1300 W. Davis St., Dallas 214-943-2300
My little brother lives a few blocks from this joint in Oak Cliff and when I told him I was headed to Lockhart Smokehouse today he said he likes this place better. I had to stop and check it out since it is only a few blocks west of the Lockhart location. So happy Valentines day to me, #2!
First off this place is not your typical BBQ joint. I wandered around a bit before I found out it is a sit down waitress service restaurant, not your usual BBQ buffet joint. Once you find that out and get a menu, you can order to go from the bar, and that's what I did. When I asked for a 3 meat plate, the bar guy told me you can't order ribs on a 3 meat plate. You either get a rib plate, half rack or full rack if you want ribs. Well I wanted to try the ribs, so I got a half rack and a 2 meat plate! I skipped the sides so he upped my brisket to a full half a pound, which was nice. While I was waiting, I noticed a $2500 painting hanging on the wall for sale. Yup, Oak Cliff is yuppieville and your usual dead animal heads just won't do.
When my order arrived in a nice covered aluminum pan the barman took the top off to show me all that food. He asked if I wanted sauce (they have 3 kinds) but after a nibble on the brisket I knew it was not needed. One little bite and I had an explosion of smoke flavor in my mouth. Well alright! As tempted as I was to dive in right there, I figured it would be best to let my previous lunch settle a bit on the 30 minute drive back home. By the time I got there the cab was full of smoked meat smell. Ah, my favorite Valentines day perfume!
The meal arrived back home, still nice and hot. A couple of nibbles of brisket confirmed the first bite was no fluke. Super smoke flavor, tender and moist. Probably the best brisket I have had in DFW. My only complaint was that it was trimmed extremely lean, with only the slightest bit of fat. The ribs were a might overcooked, they had mostly separated from the bone, but they were very tender, and very juicy with a nice hint of smoke flavor. I found myself dabbing juice from my chin, just like at North Main! These were nice big spare ribs, even if they were a bit overcooked. The sausage was not your typical central texas ring, more like one twice that size and cut in half. It had the Ekrich look, but was spicier and was more moist with, again, good smoke flavor. It won't rank with Kreuz but it was not bad, either.
As much as I have crabbed about Lockhart Smokehouse charging $5.25 for a Kreuz jalapeno cheese ring (which is $1.80 in Lockhart) I have to point out that the sausage link here was $6.49! Yow! Their brisket is also priced at $7.99 per 1/2 pound vs $7.50 at Lockhart Smokehouse. However they cut you a deal on a full pound at $13.99 where Lockhart charges $15. Still pretty pricey, but it is very good brisket and not a smidgen of fat, if you love it lean. Their pork ribs are $10.99 for a half rack or $17.99 for a full rack. Total for my 2 meat plate with half a rack of ribs was about $24.50. While I paid more here, I also got a lot more meat and it was mostly better than down the street.
Now as far as I can find, there is no website for this joint just yet. There is a website for a dead place with the same name that used to be on I-30. Don't be confused by the interwebs. This place also does burgers, salads, etc., but I wouldn't bother with those when the brisket is this good. Lil' bro' done good.
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