From Texas to Beyond

Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Author: Matt (Page 5 of 5)

New Glarus Brewing Review

April 15, 2015 / / 0 Comments

One of the best things about moving and living in Chicago was the availability of New Glarus beers. During my time of working in southeast Wisconsin, all I kept hearing about was this thing called the “Spotted Cow.” Everyone in Wisconsin seemed to be so proud of New Glarus and love their beers (a gross generalization I’m sure). New Glarus seems to truly be the official beer of Wisconsin. So, of course being a craft beer lover, I had to try a New Glarus; I started with the Spotted Cow and immediately fell in love with the flavors and I tried other options and still enjoyed almost every one of their beers.Rachel at New Glarus

When Rachel planned our trip to Madison I got really excited because I hoped we would have time to stop by my new favorite brewery. When she told me we were going there, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t contain myself. The whole way there I was just looking forward to it. I didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t too sure what it was going to be like, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to get to one of my “Bucket List” breweries.

New Glarus Brewing Co. has been a pioneer in the craft beer industry and has been named one of the ten best breweries in the world on a couple of occasions. And now  I was getting to visit them!

So let’s take a look at them according to our Brewery Grading Scale.

Logistics: 3 New Glarus offers free self-guided tours Monday through Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. They also offer a “hard hat” tour that is available if you are lucky enough to get a ticket. New Glarus Brewery ExteriorThe hard hat tours are virtually impossible to do because they are only offered on Friday’s at 1 PM and there is a limit of fifteen people allowed on the tour. The benefits are that it is a three hour tour, you can go behind the scenes of both breweries (The Riverside and the Hilltop), and there is a beer and cheese pairing available. The self-guided tour is essentially walking in the hallways of the brewery and observing  the different processes through big glass walls. The hard hat tour allows you into those sections and onto the manufacturing floor.

Atmosphere: 4 Most of the people there were from around the area and fairly young. We visited the Hilltop location and upon pulling into the parking lot, I thought we were in the wrong place because it looked like a Swiss chalet. Most breweries are in an industrial park or more rugged looking, so this really turned my world upside down. Everything was new and looked to be celebrating the Swiss culture. The brewery was clean and immaculate. The gift shop was average and celebrated Wisconsin and beer; because of the way it is laid out, if there are a lot of people, the space  can get small and tight very quickly. The brewery is easy to navigate, but the best thing about the location is outside with a huge open space outdoors and “ruins” scattered about. The old looking partial buildings were well done and made you feel like you were somewhere else, except for the fact that if you look down from the hill you see the highway but that is beside the point. On a nice day, you don’t want to leave. It would be a great place to have a reception or wedding.New Glarus Brewery

Value: 2 This one is hard because of several factors: if you can do the hard hat tour, it will cost $30, but you must plan accordingly, and I do mean plan! If you just want to go hang out at a brewery and look at some tanks, you can’t beat a free tour. You won’t learn anything unless you have a friend in the business, but that is what you get for the free pricetag. There are a couple of options for actually tasting the beer. You can pay $8 and get 3 samples and a commemorative NG glass. The samples are decent size and will allow you to taste the various beer options. The other option is to pay $8 (for year round and seasonal beers OR $9.50 for fruit beers) and just get a pint of beer, but you get to keep the glass. If you do this, then refills are only $5.50 ($7.50 for fruit beer refills). I do suggest the sample route as you will get to have a wider variety of beers to try.

Beer – Taste: 4 I will not hide anything from you, I love New Glarus and am a fanboy of it. But there are some beers that they brew that are just ok for me.  If you’re there at the right time, a great seasonal beer called “Totally Naked”  is a must–it  is crisp, golden, and delicious with two variety of hops from Germany and Czech Republic.  Obviously, the “Spotted Cow” is the flagship beer of New Glarus that is cask conditioned . It sports Wisconsin malts and even a hint of corn. It does have a bit of fruitiness to it and is light and easy to drink.New Glarus Brewery Hilltop

Beer – Variety: 3 The brewery itself offers the six year-round beers, plus maybe a seasonal and a fruit beer or two. You will find something that you like but if you are looking to try a bunch of different offerings, you may be out of luck. New Glarus does a good job of cycling through beers to keep things fresh while maintaining a standard selection. Sometimes it is just hard to find the other offerings and not many, if any, are offered in the brewery. It just depends on the day you go.

Tour: 3 The self-guided tour is ok. You can see the whole operation but it really isn’t engaging or entertaining. The hard hat tour will require some planning and a lot of help. In order to get on the tour, you pretty much need to schedule it 6 months in advance (At the time of this writing, the earliest available tour is in November and December!). The hard-hat tour is worth it but the price is very steep especially for a group larger than 2. The bartenders/cashiers are really friendly and helpful if you don’t know what to get. They explain things well about the process and different options. If you are just passing by, in the area, or not really a beer enthusiast, save your money and do the free tour.New Glarus Brewing

Other Noteworthy Items: New Glarus does a great job of supporting the local community and the farmers of Wisconsin.

New Glarus is definitely worth visiting for any craft beer enthusiast. The atmosphere is great and the people are friendly. As a side note, on one occasion I was chaperoning a couple of colleagues from England, Belgium, and France and each one fell in love with Spotted Cow. They could not get enough of New Glarus and wanted to take some back. I was disappointed overall in my experience with this brewery because of the tour setup but with them being open and allowing self-guided tours almost all day, that was a huge bonus. If you are looking for a taste of Wisconsin, visit New Glarus and try a Spotted Cow.

The Ideal Brewery Visit

April 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments

One of the things that brought David and I closer together as friends was going to a local pub to try out different craft beers. It soon became a passion of ours and we both developed hobbies for beer tasting, brewing, and pint glass collecting. Once a week, several local pubs in DFW host a “pint night” where a particular brewery and beer is spotlighted that evening; not only is the beer spotlighted but patrons walk away with a free pint glass from that brewery. This eventually led to collecting pint glasses and soon our cabinets were full! The passion for craft beer even led us to planning brewery visits on vacations.

I don’t have to tell anyone how popular craft beer has become over the last five to ten years. There are a number of new breweries opening their doors each day. The thinking seems to be that if you have a passion and can make a decent homebrew, then you might as well open a brewery. The competition is fierce and the hours are long for these brewers, but for craft beer lovers, this is a great time.

During our journeys, we will be sharing with you different breweries we have visited. We will share our experience of the brewery, what we liked, what we did not like, and if it would be worth going back. In order to share with you our experience and story, we need to create a grading rubric to better describe how we felt about that brewery. In doing so, we give our opinion with the utmost humility, recognizing there will be some controversy on this subject. This is all subjective, as anything is with taste, so much like what we have done with the Tex-Mex and BBQ establishments, let me share with you the categories that are important to us and some of the reasoning behind it. We know not everyone will agree and there is even debate among the authors, but as fellow craft beer enthusiasts, this is our rationale:Brewery tour grading rubric

Logistics: “What?! Beer is not first? Are you serious?” So hang in there and let me explain. We fully admit that the taste of the beer is very important, but if you are planning to take a trip and visit a brewery, you need to keep a few things in mind. Logistics is important because you may have to do a value analysis formula on this. Let me give you an example and we will work through this category. If you are going to visit a local brewery that is 10-20 minutes away, this may not be as important, because you have been there enough and you know when the best time is to go or if tickets are required. But, if you were planning to visit a brewery in another state or it may be the only time you get to visit it, you may want to see if it is worth going to. For example, we used to live in Chicago and one of the best breweries around is about an hour and a half away. Well, they have 5 tours throughout the day but it is on a first come, first serve basis. In order to get on the tour you may have to wait in line for three hours. So let’s say you do that. You wait for three hours, enjoy their food, then goof around until your time slot. Finally, the tour begins and it lasts all of ten minutes. The tour wasn’t informative, you didn’t really get to see anything, and you didn’t get a drink out of it. Was your time worth it? Honestly, no. This is why logistics are important, namely because if you are planning to go to a new place, you don’t want to waste your time. Essentially, it is important to consider timing, pre-ordering tickets (if needed), and the crowd.

Atmosphere: “Where. Is. The. Beer?!” Patience young Skywalker! Atmosphere and the clientele can make or break a brewery. Some of these things the brewery has no control over, including the type of customer; often the brewery is just happy to have the money and the customers in their doors. So maybe it is full of college kids who are used to drinking Bud Light and can go to a brewery and drink a lot for ten dollars. Or maybe it is full of beer nerds and they are all trying to show off their knowledge by continually interrupting the guide to talk about the fermentation process or all the flavor notes in a Irish Stout. Another important factor in the atmosphere is what is the brewery like? Does it smell like a brewery? Is it in a warehouse in the city, or a barn in the country? For the beer enthusiasts, it is important to see the manufacturing process. Does the tour or brewery provide a glimpse of how the beer is made (more on this in the tour section)? Lastly, if you are a visitor to this brewery, one of the biggest irritations is having to wait in a really long or unstructured line in order to get a beer. If I am there to taste a breweries product, I really don’t want to have to wait in line for 20-30 minutes trying to fight off others just to get a potentially bad beer.

Value: “What?! Now I am really getting mad that beer taste hasn’t been mentioned!” Hold on, we are almost there. If you are going to visit a brewery, you will want to know what you are getting for your money. One of the last things you may want to do is pay $20 to visit a brewery where there are no samples, and the “tour” is absolute garbage. For value, we want to know the costs and what is included. If I am planning on a trip and trying to decide between two breweries, I want to know if my visit to that brewery will be worth it. Will I be able to see the brewery? Will I get to leave with a pint glass? How much (if any) beer samples are included in the price?

Beer – Taste: “Well it is about time!” Undoubtedly one of the most important factors in a beer. There are many breweries that we have visited with limited knowledge and walked out in love with their beers. There are also a good many whose beer we will never try again. After visiting the facility, learning about them, and tasting the beer, we have also come away with a greater appreciation for that brewery. Some important factors for the taste is: (1) Simply put, is it good? Would you drink it again or are you looking for the nearest drain to pour it into? (2) Is it easy to drink? This doesn’t mean can you chug it in 30 seconds, but is it smooth? Is it bitter? Or sour? Does it have a bad aftertaste? Even though it may be a stout, do you find yourself looking forward to the next sip? Or are you trying to just get it over with? (3) Are there any special tasting notes? If it is a pumpkin ale, can you taste the pumpkin? and (4) Would you get it again at a pub or store?

Beer – Variety: Many breweries just have their normal selection on tap which is fine if you like the normal stuff. One of the best things about visiting a brewery is not only tasting their whole line of beers, but their special brews and seasonal offerings. We also love it when breweries offer beers made in unique ways, like brewing in an old world technique.

Tour: There are many breweries that simply fail at this. The beer is great but the tour is awful or non-existent, or vice versa. A good tour is going to be educational, engaging, fun, and have a knowledgeable tour guide (hopefully a brewmaster). Other factors include the length of the tour, seeing the manufacturing/canning/bottling process, and being able to drink on the tour. The beer may stink, but if it is engaging, fun and lighthearted, you could find yourself wanting to go back because it was such an enjoyable experience.

Other Noteworthy Items: These are items that put the brewery over the top. They are those things that cannot be graded but give bonus points for just being awesome. These are the things that stand out and set the brewery apart from the rest. Think of this like a BBQ joint that lets you see the pits or serves their food on butcher paper. Or a Tex-Mex restaurant that has a tortilla factory making fresh tortillas. Some examples would be the brewery giving the spent grains to local farms, or offering beer in bio-degradable cups that will turn to dust in 3 months. Other intangibles include offering good food or food venders; one of the worst things is going to a brewery and enjoying the beers but not having any food to munch on. Some breweries in the south offer more of a family atmosphere by allowing people to bring their pets and children. They have space for games like bocce ball or corn-hole. Also, breweries that offer gluten-free beer is a major plus. Or non-alcoholic options for the designated driver/minors is always a plus. A minority of breweries brew their own root beer and colas which is a great option for those that cannot drink. All this to say that not every brewery has the time, space, or capacity to do these things, but by offering them it sets them apart from the competition.

Here is our humble attempt at trying to provide different ideas and concepts to look for when visiting a brewery. Each experience will be unique. It may depend on the time you went and who served you. But in doing this rubric, we hope to provide you the reader with quality information to see if it is worth your time, energy and money to visit a brewery.

The Taco Joint – Dallas

April 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Today I get the honor of talking to you about tacos, specifically a taco joint, literally The Taco Joint in Dallas. I grew up in a taco loving family and thankfully, I am still in a taco loving family with a wife that also makes and loves tacos. I am almost on a quest to find the best tacos around. I am an avid breakfast taco lover and Rachel has thankfully grown into one as well, not to mention she can make a mean taco. Every weekend growing up our family would have some type of breakfast tacos either from a taqueria or homemade. During the week, we probably had some type of taco night every couple of weeks, so either way, I like to think of myself as a authority on the subject.

Over the past few years these taco focused dining establishments have gained in popularity, which is great for a taco lover such as myself. So when you are going to open up a place and pretty much focus on a certain food group: (1) it better be good (2) if you are going to call it “X” joint (i.e. burger joint, pizza joint, bbq joint, etc.), not only is the confidence in your food out of control, but the food has to be better than just good, it has to be dynamite. You see, to call yourself a taco joint, or BBQ joint,  or burger joint, that speaks volumes about your establishment; it means at least 90% of the food served is just that type of food and if you are hungry for something else, good luck because you are in the wrong place. If you go to a steak place and order the chicken, then we probably need to talk (honest moment here: I go to a Tex-Mex place and order the chicken fried steak so I am a hypocrite. Admitting  is the first step I guess).

Why yes Willie Nelson, I will share a taco with you

Why yes Willie Nelson, I will share a taco with you

The Taco Joint backs up their name by serving almost entirely tacos. If it isn’t a taco, it probably comes with a tortilla or is stuffed inside a tortilla. The Taco Joint has three locations in and around Dallas but the one on Peak  near Deep Ellum is the “Original Gangsta.” But beware, they are only open until 2p M-Sa. The Lakewood and Richardson locations are open until 9 or 10p, and these locations offer breakfast all day (major bonus points!). This is especially important since The Taco Joint is known for their breakfast tacos. The Taco Joint specializes is making a darn good taco that is fresh, homemade and of good quality all at a reasonable price.The Taco Joint

Grading the Taco Joint on our Tex-Mex grading scale, let us look at the each category now (Please note, this scoring focuses  on the Peak location unless otherwise noted):

Atmosphere: 4. The Taco Joint can get extremely busy during breakfast and lunch. You order at the counter where there is generally a line, but it moves pretty fast. It is definitely family friendly but you will probably find more families at the other locations. This location mainly caters to the business workers, the college students, and the hospital staff. (The Lakewood location is more for the yuppies, so if you want to observe them in their natural habitat, check it out! ) With a packed restaurant that seats around 100 people, it can get noisy  so be prepared to ask the person with you to repeat themselves several times. You may even find yourself sharing a table with a fellow patron, but this is Texas, strike up a friendly conversation. Even though they claim to be Tex-Mex, it doesn’t feel like a normal Tex-Mex place; honestly it feels more like a place in Austin that has a cool and unique vibe to it.

Chips & Salsa: 3 The Taco Joint offers several salsas to put on your tacos or dishes. The salsa rojo was ok and had a decent texture and taste to it. It was more on the mild side for me and didn’t have much spice/heat to it. Some feel like it may have a touch of Tabasco sauce in it that can be off-putting. The tomatillo sauce was also very good and paired well with different tacos. I was surprised it didn’t have more heat to it than it did, as it was also on the mild side. For an added pleasure, they also offer jalapeno ranch. So here is the deal, if you are a traditionalist/purist, you will not put anything ranch on a taco. That is a No-No. I will allow maybe a bite or two to see what it is all about, but in general don’t ruin a good taco with ranch, even if it does have jalapeno in it; in my opinion, the jalapeno ranch salsa was good and I could see it working with some tacos, but its not for me. The Taco Joint does a great job  pairing their tacos and the salsas to enhance the flavors of them both.The chips on the other hand are too thin and often break. I didn’t find them to have much salt on them. That was a downside for me.Tacos and the Taco joint

Margarita: N/A  If you are looking for a margarita or beer option, visit the other locations. The Peak location does not offer alcohol.

Queso: 3 Those who know me, know I love queso. I am not going to lie, I am pretty critical of queso so I don’t give out 5’s that much. A lot of people seem to like The Taco Joint’s queso and they do offer a queso called “the Disaster,” which has beef, guacamole, and pico de gallo mixed in; as for me, the queso was average. I found myself wanting to give this a better score but I wasn’t in love with it. I liked the queso and found myself going back for more and more so it is addicting, but it isn’t anything special. It is more on the “thinner” side as quesos go, meaning that it isn’t a thick, coagulated glob of cheese that you can plaster a wall with, but it isn’t thin like a salsa. I don’t have a big problem with a “runnier” queso, but some like theirs thicker.  As long as it sticks to the chip and coats it, that is all i need. The taste was decent. It had a lot of tomatoes and pepper and the spice level was pretty mild. It does cost about $5, but you get a healthy portion and is great for sharing. I would probably get it again but I would rather use the $5 to get an extra taco or two.

Chorizo, Egg, Potato tacoTacos: 4 Finally, the good stuff! The fried fish fritter taco is very good–it is fish, cabbage, and a tortilla, so there isn’t much too it, but it paired with a nice creamy salsa. I was a little surprised the salsa is not with the rest of the filling, but this does allow for portion control; be sure to add enough of the salsa, otherwise the taste is somewhat dry.  The spicy fried chicken tacos are also a delicious joy; it does  offer a bit of spice but it isn’t so overpowering that  you find yourself drinking extra to cover the spice. The chicken is well-fried yet still juicy. The taco itself is served dry but paired with the same creamy sauce as the fish, so use accordingly. The spicy pork taco was absolutely wonderful. The pork was juicy, tender, and well seasoned; it had definitely been slow roasted. The taco is served with pico and jack cheese. It pairs well with the tomatillo salsa but I don’t think a sauce/salsa is needed. I also had a chorizo taco with potato and egg  and this brought back so many good memories for me (this is my favorite combo and always recommend it).  The chorizo was fantastic and just like it should be: with some spice, and runny with all those juices and fat (you know, those juices that just go all over your hands and mouth and find their way onto your clothes, perfect!).  If you can get their chorizo, try it, as it will speak well of The Taco Joint.  Overall, the meat may not be as seasoned as one would like, but with the addition of the sauce/salsa the flavors really come through; be warned that you are not going to find a ton of ingredients in these tacos, The Taco Joint is really all about letting the taco, the meat, and other ingredients speak for themselves.Spicy Pork taco

Enchiladas: N/A The Taco Joint offers them, but this is a taco place, get the tacos.

Service: 5 Those taking the orders and the staff were very nice and helpful. I have had good experiences even when they have been busy. The kitchen does a great job of getting the orders out as fast as possible.

Other notable items: They do offer traditional Tex-Mex dishes like migas or chilaquiles, which are good options if for some reason you don’t want a taco. The migas are even offered in taco format which is preferable. The Peak location offers several specials throughout the week, but one special to definitely try is the picoso burrito on Mondays. Parking at this location is especially difficult, so good luck finding a spot, but many patrons park along the street (parking is not an issue at the Lakewood location). There are multiple vegetarian (including the re-fried beans) and gluten free options so major bonus points for those with different dietary concerns. The prices are average for a taco place nowadays; generally I’d say it is less expensive ($3-5/taco) and while there are not as many menu options, it is a wonderful alternative and you get a really good taco. I like the menu, some may say it is simple with not many options, but to me they are trying to focus on doing things right; in my opinion they just make good tacos and provide great service.

Buon Giorno Coffeehouse and roastery

Buon Giorno Coffeehouse and Roastery

April 1, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Close to downtown Fort Worth is a wonderful coffee shop that is brewing up legit freshly roasted coffee. Buon Giorno coffee is a local coffeehouse and roaster that started in Grapevine in 2006 and later opened up a location in Fort Worth. Buon Giorno specializes is offering locals a taste of a European coffeehouse. This means not only roasting and serving coffee in a more traditional European, particularly Italian style, but offering a place  where the community can gather.

Buon Giorno specializes in two classic forms of coffee, Espresso and the French Press. They do also offer a variety of coffees that have been brewed using the slow drip method for those in a rush. If you are looking for a place to hangout , or meet someone, take a date, hear some live music, or use as an office, then Buon Giorno offers this setting.

Now on to the my analysis of the drinks. I try to grade a coffee house by selecting certain controls, aka wonderful coffee drinks; this includes a macchiato, cappuccino, and a typically a pour-over.  For Buon Giorno, we will look only at the cappuccino and macchiato as well as the atmosphere and a couple other notable mentions.macchiato

Macchiato: 4 (out of 5) – This reminded me of my time in Italy with David. It was very good and true to the style of Espresso you would find in Italy. It was bold and fairly strong, yet smooth. It was not so bold that it caused me to make a strong coffee face, but it was assertive. Even so, it was easy to drink and was full of flavor. The smokiness of the roasting process seemed to be prominent, yet it did not make you feel like you were drinking liquid smoke. It had rich flavors with a slight hint of chocolate. It also had an earthiness to it.  There was some nice bitterness that was associated with it. Overall, a very good and traditional taste.

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Bodacious BBQ – Arlington

March 25, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Today you’ll hear from both Rachel and myself as we review Bodacious BBQ in Arlington, TX.

The setting of this little restaurant in a rather industrial part of Arlington seems at first…strange. Like an unexpected oasis. The smell of smoke is very faint as you exit your vehicle, but really grabs you as you walk into the door. Overall, a pretty decent place to grab a plate of BBQ and one that we would visit again.

I must be honest. I was a little concerned about going to get BBQ at a place called “Bodacious.” I kept thinking of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or some wrestler from the 80’s. I didn’t know what to expect. I ended up “Google”-ing Bodacious BBQ thinking, “How many Bodacious BBQ’s can there be?” WOW! Was I wrong! It is apparently a very popular name for a BBQ establishment. In usual BBQ style, there are many claiming they are the original and not to be copied. I guess we would have to see if Bodacious was going to be “rad” or “gnarly” or just sad. In spite of the name, I was pleasantly surprised.

BodaciousBBQAtmosphere: 3 Rachel: This must be a popular place for lunch, because it was very quiet for dinner. Upon entering the building you turn directly to the left and head to the counter to order your food from a cafeteria style setup–trays and everything! From wagon wheel chandeliers to old license plates and antiques hanging from the walls, the decor feels randomly put together. Like most BBQ restaurants, they aren’t as concerned about the environment as they are the food.

Matt: Side comment: The atmosphere explained above does seem to be a “normal” part of BBQ establishments that are not in a rural area. These city BBQ joints all seem to have random “antiques” on the wood walls. I guess they are trying to make up for the fact you don’t pass by a pit, or the floor isn’t dirt. Somehow, BBQ equates not only to delicious meat, but random objects thrown on the walls that were going to otherwise be thrown out but someone said, “Hey that would look good in a BBQ restaurant!”The flipside is, because this is the “norm,” if you go to a place that is elegant and claims it is BBQ, run away…fast! It is a deceitful trick all to charge you more because it is “upscale.” Good BBQ joint equals pit. If no pit, then there needs to be old junk on the wall. If no pit or junk, just say no. If not, you might as well throw your wallet into the nearest pond.

Brisket: 3 Rachel: I’m a huge fan of brisket. I almost always accidentally end up ordering chopped, but because I was being guided by peers, I managed to get sliced. The brisket didn’t have a rub, it seemed like the intent was to let the flavor of the smoky meat shine through. Unfortunately, the pieces I had were a little dry and lean, so not as much flavor; however the meat did pair really well with the sauce.

Matt: The point of this brisket was to showoff the meat and the smoking technique. It lacked flavor for me on its own. It didn’t really seem to be seasoned. It was very lean which did at times seem to make it dry. Yet, it was still tender as it would almost fall apart when trying to pick it up from the plate. The brisket paired very well with the sauce which brought it all together for a very good bite. Also, one thing to look for in brisket is the smoke ring and bark. There was not much of a bark, if any, and the same for the smoke ring, it was barely there. Good brisket will have a very nice smoke ring about .25 to .5 inch smoke ring.

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Sausage

Sausage: 3 Rachel: My go-to choice is usually brisket first and sausage second for judging BBQ restaurants, so I like to think that I know a thing or two. Well, unfortunately, the sausage here wasn’t especially noteworthy except to say it was spicy which I was not anticipating. The texture wasn’t very coarse ground, but it did seem hand-made.

Matt: The sausage left me unsatisfied. It had some nice spice to it and went very well with the sauce. I like a little “kick” in my sausage, so I was happy with the spicy notes. The texture was very “smooth” and not coarse. It reminded me of a mass produced sausage link you could buy in the store. While there is not anything wrong with it, as that has its time and place, I just don’t expect it at a BBQ joint, let alone a Texas BBQ joint.

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Pork Ribs

Ribs: 3 Matt: I love ribs. These pork ribs were decent (Note: Only pork ribs are offered. Bodacious does not serve beef ribs). They were not fall off the bone but still very tender. One thing that I really enjoyed about them was the “juiciness” of them. They were moist and had a decent bark to them. The rub was good, although I found it had a touch of sweetness to it, like they included brown sugar. Not complaining, just an interesting flavor note.They were good, but not memorable. The ribs also paired very well with the sauce.

Sauce: 4 Rachel: The sauce at Bodacious was honestly pretty good. It is served warm by the bowl full, so we gathered that it a pretty important condiment to the success of the establishment. The wonderful thing about the sauce–it paired SO well with everything we tasted. That is a complete win!

Matt: The sauce was very good. It seemed like Bodacious smoked and made their meats just for the purpose of showing off the sauce. The spices in the sauce made the meats come alive and brought out new flavors that were not previously there. It did seem like it was heavy on the vinegar, yet there are these notes of sweet that contrasted the vinegar and spices. The color was a deep red which as was previously noted in our rubric, is very important!

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Potato Salad & Beans

Sides: 5 Rachel: The standard and favorite sides at Bodacious are beans and potato salad. The beans were by far my favorite part. At first, it looked like we were only getting pinto beans in a slightly watery sauce. Lo and behold, I was so surprised to find the flavor of the beans was incredible–they were smoky, salty, slightly vinegary, and had a kick to them. If you enjoy really sweet beans or a lot of the “sauce” that they are soaked in, these are not the beans for you. The potato salad was equally as good–one of our other authors said that it tasted “like momma’s recipe”! The potato salad is definitely mayonnaise based, with very little or no mustard, so keep that in mind. Otherwise, there are hints of salt, celery seed, black pepper, and a slight touch of vinegar. Delicious!

Matt: I have my own thought on those beans in the sauce (aka “Ranch Style beans”) but I will save that for a different time. But, back to Bodacious. Honestly, I am not a fan of beans. For some reason, people love beans and BBQ. Personally, that is a recipe for disaster and I might as well kiss my wife and kid bye for a while since I will be in the bathroom (TMI, I know). Beans are not my go to side, but for many they are. These were actually very good and tasty! They have a very nice spice to them. It is almost immediate and it is not understated at all. It is the “Texas style” of an in your face kick. It is like saying, “Hey, I know I am a bean, but who cares because I am about to judo chop you in the palette with this taste of pepper! So back off!” The spice mixture that Bodacious used is fantastic and it can even be bought if you would like make your own Bodacious beans. As for the potato salad, this is one of my go-to’s. I am a potato salad fiend. I ask Rachel to make it as much as possible but I think she is wise to my shenanigans. Bodacious’ potato salad is not about the mustard base. (Another great debate about should potato salad have a mustard base or not. Even the authors of “From Texas to Beyond” do not agree). The potatoes were well cooked and well seasoned. It was mainly mayo, salt, pepper, celery seed, and pimentos. I thought it was good. It reminded some of home or like moms. Even though it wasn’t mustard base, it was good. I tend to prefer the one with mustard and really enjoy the one mentioned in the previous post.

Service: 5 Rachel: The two ladies working at Bodacious were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Your only real interaction with them is upon ordering and walking down the “line”. We told them we were first-timers and asked what the top choices were–they were informed, and so helpful as we navigated the restaurant. Huge bonus that one of the authors needed to charge his cell phone and they gladly offered to do that for us while we enjoyed our meal! That is service!

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Brisket at Bodacious BBQ

Other things to note: Bodacious is BYOB for those interested. They do meet the requirement of offering cheap white bread, but they also offer a toasted buns instead which is great. They do offer desserts in the form of the popular banana pudding and pecan pie. The price is average for BBQ, although they could be considered on the higher side of the average.

Bodacious doesn’t look like much on the outside which is fine with me, I love dives. The service and sides were phenomenal. The meat was just okay and on its own, lacked flavor. The sauce complemented the meat so well and brought good flavor notes.  The atmosphere was fine with its old signs and knick-knacks. From Texas to Beyond would go back to enjoy some good BBQ.

For a complete guide to the perfect Texas Barbeque experience, refer to From Texas to Beyond’s Ideal Barbeque Pit.

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