Butcher Board

A co-worker recently recommended that I try Butcher Board, which is a new sandwich placed that opened next to Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen in downtown McKinney.  Butcher Board was actually opened by the same team that owns Sugarbacon, so I had high expectations prior to entering.  Unlike it's sister restaurant, patrons order at the counter and your sandwiches are brought to your table.

Below are a few items that we sampled on this visit:

The Whole Hog - If you like pork, this is the sandwich for you.  the bread is topped with a generous portion of honey-glazed ham, pulled pork, bacon, Swiss, and bbq mayo.  This sandwich was phenomenal and I would defiantly eat it again.

Wagyu Brisket Daily Special- This sandwich was a slightly different one then the one on the regular menu.  This sandwich had Wagyu brisket, cole slaw, jalapeños, and bbq sauce.  I was surprised by how good the brisket actually was.  It was tender, the fat was well rendered, and it had the perfect amount of smoke to it. This sandwich rivaled anything I have had at highly rated barbecue joints in the area.

Kids Chicken Strips- My daughters ordered these from the kids menu and I stole one (I realize this takes me out of the running for Father-of-the Year).  These chicken strips were battered with corn meal and fried like catfish.  Although unusual, it was good and my daughters enjoyed them.

Chocolate Chip Cookie- This was a huge cookie that had to way over 1/4 a pound.   The quality of the cookie was very good and neither of my kids could finish their cookie, which left some for me!

S'Mores Brownie - This brownie was topped with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed graham crackers.  I am not a fan of brownies in general, but this one was one of the best brownies I have ever had.

To say we were all pleased with our first visit to Butcher Board, would be an understatement.  The food was incredible and the staff was friendly and good at their jobs.  I will be back here in the near future because I really want to try a couple of other sandwiches, the Texas Cuban and the Wagyu Roast Beef.  This place takes sandwiches to a new level and rivals the other heavyweight and highly acclaimed sandwich shop in Downtown McKinney, Patina Green.

Butcher Board
http://butcherboard.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

Gourdough's

Austin is very well known for the quality of cuisine that is dished out from the city's food trucks and food trailers.  One can find anything from barbecue to sushi and I have thoroughly enjoyed most of what I have sampled from food trucks in Austin.  On my last full day in Austin, some buddies and I hit up Gourdough's for a gluttonous late night snack.  Who can't pass up a donut trailer that stays open until 3 a.m.?

When we first arrived I was in awe of the large menu and the different ingredients that topped their donuts.  Between the three of us, we ordered eight total donuts.  What we didn't know is that these donuts were gargantuan and piled high with toppings.  Never one to back down from a challenge (the three of us knocked out six pounds of barbecue plus sides at Franklin Barbecue earlier in the day), we sat down to indulge ourselves in these donuts.

I tried four of the eight donuts myself and have included their names and ingredients below:

Mother Clucker-Fried Chicken Strip Pieces with Honey Butter

Son of a Peach-Peach Filling, Cinnamon, Sugar, and Cake Mix Topping

Porkey's-Canadian Bacon, Cream Cheese and Jalapeno Jelly

Flying Pig-Bacon and Maple Syrup Icing

All four donuts I tried ranged from "amazing" to "I would drive three and a half hours just to eat these for breakfast."  My favorite was the "Mother Clucker", but the "Flying Pig" was delightful as well.  After eating at Franklin Barbecue and Gourdough's in the same day, I felt like I had experienced culinary nirvana.  If you live in the Austin area and have not been to Gourdough's yet, then you should be ashamed of yourself!

Gourdough's
http://gourdoughs.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=5

Micklethwait Craft Meats

In my opinion, Austin is now the barbecue capital of Texas.  With all due respect to the triumvirate in Lockhart, the city of Austin now has your beat.  One of the places that I have been wanting to try the last couple of years is Micklethwait Craft Meats.  For various reasons, my schedule has not allowed it.  Luckily, this was the year that I got to try the barbecue trailer that both the Austin Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman ranked in their top five barbecue joints in Austin.  I actually dined here twice on this trip because they had several menu items that my stomach could not make room for on my first visit. 

Andouille Sausage, Pork Spare Ribs, Lemon Poppy Cole Slaw, and Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Brisket

On my first visit, I ordered the three meat plate with brisket, ribs, and their sausage of the day, which was Andouille.  The brisket (both the lean and the fatty) was very good, with a nice hint of smoke, well rendered fat, and a very nice bark.  Cut appropriately thick, the brisket melted in your mouth.  The ribs were very tender, easily pulled of the bone, and had a dry rub that was peppery with a hint of sweetness.  As for the sausage, I can't remember ever having better Andouille anywhere.  The plate came with two sides and I ordered the jalapeno cheese grits and the lemon poppy cole slaw.  Sides usually take a back burner at barbecue joints, but the grits were some of the best I have ever had and the cole slaw was unique and refreshing.

Barbacoa

On my second visit, I ordered the three meat plate again.  This time I ordered the barbacoa in lieu of the rib and the sausage of the day was red curry sausage.  The brisket was once again very good, but I actually preferred the very tender and expertly seasoned barbacoa.  The red curry sausage was just okay, especially in comparison to the excellent Andouille I had on the previous visit.  For my sides, I once again ordered the jalapeno cheese grits, but also got the beans.  The beans were commendable too, but I actually preferred the cole slaw to the beans.

Homemade Moon Pie

After reading various articles and blog posts about Micklethwait's Homemade Moon Pies, I knew I had to try on of those as well and was amazed at how good it really was compared to the store-bought versions.  This dessert was the cherry on top of a terrific meal and was about double the size of the mass-produced ones you find in your local grocery store.  The line at Micklethwait Craft Meats is considerably shorter than some of the other barbecue locations in town.  Despite the shorter line, the quality of smoked meats is top notch and comparable to other Austin barbecue joints that I have ranked highly.  Due yourself a favor and try this quaint little trailer out, because you will not be disappointed.

Micklethwait Craft Meats
http://craftmeats.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Rodeo Goat

Many of my friends from the Fort Worth area have been raving about the greatness of the burgers at Rodeo Goat.  Although I rarely travel to Fort Worth these days, the restaurant has been on my radar, especially when I found out that the owners were going to open a Dallas location of the popular burger joint.  The location in Big D finally opened in mid-January and I actually dined their on the first weekend they were open.

Kitchen Area

My brother was with me on this visit to Rodeo Goat and we decided to start with the Cheese Fries No Surprise, which includes cheese, bacon, and jalapeños (which we asked for on the side).  They also have a Cheese Fries Surprise, which also includes brisket chili on top.  The cheese fries were awesome and were better than any I have had in the last couple of years.  

Cheese Fries No Surprise

The restaurant has a large selection of burgers and several that are not on the Fort Worth Menu.  The burger I ordered was called the Terlingua and was topped with Havarti cheese, brisket chili, onions, corn chips, and garlic-herb mayo.  I rarely get burgers topped with chili, but this burger was highly flavorful and was easily one of the top ten burgers I have had in DFW.  My brother ordered the Nanny Goat (basic burger) and gave it a big thumbs up as well.  The hand cut fries were also delicious.

Terlingua Burger

Fries

I also ordered a Pecan Fried Pie, which was another good decision. The crust was perfectly cooked, flavorful, and topped with powdered sugar.  The pecan pie filling inside was piping hot and had great flavor.  I quickly devoured this delectable treat, even though I was stuffed from the cheese fries, burger, and more fries.

Pecan Fried Pie

Did Rodeo Goat live up to the hype?  Absolutely.  I foresee many future visits to this burger joint and there are many burgers on the menu that I want to try out.  The service was very good, especially considering the fact that it was opening weekend.  I can't wait to go back to Rodeo Goat.

Rodeo Goat
http://www.rodeogoat.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

La Barbecue

I absolutely love the food scene in Austin, Texas.  It seems that everywhere you turn, there is either a restaurant or food truck around.  The city has also become a hotbed for quality barbecue in the last few years and La Barbecue has been getting a lot of buzz lately.  Pitmaster, John Lewis, helped work the pits for Aaron Franklin at Franklin Barbecue prior to coming to work for Leann Mueller at La Barbecue.  With the pedigree of the pitmaster and the owner (sister of Wayne and John Mueller), I had La Barbecue set as my #1 dining destination while I was in Austin.

Last year, La Barbecue made the Texas Monthly list of the Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas and recently the Austin American Statesman rated it number one on their list of The Best Barbecue in Austin.  Another blog I follow, Fed Man Walking, also ranked La Barbecue as the best in Austin.  Considering the outstanding quality of barbecue in Austin,  this is high praise indeed.

View of the line of people  waiting to eat at La Barbecue

A friend and I arrived at La Barbecue fifteen minutes prior to it opening and found that more than fifty people had already formed a line to eat barbecue.  When La Barbecue finally opened at 11:00 a.m., the line began to move at a steady pace.  In recent years, I have waited in a lot of lines that now seem a requirement to eat great barbecue.  Smelling smoked meats and getting to see other people eat barbecue can be torture.  If I am ever sent to a dark cell to be tortured, my captors should forget waterboarding or extracting fingernails.  All they would need to do is just sit there and eat barbecue in front of me.  I would not be able to take it and give them all the information they needed in seconds.

Close up of the terrific bark and smoke ring on the brisket at La Barbecue

We finally arrived at the window, where I placed an order for brisket, turkey, pork ribs, and hot guts (La Barbecue's housemade beef sausage).  It was starting to get a little warm, so we found a nice spot on a picnic table in the shade.  I tried the brisket first and it was simply outstanding.  The brisket had some of the best bark I have ever tasted and every piece was like eating a little bit of smoked heaven.  Both the lean slices and the moist slices melted in your mouth and had great smoke rings. 

I don't always get turkey at barbecue restaurants, but I will try it occasionally.  The turkey was outstanding at La Barbecue and was extremely moist.  Turkey tends to dry out quickly on the smoker, so I am not sure how John Lewis keeps his turkey so moist while also getting the great smoke flavor I tasted in each bite. 

Clockwise from top left-Turkey, Brisket, Spare Ribs, and "Hot Guts", a.k.a. sausage

The ribs were commendable as well.  Although I didn't taste as much smoke on the ribs as I did in the brisket and turkey, the flavor was good and the meat easily pulled off the bone.  The hot guts sausage was the only menu item that I was somewhat disappointed with.  I generally like a little kick to my sausage, but I didn't care for the unusual flavor of this sausage.   Taste in sausage can be very subjective and others I have spoken to absolutely love this sausage.

Still a lengthy line as we were finishing up

My buddy and I both enjoyed our visit to La Barbecue.  Even after waiting in line for an hour, I felt that the barbecue was worth the wait.  The brisket was fantastic and the turkey was some of the best I have ever had.  I personally don't think La Barbecue is the best barbecue in Austin, but it is certainly in my top four Austin barbecue joints I have visited thus far.

La Barbecue
http://labarbecue.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4