Hula Hut

The Fall of 2015 brought several new restaurants to the DFW area, but the biggest one in Little Elm had to be the addition of Hula Hut.  Many families, including my own, love to visit Hula Hut in Austin because it is a fun place to dine with families and the food isn't bad either.  The self proclaimed Tex Mex restaurant with a Polynesian twist, opened its second location on, this one on Lake Lewisville, and brought it's Mexonesian cuisine to the DFW area.

Having dined there several times in the past few months, I can say that I like the food here quite a bit and it is much better than the majority of the chain Mexican restaurants in the area.  While some items are better than others, none of them are bad.  Below is my opinion on a few of the items I have recently had at the Little Elm Location:

Chips and Queso-Chips are good enough, but the queso is really good.  It has a great flavor with quite a bit of kick.  If you don't like spicy foods, you might want to stay away from this quest.

Chicken Tortilla Soup-The bowl you receive is about double the size of most soup bowls and filled with plenty of chicken, avocado, cheese, cilantro, poblano peppers, corn, tomatoes, and tortilla strips.  The broth is great too.  I actually had this as a meal one time and was barely able to finish the huge portion.

Grilled Fish Tacos-These tacos include fish, shredded lettuce, cabbage, cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapeño-lime sauce served in flour tortillas.  I thought they had great flavor, but I would have preferred more fish.  There were so many veggies, that I could barely taste the fish at all.  

Pork Burrito- By far, my favorite item I have tried here and it is huge.  The large flower tortilla was stuffed with slow roasted pork, black beans, Monterrey Jack cheese, green chiles and roasted corn that was topped with Hatch Green Chile and Queso Blanco sauces. This burrito is served with rice, which is a little bland, but the burrito itself is a cornucopia of flavors.

Hula Hut Burger-This is one item that I probably wouldn't order again.  The burger was mediocre at best and the fries were less than spectacular.  

Since the portions are so large, I have yet to try any desserts at this location.  The kids seemed to enjoy the items they have ordered from the kids menu and the service is generally good.  Be warned that it can get very busy on weekends (an hour or more wait) and the service seems to suffer somewhat at these times.  Overall, I think the Hula Hut is a fun restaurant that serves good food (generous portions too) and is very family friendly.

My daughters in front of the volcano

Hula Hut
http://www.hulahutlittleelm.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

Teddy Jack's Hub City Grill

Whenever I travel to Lubbock, I always attempt to try out new restaurants that I have never been to before.  I have my favorites that I frequently hit in the city, but I always enjoy trying new places.  On a recent visit, my family and I hit up Teddy Jack's Hub City Grill, which has a little bit of everything from burgers to wood fired pizzas.

Cheese Sticks

We arrived hungry and sampled several items.  Below is my opinions of each item we tried at Teddy Jacks:

Cheese Sticks- Very large and absolutely fantastic in the flavor department.  Reminded me of a smaller version of the cheese sticks at Spanky's.  
The Cowboy Burger-This burger came with A-1 steak sauce, cheddar cheese, onion rings, lettuce and tomato.  Pretty good burger with a lot of flavor.  I really liked the crispy onion ring (which I also ordered as my side item) and the addition of the A-1 sauce.  

Cowboy Burger with Onion Rings

Italian Meat Lovers Pizza- This impressive pizza was topped with mozzarella, Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Salami, and Prosciutto.  This was hands down, the best pizza I have ever had in Lubbock.  The toppings were generous and had great flavor, but it was a little on the spicy side.

Italian Meat Lovers Wood Fired Pizza

Chicken Strips- The hand battered chicken strips were tasty, but I wished they had been served with gravy instead of barbecue sauce or honey mustard.  The fries were basic and not noteworthy at all.  The onion rings I had with the burger were much better than the fries.

The menu at Teddy Jack's was quite extensive, so I only scratched the surface of what they had to offer, but most of what I tried was good to very good.  The wood fired pizza was probably my favorite item, but the cheese sticks were impressive in their own right.  I wouldn't hesitate to go back and dine at this restaurant and I think Teddy Jack's is a nice addition to the Hub City.

Teddy Jack's Hub City Grill
http://teddyjacks.com
Livin the Good Life Review=3

Evie Mae's Pit Barbecue

Rumors have been going around that there is now some high quality barbecue to be found in Lubbock, Texas at a place called Evie Mae's, which is technically located in Wolfforth.  Having grown up on the South Plains and frequently visiting family in the area as an adult, I have sampled my fair share of barbecue in the Lubbock area.  My experience has been that there are some good barbecue joints in the area, but not a truly great barbecue place.  Having read good things about Evie Mae's, I decided to try it during a recent trip to visit family in Lubbock.

L-R=Pulled Pork, Brisket, and Sausage

I ordered the three meat plate with sliced brisket, sausage, pulled pork, and green chile cheese grits.  Below is my opinion of each item:
Brisket-The thick cut slices were a real treat.  They had a great smoke ring, a smoky flavor that wasn't overly smoky, terrific bark, and well rendered fat.  By far, this was the best brisket I have ever had in this part of Texas and it literally melted in you mouth.
Sausage-Nice flavor with a good snap to the casing.  It had a little spice to it, but nothing overpowering.  The portion size was good too, as they gave you 1.5 links with the three meat plate.
Pulled Pork-Tender and moist with a good flavor.  I have preferred a little more bark and more of the smokiness I tasted in the brisket, but it was still well above average for the area.
Green Chile Cheese Grits-Absolutely fantastic.  This side had just the right amount of both cheese and green chiles.  I could eat this every day for the rest of my life!

Green Chile Cheese Grits

The only thing I regret is that I didn't try the ribs.  Several people around me had them and they looked absolutely mouth-watering good.  It seems the rumors are true and Evie Mae's does serve up some top notch barbecue.  Although Evie Mae's is technically a barbecue trailer, they do have indoor seating available in a building that is behind the trailer.  I travel to the Lubbock area fairly frequently, so I am very glad to know that I have a fantastic barbecue option to choose from when the family is trying to decide where to eat.

Evie Mae's Pit Barbecue
http://www.eviemaesbbq.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Baker's Drive In

Baker's Drive-In has been a go-to burger joint in McKinney for many years.  When my family first moved to McKinney, it was about the only place to go in town to get a decent burger.  Other quality burger joints have opened in the last few years, but you can still get a good burger at Baker's.

Bacon Cheeseburger

I recently dined there again for the first time in 2015 and the quality was the same as it had been in year's past.  The bacon cheeseburger is a no-frills burger, but is tasty nonetheless and the thin patties are always juicy.  These burgers always have fresh veggies on them and the bacon always has great flavor.  The crinkle cut fries and tater tots were commendable as well.   On this visit, one daughter had a grilled cheese and the other had a corn dog.  Both enjoyed their meals, but seemed to prefer the fries to the tots.

Crinkle Cut Fries

If you are looking for a "fancy" burger joint, you should pass on Baker's.  If you are looking for a quality burger that is a little on the greasy side, then Baker's is your place.  Myself, I love a good greasy burger and Baker's has never disappointed me.  The food is good here and it will not break the bank either. 

Tater Tots

Baker's Drive In
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

The Theodore

Tim Byers is one of the hottest chefs in DFW and his most recent brainchild, The Theodore, recently opened at NorthPark Mall.  Normally I shy away from mall dining, but this particular mall tends to be the exception to the rule and houses several quality restaurants.  Since I am a huge fan of another Byers restaurant, Smoke, I couldn't wait to try out this menu.  

Dining Area

The menu at this causal restaurant includes such items as sourdough toasts, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, desserts, etc.  Since it opened in November, I have had the opportunity to try several items.  Below is my opinion of the items I have tried:

Sausage and Chervil Sourdough Toast-This toast was generously topped with sausage, chervil, bacon, onions, and a spread which I could not identify.  I usually have an aversion to light colored sausages, but this one had a unique taste and was better than most.  The toast was flavorful in it's own right and was toasted just enough to hold up all the toppings.

Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage Sandwich-  This open faced sandwich was topped with a delicious corned beef and plenty of cabbage.  This was some of the best corned beef I have had in recent memory and it was served atop the same delicious sourdough bread as the toast above.  Although I would have preferred less cabbage, it was cooked well and added to the flavor of the sandwich.

Burger on Sweet Yeast Roll-Quite basic, but extraordinary in it's simpleness.  The meat was juicy and flavorful, the roll was truly sweet, and the veggies were crisp.  It is refreshing to see a burger that is delicious without adding a bunch of toppings other than cheese, bacon, lettuce, pickle, onion, and tomato.

Beef Wellington- The fleet was cooked to perfection and the pastry was nice and crispy, but I really didn't care for the foie gras that sat atop the filet.  I have never been a fan of foie gras and thought even this small sampling of it, detracted from the meat itself.  Mashed potatoes accompanied this dish and they were amazing, but I would have preferred a larger sampling.  The gravy was also delicious.  

Crab Apple Toffee Cake- Loved the toffee cake, but felt the crab apple was a little too sour for my taste.  I was also disappointed in how small the dessert was.

Dark Chocolate Tart- Chocolate perfection.  The tart made me question ever eating anything else chocolate again besides this dessert.  In fact, it was so good, I considered ordering a second tart.

Most of the menu items I have sampled were good, but not all lived up to expectations.   The service was spectacular and what one comes to expect from a Tim Byers restaurant.  I do think Byers has another winner in The Theodore and I truly believe it is a nice addition to NorthPark Mall.

The Theodore
Livin the Good Life Rating=3