Some times when the food gods are generous and the stars and planets converge into harmonious alignment, a regular meal at a restaurant evolves into  extraordinary eats. For example, last week’s visit at Hard Eight BBQ produced an unforgettable $19.95 ribeye dinner–perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled and mouthwateringly good! The accompanying grilled onions and jalapeno elevated the dinner to sublime levels, and they finally got the recipe for sweet creamed corn correct. Our previous ribeye dinner at Hard Eight was less than stellar, overcooked after a long trip around the dining room on a hot plate…but Hard Eight redeemed itself in our next visit. Also not to be upstaged, Big Al’s Smokehouse on Inwood in Dallas is still the best BBQ restaurant in town to find beef ribs served right, outside of a Brazilian steakhouse. We visited their new digs this weekend and indulged on 1.5 pounds of freshly smoked ribs. Any BBQ joint that leaves you smelling of smoke hours later is as authentic as they come.