Category Archives: Dining

Dining, Reviews

First half of December reviews

Hard Eight BBQ

688 Freeport Pkwy
Coppell, TX 75019
(972) 471-5462

Hard Eight wins the trophy when it comes to presentation. How else to woo the undecided patron but with a smoker full of barbecued meats right next to the checkout stand? On several visits, the whole chicken dipped in a lemon-herb butter sauce garnered my undying affection. Hard Eight cooks a good brisket, when one remembers to ask for a nice moist, off-the-point cut, but it doesn’t compare to Rudy’s. As with most BBQ establishments, side dishes–though plentiful–are an afterthought at Hard Eight. Their cornbread salad, while interesting, evoked the dryness of some of their meats. Their jalapeno corn lacked flavor and punch. I am definitely not a fan of their bland barbecue sauce, which tasted more like a brown gravy than anything resembling barbecue sauce. Now…if you like beans, you can stock up all you like at Hard Eight, since it comes free with every meal. Just fill up at the serving station at the other end of the dining room. Speaking of which, Hard Eight’s dining area looks comfortable and clean–with redneck appeal–more than I can say than a lot of hole-in-the-wall joints…but perhaps that’s the chain atmosphere of Hard Eight, since they have 3 locations in North Texas.

Is it the best BBQ in Texas? Not by a long shot. But it’s good enough ‘que in a suburban setting…should the need arise for you to fill your belly with smoked meats. It’s also a great venue to bring your out-of-town guests for an introductory taste of Texas BBQ.

My rating: 3.5 stars
***1/2

VIP Buffet

1927 E Belt Line Rd
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 416-0810

Located in a strip mall competing with Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mexican eateries, VIP Buffet tries to lure the ethnic crowd into its establishment with the promise of diversity and budget dining prices. This however is no guarantee of quality…but buffets usually fall short in this category. So it is with VIP buffet, large variety of dishes: some passable, others poorly executed. Just like Best Buffet, it’s best you steer clear of the chafing dishes sitting around for awhile, untouched–an obvious flag. The sushi cabinet looked unappetizing while the bizarre assortment of fried foods boggled the mind: where else would you find fried mini corn-dogs sitting next to chicken teriyaki and enchiladas? (Did I mention they have jars of salsa on the tables, next to the hot sauce and soy sauce?) On a couple of visits, the garlic crab tended to be consistently good, while the korean short ribs ended up being flavorless and disappointing. VIP Buffet also serves up dim sum on the line, typically pork buns, chicken feet, steamed spare ribs, and assorted dumplings. Again, some were good; others, not so much. But gauging a buffet’s success is the ratio between tummy satisfaction and the hit on wallet. In this case VIP Buffet is cheap and affordable, worth the trip if all you need is filler–it’s not the place for celebrations or a date.

My rating: 2.5 stars
**1/2

BBQ Tonite

2540 Old Denton Rd
Carrollton, TX 75011
(972) 466-0786

If the cuisine at BBQ Tonite is considered Pakistani, then it differs from Indian food mainly due to the lack of veggies and sharp spicing. The fiance and I went on a dining adventure at BBQ Tonite, attempting to discern the difference between Indian and Pakistani cuisine, and determined that the differences were minimal. Our Indopak experience had no curries, tended toward the mild and buttery–no sharp tantalizing flavors or odors–though represented by many familiar names: such as korma, tandoori, biryani. I personally enjoyed the goat dishes and found the beef stew extremely tender and flavorful. The tandoori chicken surprised me with its juiciness. Instead of a spicy pickle medley, they offered sliced chiles and a bizarre looking spicy condiment, which was later identified as picked mangoes. Some amazing standouts at the buffet were a mashed sweet potato (we assumed it was yams and not pumpkin) dish and their dense creamy custard flan (one of the best flans I’ve ever had).

If the flavor profiles at BBQ Tonite were a bit more daring (i.e. less home-cooking) and spicier, I think I could be persuaded to visit again…however, I’d like to try it during the week, when buffet prices should be more attractive.

My rating: 3.0 stars
***

Dining, Recipes

Thai Fried Bananas

The best fried bananas you’ll ever taste! (As long as you’re not afraid of the deep-fried part.) What gives this dessert that sweet punch is the coconut milk used in the batter, making for a nice thick and sweet crunch. If the preference is for a thinner batter, use water…though you’ll lose that distinct coconutty flavor.

1 cup rice flour
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
4 firm bananas
3 cups vegetable oil

Heat oil in deep fryer or pan over medium-high heat.

Combine rice flour, coconut milk, baking soda and sugar to form a thick batter. Bias cut the bananas about half-inch thick. Add bananas in batter and coat liberally. Carefully drop battered pieces into hot oil. Use tongs to flip pieces if not using a fryer basket. Fry until golden brown. Remove from heat and drain on towels. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or warm honey.

Dining, Recipes

Deluxe Linguine in Garlic Clam Sauce

Made one of the best linguine dishes I’ve ever made last night. The smell of garlic and butter perfumed the entire house–and the food tasted fabulous. Luckily for us, I only made 12 ounces of pasta or the fiance and I would have gorged ourselves past full.

30-40 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil (I used a canola/extra virgin olive oil pre-mix)
1 whole head of broccoli, chopped into small florets
4 oz button mushrooms, sliced
2 6.5 oz cans chopped clams, juice retained
12 oz packaged linguine
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or more, depending on your heat tolerance)
cracked black pepper
dash of salt
dash of garlic powder
shredded parmesan cheese

Boil linguine for 8-9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat up olive oil and butter in deep frying pan over medium heat. Don’t allow butter to burn. Add chopped garlic and let it infuse the oil for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Drain clams, reserving clam juice. Add clams to garlic butter mixture and heat through. Stir in clam juice, then increase heat to medium-high. Add broccoli florets and saute until tender. Add mushrooms, and season with red pepper, black pepper, salt and garlic powder. (Salt optional since I feel clam juice has enough salt in it.) Remove from heat, and add linguine and mix thoroughly, making sure that the pasta is coated. Divvy up portions for 2-3 people, lightly sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Dining, Recipes

Too much salt…

…can ruin a brisket. As I discovered when we chowed down on some moist, smoky brisket. The rub had too much salt…since I hadn’t had as much salt in the pantry in a long while. Which really wasn’t a big deal since we ended up removing the inedible rind and dug into some really good brisket.

Lessons learned: go easy on the salt and get a bigger cut of brisket next time. Bigger cuts also mean a lot more charcoal, so don’t forget to get more fuel.

Nothing like a brisket you smoked yourself.

Dining, Recipes

Smokin Saturday Brisket

Today is brisket day. While we were slowed down in getting a fire going, we finally got it down right after 2 hours of playing with the fire. The new Weber kettle is on the task for its first smoking assignment.

I had a 3.5 pound brisket that had thawed out overnight, which I then liberally coated in brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper. Sitting beneath it on the grill was a pan of apple juice.

With the cover slightly cracked to let the coals breathe…we were set for the 4 hour journey to brisket nirvana…