All posts by epicureasian

a gardening gamer girl in search of good grub
Dining, Reviews

Dallas BBQ Upset: Texas Monthly’s 2017 BBQ List

STOP PRESS! Is it that time again??

Texas Monthly published their 2017 top 50 list of best BBQ in the state. In a shocker turn of events, Dallas BBQ darling Pecan Lodge did not place in the top 10 despite producing some of the tastiest brisket I’ve ever drooled over. Instead, the only Dallas-based BBQ joint to enter the top ranks is Cattleack BBQ. If you’ve ever stumbled over my Yelp, you’ll know that I’ve nothing but love for Cattleack’s brisket and beef ribs…but I’m utterly frustrated by their short hours and even shorter run of “boutique” specials that only folks with no working life have access to.

I am happy to report that Hutchins in McKinney still ranks in the 50, even though the Frisco location tends to bring down their overall score. I also have less affection for Lockhart Smokehouse in Oak Cliff due to the inconsistent quality of their food, and ever since Will Fleischman departed the brand. Lockhart in Plano never really matched up to the south Dallas location.

An astonishing entry on the top 10 is Bodacious BBQ, which I graded poorly during a 2012 trip to the Tyler location. Bodacious is a relatively ubiquitous chain in East Texas with a long history. Apparently a recent change in management has elevated the quality of the food, placing Bodacious among the BBQ elites in the state.

A new entry in the top 50 that has piqued my interest is Top 5 BBQ in DeSoto, though a friend knew of them during their food truck days and reported that they were just okay. Even Yelp seemed to rate the DeSoto joint only average. (Highly suspicious, Mr Vaughn!)

My personal favorites The Slow Bone (Irving) and Meat U Anywhere (Grapevine) are conspicuously absent from the list (though Daniel Vaughn himself gave Slow Bone an honorable mention). I am also hoping that Post Oak Smokehouse (Irving/Las Colinas) steps up their game (their beef ribs and burnt ends are almost there) and someday make the list. Because…really, anything is better than tourist trap BBQ, right? (I’m referring to Salt Lick of course! And Hard Eight…)

I must admit I haven’t been keeping up with Texas BBQ in the last few months, focusing more on Mexican, Korean and Chinese BBQ, if you’ve followed me on Instagram. But now that summer is here and armed with a Big Green Egg, I’m ready to get my smokering back on.

Want to know more? Check out Texas Monthly’s splashy site about the Golden Age of BBQ honoring 2017’s top ten.

Furkids, Harley, Winter, Ye Olde Garden

New Backyard Garden

Started the new backyard garden bed this weekend. Want an upper body workout? Start by digging into wet clay…guaranteed to make you sore within the the first 10 minutes.

Then head over to the home improvement store and haul as many bags of garden soil your car trunk can carry (20 cubic ft in a Hyundai Sonata).

Empty about 42 cubic feet of garden soil, compost and landscapers mix into your new bed…and realize you still need more soil.

After all is said and done, watch your adorably cute furkids clown around in the yard.

Ye Olde Garden

Bloom-crazy Skullcaps

The Cherry and Violet Cloud skullcaps are announcing what spring is all about: flower power!

The Cherry (or Pink) skullcap is particularly impressive for its masses of blooms. I’m so impressed with this scutellaria. This is a second year plant and has maintained a nice, tight mounded habit since I first planted it.

The purple blooms of the Violet Cloud isn’t as plentiful as Cherry Pink, but it is still a young plant. While it seems to sprawl a bit more than the Cherry Skullcap, its purple blooms provide great color contrast with the yellows and greens in a flower garden.

I read that scutellaria can be propagated via softwood cuttings, so I’ll be taking a few samples this week to try them out.

Ye Olde Garden

Luscious Calla Purple and Cream Edition

One of my favorite purples in the colorful flower garden is the Picasso Calla lily (Zantedeschia) aka Purple Wizard, according to Daves Garden Plantfile. This clump is sitting in morning sun and gets afternoon shade in the lee of our Shantung maple, along with moderate watering.

What started out as a trio of calla lily bulbs purchased from North Haven Gardens in 2016 has grown into an impressive stand of speckled foliage and beautiful purple and cream blooms over 2′ high and wide.

As seen in the pictures, its foliage complements a variegated ginger nicely, and would certainly look good paired with other tropical plants.

My man plans to build a water feature in our backyard (as soon as he is done thinking about it), and I have in mind to add more if these Picassos to decorate it. However, it has been difficult sourcing this bulb variety at local nurseries and garden centers this year, and I see that Pacific Callas only offers this to wholesale operators, no longer the home gardener. I did spot these at Brent and Becky’s site, so I do have options.