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Posted

Found myself in Spring Branch around lunchtime yesterday, (a Friday) and hit up Fege’s for the first time. 

There was no line at all, but about half the tables were occupied. 

I’m an old, so just had a sliced beef sandwich. Smallish bun, (about halfway between a slider and a Whataburger), with one thick slice of brisket, (halved) on board and fries. (No potato salad? WTF?)

The brisket was excellent. I tried all four of the table sauces. They were all ok but ultimately superfluous.

The fries were great as well.

It was infinitely better than my one visit to the Memorial Pit Room location though it lacked PR’s extensive condiments bar.

The Friday Lent special was Shrimp and Grits.  It looked pretty good but not what I was there for.  I will definitely be back.

Surly BBQ Mafia’s MMV.

 

 

 

 

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Posted (edited)
51 minutes ago, HRSchenker said:

Mike Thomas at 4T's in Forney is retiring at the end of May. Is there any other joints in DFW that primarily use hickory like he does?

Not sure on the hickory question, but I definitely was pretty underwhelmed with the place when I tried while traveling back to east Texas from DFW.  Maybe I just caught an off-day.  Best to him in retirement.  Don't mean to be a dick.  But I'm kind of a dick.

 

Edit to add that Stanley's in Tyler uses pecan, which is in the hickory family.

Edited by dcbc
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Posted
2 hours ago, dcbc said:

Not sure on the hickory question, but I definitely was pretty underwhelmed with the place when I tried while traveling back to east Texas from DFW.  Maybe I just caught an off-day.  Best to him in retirement.  Don't mean to be a dick.  But I'm kind of a dick.

 

Edit to add that Stanley's in Tyler uses pecan, which is in the hickory family.

I was underwhelmed with 4-T's as well, but that was back in 2017 when they made the TM Top 50.

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Posted

Stopped by BBQ Fiends in Hutto for lunch today.  One person in line at Noon and a few others eating on the picnic tables.   No pics because I got it to go. 

Moist brisket, pork ribs, turkey, chorizoqueso sausage, elotes and charro beans.   Brisket was perfectly cooked with a great bark. Ribs had good flavor although they were a bit over cooked. Turkey was tender and moist.  Beans were alright but tasted more like ranch style than charro.  Elotes were good.   Saved the sausage for later. 

Grabbed a amber ale at the on-site brewery for the wife.  It was a great day to eat some barbecue outside on a high cliff above Brushy Creek.  Nepalese festival across the creek at the park - they have shitty music. 

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Posted

Looks like Green Mesquite nearly closed.

I haven't eaten there is years but I remember being underwhelmed with GM back when you had to drive to Taylor or Lockhart for decent bbq.

Don't they actually use green mesquite to cook with?  Just sounds nasty.

I wouldn't mind going just for the nostalgia.  Is anything on the menu decent?

Quote


AUSTIN, Texas — As the restaurant scene continues to see changes on Barton Springs Road, a longtime Austin eatery is working to stay afloat.

Green Mesquite BBQ, a neighborhood favorite for nearly 40 years, is getting a second chance following a temporary closure.

Co-owner Rick Garcia, who has worked at the restaurant for more than 20 years, told KVUE it has struggled to recover from the pandemic and inflation has been making it even harder to stay open.


Last week, Garcia said Green Mesquite BBQ faced permanent closure when they were locked out of their building for four days due to unpaid rent. That was until employees came together to cover the balance, ensuring the restaurant could continue operating.  

“This place means a lot to all of us,” Garcia said. “And it took no hesitation at all to throw some money into the restaurant to be able to keep on going."

Determined to preserve Green Mesquite’s legacy, Garcia hopes to bring back live music and enhance the menu.

This comes as the Barton Springs restaurant scene has undergone changes in recent years, with many long-standing establishments closing their doors. 

Once-home to local favorites like Baby A’s and Shady Grove, Barton Springs Road now looks much different, with businesses continuing to disappear. The most recent announcement came from Austin neighborhood grocery store Thom's Market, which announced Tuesday it is closing its doors for good on April 20. 

Despite the changes, Austinites said preserving these local establishments are key to maintaining the city’s unique character.  

“You need to have the, the history and appreciate it and still get to see it and smell it and taste it,” Will Longenecker. “Or Austin will just be like any other big city."


 

 

Posted
58 minutes ago, Ten Bears said:

Looks like Green Mesquite nearly closed.

I haven't eaten there is years but I remember being underwhelmed with GM back when you had to drive to Taylor or Lockhart for decent bbq.

Don't they actually use green mesquite to cook with?  Just sounds nasty.

I wouldn't mind going just for the nostalgia.  Is anything on the menu decent?

 

Covid and inflation are responsible, and not the shitty bbq? I guess that's a take. 

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Posted

A couple of days after Stiles Switch, took a group to KG BBQ.  Largest bill I have picked up for BBQ.   No pics of the sides. 
 

if you have not tried KG, go once and try if in the Austin area.  
 


 

 

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Posted
45 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Not BBQ, but their chicken fried steak didn't suck, at least 20 years ago.

It's still decent, at best.  If I have a CFS hankerin', I'll go to Shoal Creek Saloon over Green Mesquite.

As far as the employees buying the place, that's the stupidest fucking thing ever.  How do they not know they have shitty food?  How do they not know they don't have enough people coming through the doors to make enough money to keep it open? 

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Posted
12 minutes ago, Mittens said:

It's still decent, at best.  If I have a CFS hankerin', I'll go to Shoal Creek Saloon over Green Mesquite.

As far as the employees buying the place, that's the stupidest fucking thing ever.  How do they not know they have shitty food?  How do they not know they don't have enough people coming through the doors to make enough money to keep it open? 

They assume the owners are making a killing and just not paying them.

Posted
On 4/12/2025 at 11:22 PM, Texzilla58 said:

Hickory is the perfect wood for smoking. It is the primary wood in OG barbecue.  Pork bbq culture is highly dependent on it.

Hickory is fine.  It burns pretty consistently like oak does.  But the flavor is definitely more distinct.  I like it, but it's one of those flavors I can pick out really easily compared to other woods.  I prefer pecan.  It's more subtle (almost sweet).  But it burns a little more quickly than hickory or oak.  So unless you have a lot of it and can get it at a reasonable price, it's less economical.

Posted

Hickory and pecan are closely related and I like both of them for pork and fowl.

For beef nothing beats oak.  

I will direct grill over mesquite but the only way I'll BBQ with it, is if it's been burned down to coals beforehand.  The absolute best BBQ I've ever had, was on a scout trip to Mexico where we were staying on the grounds of a massive hacienda belonging to a major benefactor to Boy Scouts of Mexico.  One afternoon we dug two trenches, burned mesquite down to coals in one, shoveled them over to the other, where we were roasting several whole goat kid on spits.  That was the most unbelievable cabrito I've ever tasted.

 

 

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Posted
1 hour ago, utee94 said:

Hickory and pecan are closely related and I like both of them for pork and fowl.

For beef nothing beats oak.  

I will direct grill over mesquite but the only way I'll BBQ with it, is if it's been burned down to coals beforehand.  The absolute best BBQ I've ever had, was on a scout trip to Mexico where we were staying on the grounds of a massive hacienda belonging to a major benefactor to Boy Scouts of Mexico.  One afternoon we dug two trenches, burned mesquite down to coals in one, shoveled them over to the other, where we were roasting several whole goat kid on spits.  That was the most unbelievable cabrito I've ever tasted.

I've had more terrible mesquite smoked barbecue than good.  Valentina's was an exception.

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Posted
3 hours ago, bborange said:

I would get them again. Will try other flavors as well.   

SS wings are legit.  I wish I could source the large wings that they use.  I usually get buffalo, but have tried others. 

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Posted
SS wings are legit.  I wish I could source the large wings that they use.  I usually get buffalo, but have tried others. 

I’ve found that the raw frozen HCF wings at HEB are the biggest ones around generally. I think I’ve ended up with as few as 12 wings in a bag.

These ones:
9387ca684a7710a5e43036c2a220dd03.jpg


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Posted
On 4/14/2025 at 11:25 AM, bborange said:

Hit up Stiles Switch one evening for a business meeting.   Never tried their wings, so grabbed a dozen. 
 

 

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My take on Stiles Switch- they may not be great at anything, but theyre really good at everything 

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Posted
1 hour ago, statsman said:

My take on Stiles Switch- they may not be great at anything, but theyre really good at everything 

 

1 hour ago, Deej said:

Yep, I always have at least a solid meal there, and occasionally they are really great. 

That's kinda where I am on them.  Plus, it's not too far from us, and the line is usually tolerable.  

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Posted
1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

 

That's kinda where I am on them.  Plus, it's not too far from us, and the line is usually tolerable.  

And the Yellow Rose is just across the street.

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Deej said:

And the Yellow Rose is just across the street.

This is what I'm sayin'.

Funny story: when the boy was maybe 10, we went to Michi Ramen.  Had a bit of a wait, so we were waiting outside.  The sign outside the Yellow Rose was advertising their lunch special -- "Steak lunch: $5.99"  The boy sees it, and says "hey dad, you and I should go eat there sometime!"  Mom, sister and I crack up, he looks confused.  I explain to him what the Rose is, and he got embarrassed as hell.

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

This is what I'm sayin'.

Funny story: when the boy was maybe 10, we went to Michi Ramen.  Had a bit of a wait, so we were waiting outside.  The sign outside the Yellow Rose was advertising their lunch special -- "Steak lunch: $5.99"  The boy sees it, and says "hey dad, you and I should go eat there sometime!"  Mom, sister and I crack up, he looks confused.  I explain to him what the Rose is, and he got embarrassed as hell.

One summer during college, a friend and I had a job without much supervision.  We went to the Men's Club in Houston for lunch.  He got an overpriced shrimp cocktail and I got the best damned chicken tenders I've ever had in my life.  Not a bad way to spend a four-hour lunch break on a Friday as a 22 year old.

Edited by dcbc
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Posted
One summer during college, a friend and I had a job without much supervision.  We went to the Men's Club in Houston for lunch.  He got an overpriced shrimp cocktail and I got the best damned chicken tenders I've ever had in my life.  Not a bad way to spend a four-hour lunch break on a Friday as a 22 year old.

Lunch at The Lodge in Dallas was VERY MUCH a thing during grad school.

Didn’t beat $1 beers / dances at The Fare for entertainment, but the food was solid.
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Posted
12 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

This is what I'm sayin'.

Funny story: when the boy was maybe 10, we went to Michi Ramen.  Had a bit of a wait, so we were waiting outside.  The sign outside the Yellow Rose was advertising their lunch special -- "Steak lunch: $5.99"  The boy sees it, and says "hey dad, you and I should go eat there sometime!"  Mom, sister and I crack up, he looks confused.  I explain to him what the Rose is, and he got embarrassed as hell.

You missed a gewat father/son teaching momentOnstead of tellinghimwhat it was, you could’ve ahowed him.

Posted

Just in case anyone had forgotten, Salt Lick is still ass.  My brother lives less than a mile from there and we had family in yesterday, so that was the spot because it's easy.  Brother even put in the text: "I know you loathe it Mittens so sorry for that but it's easy...."

Cobbler is still great, but the brisket is arguably the worst brisket I've ever seen/eaten.  Pork ribs ranged from fairly decent to straight ass, on the same rack.  Their beef rib is an abomination - my SIL was raving about it and it just cemented my thoughts on her tastes.  Reminded me of Iron Works - tough, not juicy, the opposite of "fall off the bone."  I knew what I was getting when I went, and tried to be a good soldier, but I was still legit angry when I left.

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