JOINTS: HG Sply Co.

The parents of the GF are in town this week, and yesterday's lunch didn't sit well with any of us.  I'll review that place sometime in the future, but with everyone not feeling that great at dinnertime, we wanted something that was good but simple fare.  As GF said to me, "Dad just wants some cooked chicken breast or something."  I was in the mood for something a little bit more...GRAND (hint...Hibiscus)... but I figured that eating healthy and not gorging ourselves on food was a good idea too.  And that's when HG Sply Co. popped into my head. 

Thanks CentralTrak for letting me use this photo...I like it!

I went here a few months ago with some friends, and was pleasantly surprised.  While I wasn't a big fan of the clientele or the kinda snooty atmosphere of the place, I'm not going to lie...the food was GOOD.  I'm not a follower of any sort of diet (obviously), but I might be able to get into this paleo thing.  I can eat as much meat as I want?  Sign me up.

We started off with a ginger hummus that came with vegetables, fruit, and BACON!  It was delicious, especially with the bacon and the green apple slices.  Last time I went, I got the Local Stirfry, which is just what it sounds like...stirfry with steak & broccoli with bacon, mushrooms, and some other nom noms.  The GF got that this time, and I kept reaching over and stealing little bites.  GF's step-mom got the Tex Mex, which looked awesome, and her dad got a simple bowl with chicken, quinoa pilaf, and seasonal vegetables.  Even that looked good!

But I wanted steak, and I was not going to be denied.  I got the delmonico, which was coffee crusted, with brussel sprouts and a farm egg.  I couldn't taste the coffee in the steak, but it was a good piece of meat.  The brussel sprouts were amazing, but I could have done without the egg.  I cut it open and let it drip all around everything, and it made it taste weird.  Live and learn, I suppose. 

The meal was exactly what we needed...not too much so that we were stuffed, but I feel very satiated after the meal.  I don't think I'll become a paleo convert, but this place is a good restaurant if you want to try some good healthy food that will fill you up.  This chubby kid was very pleased.

HG SPLY CO. 
2008 Greenville Ave 
Dallas TX 75206
(469) 334-0896

And now, a word from our blogger....

Sorry for not having updated in...let's see...ALMOST 2 YEARS!  THAT'S INSANE!!!  

Anyway, life has kinda gotten in the way of doing stuff like blogging or thinking about blogging...or even remembering that I have a food blog.  But, I'm going to try and be a bit more diligent about posting on here in the future, especially since there's so many news places that have opened up around town.  I'm going to put down a couple of reviews today, and hopefully I'll be back soon to do some more. 

Sincerely,

Chubby Kid

CRAFT BEER WEEK at Vickery Park

As much as I like food, I do have another mistress...which is beer.  I mentioned that I went to the Big Texas Beer Fest the other day, but I also want to mention that Craft Beer Week is happening at Vickery Park right now.  They're going to have rotating taps of select craft beers, mostly from Texas & the DFW area, all week long.  I also heard they might have some people showing up to talk about said beers too.  So, mosey your ass on down there, and if you get the GF as your waitress, make sure you tip her really well...she's one of the people who makes this blog happen.

JOINTS: Pecan Lodge

Not my picture...sorry, I didn't think to get the sign

If you've ever spent any time on this page, then you know that I'm a BBQ aficionado...I'm proud to say I've eaten at Smitty's, Kreuz's, and City Market BBQ...and I've been able to partake of Franklin's (which is considered by most to be THE BEST BARBEQUE IN AMERICA).  That being said, the GF had heard that Pecan Lodge in the Dallas Farmer's Market had the best fried chicken in town, and being the anal foodie that I am, I also knew that Pecan Lodge was more famous for having really good DFW barbeque.  After trying to go there on Friday during my lunch break (not happening) we decided to go back on Saturday and get our grub on.

Luckily, the line wasn't as bad on Saturday at 1pm that it was on Friday at 12pm, so we waited our turn and each ordered what we wanted...she got the fried chicken plate and I got the 2 meat plate, with a sausage link thrown on there for good measure.  The 2 meats were brisket & ribs, the staple of any good BBQ place, and we sat down and waited for our food.

If you're into BBQ like I am, you know that good food comes to those that wait, and you'll be waiting at Pecan Lodge, though the wait-time isn't anything like it is for Franklin's.  After about 30 minutes, our name was called, and we tucked into our food.

A couple of slices of Mrs. Baird's would have made it perfect

The first items I tried were my ribs, which were meaty and really good.  The meat came off the bone very easily and whatever sort of rub or sauce they have on them was really good and spicy.  Excited by what I had just experienced, I tucked into the brisket.  It had an okay smoke ring and a good flavor, and the thing I liked about was how salty it was.  I didn't realize it until the next day when I heated up my leftovers, but the brisket had a good salty taste to it, but at the time was moist and flavorful. I wouldn't put it against the big boys, but if this place was in Luling or Lockhart, I wouldn't be surprised.

The sausage was ok, a little too dense and gamey for me, and the sauce was a travesty.  Seriously, if I had one major complaint, then it would be about the BBQ sauce.  It tasted more like spicy ketchup than any semblance of BBQ sauce.  I'd rather they had just slapped some KC's Masterpiece on the plate, that's how bad it was.

My choice of fried okra was a bad one, but that was a suggestion by the GF.  What I really wanted was their famous mac & cheese, which she got, and which was DELICIOUS.  But it didn't hold a candle to what she was enjoying as her meal.

Prepare to have your fried chicken mind BLOWN

To say that this might have been the BEST fried chicken I've ever had would be an understatement...this was the BEST fried chicken that ANYONE has ever had.  I didn't think fried chicken could taste that way...the skin was crisp and spicy, but the chicken was moist and delicious and had that taste of home-cooking.  You're going to have to wait extra when you order the chicken, but it's totally worth it.  As much as I love Babe's Chicken House and their endless line of rolls & sides, this chicken kicked Babe's ass.

To sum up, I totally agree with the Dallas Observer by giving this place the award of "Best BBQ in Dallas" but as I've said before, that's not saying much.  For being a place that is such a pioneer of corporate BBQ, we have some really terrible BBQ places here.  Pecan Lodge is the first place I've eaten at that really seems to get it right.

Pecan Lodge
Dallas Farmers Market, Shed 2
1010 S. Pearl Expy.
Dallas, Texas 75201
214-748-8900 

BTW, the cookie was really good too...it had PRETZELS in it!!!

Street Food Wednesdays

I was going to write a post blasting the new event Street Food Wednesdays, where a bunch of food trucks park behind Crate & Barrel on Knox-Henderson and serve food, mostly because I went up there today and everyone was either closed or closing up. 

I checked online at their Facebook page, and sure enough, the times said from 5pm to 9pm, which really pissed me off.  But then I looked at the flyer that they have on their page, and the times are 5pm to 8pm.  Which then made me feel first foolish, then regretful.

Needless to say, next week I'll definitely be there between 5pm and 8pm, instead of going to the gym and thinking I could pick something up afterwards. 

This is a boring blog post...sorry.  They can't all be winners.

NOM NOMS : I ♥ New York at Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Food Truck

So good, you forget it came off a truck

I've been a big fan of the recent wave of gourmet food trucks that have invaded Dallas recently, and one of my favorites is Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen.  And my favorite sandwich (which I discovered on accident), is the I ♥ New York, a corned beef & pastrami sandwich with Swiss cheese, and either Russian dressing or spicy mustard on a piece of delicious marble rye bread.

Any sammich that soaks thru the paper is a good sammich

I say I discovered it on accident, because one night, while I was getting a sandwich at Gandolfo's, another customer took the one I ordered and the guys at the truck ended up giving me his (plus some chips & a cookie...they felt bad about the mix up and those are some great guys at Gandolfo's).  While I'm sure my roast beef was delicious, it didn't hold a candle to the mounds and mounds of corned beef and pastrami that I discovered as soon as I opened the butcher paper.  And like that, I was aware of one of my FAVORITE SANDWICHES OF ALL TIME.  I know, I know...bold statement, but it's true.

If you're a fan of good deli sandwiches, you could do worse than ordering from the Gandolfo's truck.  I haven't had a bad sandwich from there yet, and the I ♥ New York is a better sandwich than it's counterpart at Deli News.  The meat is supple and juicy, and the Russian dressing is, in my opinion and also that of my GF's, better on the sandwich than the spicy mustard.  However, a warning...this is a messy sandwich.  I've never been able to eat it without getting meat juices and dressing all over my fingers, which I then eagerly licked clean.

You can usually find the Gandolfo's truck in the Arts District or in Uptown, but check out their Twitter or Facebook to be sure of where they are.  The guys on the truck are good peeps too...I've gotten shout outs back from them on Twitter before.  And if anyone asks me, I always tout the greatness that is Gandolfo's.

**UPDATE** :  I forgot to mention, sometimes they're parked in front of Primo's on McKinney late at night for all your late night deli sandwich needs.  Genius.

JOINTS: Off Site Kitchen

***NONE OF THESE PICTURES ARE MINE.  I STOLE THEM OFF THE INTERNET***

Any place that has this sign out front has got to be good

For the past few weeks, a couple of friends of mine have been talking about Off Site Kitchen, the new place from Nick Badovinus (who opened up the Neighborhood Services restaurants).  From what I've read, Off Site Kitchen is the place where all the meat and fish that's headed to the NS restaurants is taken and prepared before it's sent on.  And just because he's an awesome chef, Badovinus decided to open up a little food shack out front and give people "light industrial food," or in other words, "what line cooks eat."

I was supposed to meet a friend, but instead decided to go it alone, so I didn't have someone else yammering in my ear about how good it was...I wanted to have an unbiased mind.  First off, the location is on the far west side of the Design District...near the Trinity River at the corner of Wycliff & Irving Blvd.  At first I coudn't find it, because the only sign announcing it's presence is the metal one shown above that just says "EAT".  I should have realized where it was with the mass of cars parked in the tiny parking lot and the line of people standing outside the door.  I walked up, took a menu from the lovely waitress, and perused the items.

After talking with my friends, I knew that I was going to get the Crispy Sloppy Taco, a large taco shell filled with sloppy joe meat, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.  And I heard good things about their burgers...

...I must digress at this point, and change the subject of the conversation for the moment.  There's been a lot of talk about how great of a burger town Dallas is, and I'm one of those people that champion it as the mecca of Burger-dom.  But a recent conversation with my GF resulted in my understanding that a burger is a burger is a burger.  There isn't much difference between the burger you get at Whataburger and the one you get at Twisted Root...the only difference is the condiments.  I can't see how the ground beef is any different at one restaurant than it is at another...it's GROUND BEEF.  In other words, I'm a bit of a burger snob.  For me to classify a burger as A REALLY GOOD BURGER it's gotta blow my socks off...and usually that's done by changing something with the bun, or whatever junk you put on top of it.  There endeth the sermon...

I walked into the former chicken shack and instantly fell in love with the decor.  If I had a wood paneled man cave in the early 1980s, it would look like Off Site Kitchen.  Posters & pictures adorn the walls along with beer signs & cow heads.  The menu on the back wall looks like one that you'd find at an old butcher shop 30 years ago, and classic rock was blaring through the speakers.

If you're claustrophobic, you might just want to get a friend to go in and pick up your order, because the inside is SMALL...and with that many people trying to get at this delicious food, there were a few times that my personal space was invaded in an uncomfortable way.  But the line moved fairly quickly and the lady behind the counter was efficient.

One of the great things about OSK is the old fashioned juice dispensers at the front.  The best thing to do is grab a Styrofoam cup, fill it up with ice, find your favorite flavor (Hawaiian punch & Gatorade lost out to Lemonade for me) and sip on your beverage while waiting to place your order.  Don't be like the lady in front of me that was doing her best MC Hammer impression, back and forth between the counter and the drink bar.  Can't touch this.

I ordered my food and headed outside and sat down at one of the many picnic tables they have.  I liked the planters they had on the table...small delicate flowers resting inside old Army ammo tins.  That's a great metaphor for this place...the food is classy and refined, but it's made for the working man.

My food came out fairly quickly considering the line, and I was aghast at the burger in front of me.  The Double Delux is two meat patties covered with melted cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomatoes.  There was no way I could stick this thing in my mouth.  I picked it up out of the meat juices it was sitting in (not a big fan of that...my bun got all soggy) and started eating it like a lion attacks a gazelle.

The burger was a tasty burger, but like I said above, it tasted how a good burger should taste.  The ingredients were fresh, the meat was cooked throughout and was tender, but I could do the exact same thing on my grill at my apartment.  Looking over the menu and reading other reviews, I really should have tried one of the sandwiches, which the place is really known for.  The taco was as good as I was told, and the more I bit into it, the more I enjoyed it.  One thing, though...it's a BIG taco, so make sure you have room to eat it.  I was miserable after everything I ate this afternoon.

The real treat was the small pecan pie that I took home and enjoyed later at work.  Wow.  That thing was fantastic, though I don't know if it was $2.95 fantastic.  If it was bigger, sure, but it was smaller than my palm.

All in all, it was a fantastic lunch, and I'm looking forward to going back again.  Maybe tomorrow.

Off Site Kitchen
2226 Irving Blvd.  
Dallas, TX 75207
214-741-2226