Nola Grill

Many new restaurants have been opening in Frisco lately.  One of the ones I have been most looking forward to trying is Nola Grill. The owners of Nola Grill have been renovating the space formerly occupied by Josephine's and they finally opened their doors last week.  My wife and I were excited to have a new Southern style restaurant in the area and were able to dine at Nola Grill for lunch last week.

The renovations made the space look much different from the previous occupant.  We were warmly greeted by the staff, who accommodated my wife and her knee scooter.  Yes, I said knee scooter.  Her recent foot surgery has resulted in her being relegated to a knee scooter.  I understand the medical need for her having a knee scooter, but I don't understand her insistence on putting a wicker bicycle basket on the font of it.  She insists that it is both stylish and practical.  Needless to say, my wife is very lucky to have a husband who was still willing to take her out to lunch when she is wheeling around looking like a cross between the Wicked Witch of the West and a village idiot.  

Onion Rings with Tabasco Infused Ranch

Since we had both skipped breakfast and were starving, we decided to start with an appetizer of onion rings served with Tabasco infused Ranch dressing.  I also ordered a cup of the duck and andouille gumbo.  The onion rings were extremely good with a very nice flavor and an outstanding batter.  The order was on the small side, which left me wanting more onion rings.  The gumbo was very good as well.  I am not usually a big fan of duck, but it mixed really well with the seasoning and the andouille sausage.

Duck and Andouille Gumbo

For my meal, I got the Uptown Special ($9), which was a fried catfish filet, two fried shrimp, and fries.  The catfish was a pretty thick filet and was a little undercooked for my liking, but the crispy batter was seasoned well.  The fried shrimp were some of the best I have had in quite some time and the fries were tasty as well.  The meal was somewhat small for my liking, but it was the lunch portion.  My wife got the Down South Combo ($10), which was a blackened catfish filet and Shrimp Creole on a bed of rice.  She liked her meal, but was disappointed that it only came with two shrimp.

Uptown Special

Down South Combo

We were still hungry after our meal, so we decided to get dessert. She got the bread pudding and I got the strawberry layer cake.  My strawberry layer cake was very good, but not as good as my wife's bread pudding.  Being the kind husband that I am, I helped her finish her bread pudding.

Strawberry Layer Cake 

Bread Pudding

Overall, we both liked Nola Grill.  The food was very tasty, although I wished the portions were bigger.  Having said that, the lunch menu was very affordable and we felt like it was a good value for the quality of food.  All the wait staff was very attentive and the plate presentation was terrific.  While eating, some customers sitting near us ordered Po' Boys.  They looked delicious and I will have to order one next time I visit this place.  My wife and I are also very curious to try the dinner menu at Nola Grill, so we will plan a trip back for dinner in the very near future. 

Nola Grill
http://nolagrillfrisco.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 3

Hutchins BBQ

Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, Texas is the barbecue restaurant I frequent the most.  It also made the 2013 list of Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.  Since moving to McKinney five years ago, we average eating here at least once a month.   Hutchins is very close to our church and it is a perfect place to have Sunday lunch.

Menu board

Even thought I had eaten barbecue the previous day, I accepted my father-in-laws invitation to go to Hutchins after church on Sunday.  
This was the first time I had been to Hutchins since early May and I noticed there was a much larger crowd than usual at 11:15 a.m.  It looks like the review in Texas Monthly has caused their business to pick up considerably.  Hutchins has a large variety of meats and sides to choose from, so I always have a tough time deciding.  On this particular day, I got the two meat plate with brisket and St. Louis style ribs.  For my sides, I got mac n' cheese and pinto beans.  I also got one of their cornbread muffins, which are always delicious.  Everything I had was very good, but I was particularly impressed with the ribs on this visit.  They had a great glaze, a smoky flavor, and easily pulled off the bone.  The mac n' cheese was a little different from previous visits because they had added bacon to it.  I really liked this change.

Brisket and Ribs Plate

Beans and bacon mac n' cheese

My wife got the smoked chicken with mac n' cheese, green beans, and a roll.  She said it was very good and also liked the change to the mac n' cheese.  I rarely get smoked chicken at barbecue restaurants, but I occasionally make an exception at Hutchins.  They have the best smoked chicken I have ever had.  I don't know what they do with their yard birds, but they do it very well. 

My wife's smoked chicken and sides

Unlike most barbecue joins, they also have a good kids menu.  My daughter got the kid's chicken nugget basket and consumed it all, with the exception of a few fries that I stole from her.  If you aren't interested in your typical barbecue joint sides, they have some killer fries and okra.

There is one more thing that I really like about Hutchins; their free dessert bar.  Patrons who dine-in get access to free ice cream, peach cobbler, and banana pudding.  My daughter absolutely loves the ice cream with sprinkles, but my wife and I are very partial to the banana pudding. 

Free Banana Pudding

Hutchins has great quality barbecue for a decent price.  The staff is always friendly and anxious to please.  If you haven't been to Hutchins yet, I highly recommend it.  Although I have tried, I have not found better barbecue in Collin County and their are only a couple of places in the entire Metroplex that I like better than Hutchins. 

Hutchins BBQ
http://www.hutchinsbbq.net/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 4

Bartley's BBQ

Ever since Texas Monthly came out with their most recent ratings of the Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas, I have been anxious to try Bartley's BBQ in Grapevine.  When the issue of Texas Monthly first came out, I was surprised to see it on the list because I thought I knew of all the highly touted barbecue joints in the Metroplex.  After doing a little research, I also found that D Magazine also had it ranked # 7 on their list of The Best Barbecue in Dallas (That's Not Really in Dallas).  My brother and I usually meet up and eat lunch at least one Saturday a month.  Since neither of us had ever been to this joint, we decided we would try Bartley's this past weekend.

We arrived at Bartley's just a couple of minutes after they opened.  The restaurant is located in strip mall and doesn't have the ambiance of your typical barbecue joint.  I ordered the three meat plate with sliced brisket, turkey, and hot links.  For my sides, I got pinto beans and green beans.  I also picked up some pecan cobbler, which happens to be one of my favorite desserts when cooked well.

3 Meat Plate with Brisket, Turkey, and Hot Links

The brisket had a nice crust and a noticeable smoke ring, but it was really chewy and dry.  I usually like going for barbecue right when a joint opens because the barbecue is usually right off the smoker and hasn't been sitting around long.  The flip side of going early is that you also run the risk of getting served yesterday's meats that were not sold.  I am afraid that the brisket on this day may have been the latter.  The turkey had a nice Cajun rub on it, but I didn't taste a hint of smoke and it was also dry.  The hot links and sides were both pretty unremarkable and very bland.  I was also served a hot roll with my meal that tasted great and was much better than the meats.

Unremarkable Green Beans and Pinto Beans

My brother got the rib plate and gave me one of them.  They had a sweet glaze to them and a were very flavorful.  The problem with them was that they were very tough and hard to get off the bone.  Toughness aside, they were the best meat I had at Bartley's.

Since I was disappointed with my meal, I didn't have high expectations for the dessert.  After the first bite of pecan cobbler, I knew that I had nothing to worry about.  The pecan cobbler was absolutely perfect and was some of the best I have ever had.

Pecan Cobbler

Despite the greatness of the dessert, I was very disappointed in this joint.  For the life of me, I will never understand how this place made the Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue Joints and a place like Smitty's did not make the list.  In my opinion, this place is highly overrated by Texas Monthly.  If you have eaten here and disagree, please feel free to comment on this post.

Bartley's BBQ
http://www.bartleysbbq.com/
Livin The Good Life Rating = 1

Jakes

Frisco Square recently got a new burger restaurant called Jake's Uptown.  They have several locations in the Metroplex and have been highly praised by critics and local publications.  I am almost embarrassed to say that I have lived in the DFW area for over a decade, but never been to Jake's.  I have obviously heard of Jake's, but have never had the opportunity to eat there.  My wife said that she was fond of the chain, so we decided to go there for lunch one day.  This would be my wife's first dining outing since she had foot surgery last week.  It was worth the trip just to see her using her knee scooter as my oldest kid rode on the front of it.

We arrived right before the lunch crowd hit and were seated immediately.  I was pleased to see that they had one of my favorite appetizers on the menu; fried green beans.  Since my wife is always saying I need to eat more vegetables, we ordered some for the family to share before our meal.  For my meal, I ordered the cheeseburger and the Jumpin' Jake Fries.  Despite the fact my wife claimed to "love" their burgers, she ordered the BLT with Sweet potato fries.  My daughter ordered the grilled cheese with regular fries (they were not jumpin' or sweet).

Fried Green Beans

The service was great throughout the entire meal and our appetizer arrived shortly after we ordered.  Unfortunately, they fried green beans were disappointingly chewy and had a batter on them that made me wonder if they came frozen from a bag rather than made from scratch.  My wife was not impressed either, but we both liked the spicy sauce that came with them.

My cheeseburger arrived on a toasted poppy seed bun that was delicious.  Unfortunately, the meat was rather bland and somewhat dry.  The Jumpin' Jake fries were lightly battered and perfectly seasoned.  They were without a doubt the highlight of this visit.  Despite the fact the my wife's BLT looked appetizing and had a large amount of bacon on it, she was not impressed.  She also said her crinkle cut sweet potato fries were pretty average.  My daughter did seem to enjoy her grilled cheese and fries.

Cheeseburger and Jumpin' Jake Fries

BLT and Sweet Potato Fries

I had very high hopes for Jake's, but left feeling very disappointed. I just don't see what all the hype is about.  There are better burgers in the city of Frisco and I would in no way put Jake's in my top 10 DFW burger joints.  Since it is a relatively new restaurant location, perhaps they are still getting the kinks worked out as they train their kitchen staff.  I will give Jake's another try in a couple of months.  Although the food was a letdown, the staff was friendly and the service was fantastic.  

Jake's Uptown
http://www.jakesuptown.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating = 2