.
So 1 new BBQ place down, I dunno how many more to go. I really want to go to Pecan Lodge, everyone tells me it's even better. Some day... In the mean time, I will definitely return to Lockhart.
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Man... I've been busy lately. It's been a while since I've posted something. But that doesn't mean I haven't been eating! :P A few weeks ago I met up with some friends for dinner. They live in Flower Mound and I'm in Plano so we decided to meet in Lewisville. I came across a little cafe in downtown Lewisville that seemed pretty good.
Square One Cafe
136 W. Main St
Lewisville, Texas 75057
(972) 221-8200
http://squareonecafe.com/
Price: $
I've never been to downtown Lewisville. I might wanna check it out when it's bright out. By the time I arrived it was already dark. The cafe was pretty much empty when we got there. There was only 1 other table and they left soon after I got there. We ordered at the counter and they brought the food to our table.
The lady at the register turned out to be one of the owners. She was very nice. I took a look at the menu and wanted to try many things...
I ended up choosing a bunch of sides to make a meal since I had been doing a low gluten/sugar thing that week.
Dill Bacon Potato Salad $1.85~ (bottom) This was pretty good. A bit too much sauce though and the potato chunks should be bigger. Other than that I enjoyed it.
Squash Medley with Mushrooms $1.85~
(top left) My friend and I really liked this. It was just sauteed on the flat top
with herbs and stuff. But it had lots of flavor and the veggies were
cooked well.
Tarragon Chicken Salad
$2.31~ (top right) I asked to try a sample before getting this. They make all their
food in house. The chicken was very moist and tender and I love it when
people put tarragon in chicken salad. It had large chunks of grapes,
chicken, celery and cucumber I believe. I don't like celery but I was
able to pick most of that out. I liked the addition of cucumber. I
usually sub the celery for cucumber when making chicken salad at home.
:) The sides were a good size for the price and filled me up.
One friend ordered the Sriracha Honey Chicken (grilled chicken, sriracha honey mayo, smoked Gouda, Applewood smoked bacon, spinach, avocado) $7.16~ The
panini was really good. I had a small bite. It had lots of flavor and I
definitely got the hint of sriracha. The bread was pressed and crisped
nicely. Oh man... it was good to eat some bread after a week of not
having any. hahaha.
She also got a Tomato Basil Soup (bowl) $4.75~ The soup was not bad. It reminded me a bit like spaghetti sauce though. haha. I tend to prefer chowders personally.
My other friend got the Square One Burger (1/2 pound all natural Kobe burger, Vermont cheddar, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, spiced mustard) $8.31~ The burger was pretty hefty. The beef patty had tons of flavor and was really juicy. I also really liked the bread. It held up the patty juices well.
They also got a side of the Hand Tossed Mac and Cheese $1.85~ Pretty simple with penne pasta in melted cheese but it was good. A good little side.
It's a pretty chill cafe with some yummy food. Good for a lazy afternoon with friends or families. They closed by 8pm but the owner told us we can take all the time we needed since she was in no hurry to leave. That was nice of her. She later came over to pick up the dishes and chatted with us for a bit. Apparently they are going to open a small market across the street in the coming months. They'll offer different craft beers as well as a kitchen set up where they'll do cooking demos and classes. That sounds so much fun! And they hope to have locally sourced eggs and milk and other stuff too. I look forward to that. Definitely need to go check it out once that opens. :)
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