18th and Vine

The city of Dallas and the greater DFW area has really been upping it's game in the barbecue department lately and new barbecue restaurants are opening in an attempt to compete with the heavyweights like Pecan Lodge, Lockhart Smokehouse, and Hutchins.  One of the newcomers, 18th and Vine, had several critics, like Daniel Vaughn, raving about the place. The Dallas Morning News even awarded it as one of the Best New Restaurants 2015.  What separates this place from the others is the fact that pit boss Matt Dallman has opened a Kansas City style barbecue joint with influences he brought from his hometown.

On a recent Saturday, I was with a party of four and we were able to sample several of the menu items. Below is my opinion of what we tried:

Burnt Ends - We ordered these as an appetizer and they were incredible.  These delicacies are a favorite of mine and I order them whenever I see them on a menu.  The burnt ends were amongst the best I have had in DFW and were the best smoked meat we had on this night.

Fried Okra - This was also ordered as an appetizer and we loved this dish as well.  The batter was fantastic and the okra was perfectly seasoned.  The dipping sauce served with the okra was a prefect compliment.  

Brisket - Although we loved the burnt ends, the brisket left a lot to be desired.  The brisket had a smoky flavor, but it was tough, the fat was not well rendered, and the slices were much thinner than I prefer.
Pulled Pork -  This item was fairly pedestrian and I didn't get much bark, which is my favorite part of pulled pork.

Pork Ribs-  The ribs had a nice smoke ring and a tasty glaze, but, like the brisket, they too were a little tough.  
Jalapeño Cheese Sausage -  The house-made sausage had a good flavor, a lot of cheese, and the jalapeños gave it a nice kick.

Smoked Chicken - This meat was only surpassed by the burnt ends.  The chicken had a great smoky flavor and the skin was well seasoned.
Seasoned Fries -  The seasoning was good, but the fries were barely warm and tasted like they had been sitting out a while.  

Jalapeño Cheese Grits -  Grits are one of my favorite sides and these were really spicy and had a lot of cheese.  That gets a big thumbs up from me.  

Pit Roasted Mushrooms -  This was the first time I remember seeing mushrooms on a barbecue restaurant menu, but they were better than I expected.
Assorted Cookies -  Four types of house-made cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle, and sugar) were served and none were overly impressive.  

Fried Apple Pies -  This dessert was much better than the cookies.  The miniature pies had a great flavor, a nice dusting of sugar, and were served piping hot.

18th and Vine has a really cool atmosphere and the service is great. The meal started off with a bang with the appetizers of burnt ends and fried okra, but almost everything else was very underwhelming.  While a few of the other items were also good,  the rest was far from great.  This place is certainly a little more upscale than most barbecue joints, but I am sure that this place will do well amongst the other high end casual restaurants in Oak Lawn.

18th and Vine
http://www.18thandvinebbq.com
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue

On a recent trip to Austin, I found some time to dine at Lamberts Downtown Barbecue.  Lamberts has been on my barbecue destination"wishlist" ever since Texas Monthly included it in it's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  In the new barbecue capital of Texas, Lamberts is quite a bit different from many of the other barbecue joints in Austin and is said to serve "fancy barbecue."  Lamberts was only a half mile from my hotel, so some work colleagues and I took a short stroll to see what the restaurant had to offer.

Trio of Barbecue Sauces

Our group arrived hungry and we started with a trio of appetizers that included Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Broiled Oysters, and Deviled Eggs.  The ribs were much smaller than I had anticipated but had excellent flavor that reminded me somewhat of buffalo wings.  They were basted in honey and sambal, which gave it both a nice kick and a sweet aftertaste.  I did not try the deviled eggs, but the oysters were fantastic.  I am not usually a fan of oysters, but these were exceptionally good.  The restaurant also gives each table a plate of jalapeno corn muffins and butter, which were quickly devoured by our group.

Clockwise from top left-Crispy Wild Boar Ribs, Broiled Gulf Oysters, Deviled Eggs, and Jalapeño Corn Muffins

Our waitress told us that Lamberts was well known for their steaks, but I was here to eat barbecue.  I ordered the Black Angus Brisket with pickled escabeche.  Other members of my party also ordered the brisket and one person ordered the ribeye  The brisket plate included both lean and fatty slices.  I was impressed with the quality and flavor of the bark, but I found the brisket lacking in the smoke department.  The member of our group that ordered the ribeye said it had terrific flavor, but was cooked closer to medium rather than the rare steak he ordered.

Brisket with pickled escabeche

For sides, our table ordered the baked mac and cheese, the mashed potatoes, and the fried okra with spicy remoulade.  All the sides were good, but the mac and cheese was outstanding.  The fried okra and remoulade was also worthy of praise.  The okra was long cut and had a fantastic batter.  

Baked Mac n Cheese and Mashed Potatoes

Even though I was unsure if I could take another bite, I went ahead and ordered the banana bourbon pudding for dessert.  The pudding was above average, but I was unable to finish it because the portion was larger than I expected.  Two other members of our group shared the coconut cream pie and they both gave it a thumbs up.

Banana Bourbon Pudding

We all enjoyed our visit to Lamberts and the service was outstanding.  I really wished they would have had a three meat plate available on the dinner menu, because I would have liked to have sampled some of the other smoked meats as well.  Although the brisket had decent flavor, I was much more impressed with the appetizers and sides at Lamberts.  If you are going to dine at Lamberts, I recommend that you make reservations because it tends to get packed quickly at dinner time.

Lamberts Downtown Babecue

http://www.lambertsaustin.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=3