Wright's BBQ

Wright's BBQ



Wright's BBQ is a relative newcomer to Tyler and is located a little south of Grande off of Paluxy.  I'm not sure it is the greatest location for a restaurant as it is in a relatively low traffic area in an 'industrial/country' part of Tyler.  From the outside it looks non-descript with very little to indicate there is a restaurant.

The spread:  I really like their setup inside.  It reminds me of an old church banquet hall I used to go to growing up.  There is a bar on one side, a bunch of tables and then an entertainment area on the opposite side.  They offer your standard Texas BBQ:  brisket, sausage, ribs, turkey, and pulled pork.  For sides you can choose potato salad, pinto beans or cole slaw.  They also offer BBQ nachos and a BBQ baked potato.  For dessert you can choose from cobbler, banana pudding and cheesecake.  When I went by to give them a try, I was the only person in the huge dining room, which is always a bad sign.

The verdict:  This is another example of a family run restaurant in Tyler that I really want to love and support, but falls flat.  They are doing everything right except putting out good BBQ.  I loved the decor, the setup, the bar, and the service was friendly.  The food was just not up to snuff.  The brisket was tender, however, it had very little smoke flavor.  The sausage tasted like generic hickory farm store bought sausage.  The ribs were tender, but they again had very little smoke flavor.  The potato salad and pinto beans were also bland and a little sweet.  I am of the opinion that to do BBQ right, you need an experienced pit master and a BBQ pit that uses real wood and smoke, neither of which were evident on my visit.  I think perhaps they are focusing on being an entertainment center and not a great BBQ joint.  I think it would be a great place to have an event (I'd just prefer to cater from someone else!).

Edible Tyler Roses:  2 out of 5, below average BBQ.

La Plazita - had a taste, can't wait to go back for more

La Plazita



La Plazita is just outside of town off of 64 heading towards Canton.  You can easily pass it up as there is a lot of foliage surrounding the place and you don't notice it until you are right up on it.  It looks inviting from the outside with vibrant colors and decorations.  There is a small parking lot out front and a larger one in the rear.

The spread:  Well I stopped by on our way out to Yesterland Farms (which is a lot of fun, but expensive) because I was craving a good breakfast taco and figured I would give it a shot.  The have a fairly large breakfast menu to include several different kinds of breakfast tacos as well as the more traditional Tex-mex fair (huevos rancheros, etc.).  I also peaked at their lunch/dinner menu and was surprised to see not only standard Tex-mex, but a few uncommon dishes on their menu that I would love to try (empanadas, mole enchiladas, and others).

The verdict:  Wow was I glad we stopped.  I got a bean, egg and cheese taco and an chorizo, egg and cheese taco.  The tortillas weren't made to order, but they were cooked well and very good.  They were also generous with the filling with a lot of eggs, cheese, chorizo and beans.  One would have been enough for a solid breakfast.  The chorizo taco was great, with a nice spicy variety that didn't overpower the whole taco.  The bean, egg and cheese also hit the spot.  If they hand made their tortillas to order, this would be heavenly, instead, they are just the best breakfast tacos I have had in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5; I'll reassess when I revisit the lunch/dinner menu - and I am looking forward to it.

Stanley's Famous Pit BBQ - Best Ribs in Texas?? *UPDATE*

Stanley's Famous Pit BBQ
525 S. Beckham Ave.
Tyler, TX 75702
http://www.stanleyspitbbq.com/



Stanley's is a local BBQ joint located just west of the Medical center hospitals off of Beckham. The place has a great reputation with many accolades including Texas Monthly top 50 BBQ joints, and more recently won a statewide competition for their BBQ ribs. I have been several times, once when I first moved up to Tyler with my brother. Everything I know about the owners, I like. They are working hard to have authentic BBQ in a fun environment.

The spread: Typical Texas BBQ offerings (ribs, sausage, brisket) as well as pork and turkey. They also offer fish tacos (which I haven't tried yet) and are open for breakfast.

The verdict: First, let me start off with I am BBQ biased. The high points are the brisket and the pulled pork, both are excellently cooked with just the right amount of smoke. I have had both several times and haven't been disappointed. My personal favorite is the egg and pork taco for breakfast. The biggest disappointment so far has been their award winning ribs. I have had them twice and both times, they weren't cooked long enough and didn't have enough smoke. They may be winning contests with their ribs elsewhere, but they are not putting out quality ribs when I have eaten them.

**I have been back to Stanley's twice since the original post. Twice I got the ribs and twice I was disappointed. The most recent visit, the ribs were inedible, really, really bad. No smoke, not tender, horrible taste. I also got some brisket from the fatty end and it had very little smoke and was CHEWY, again not very good. The highlight of the meal was the sausage which was very good.

**Double update.  Well I have been to Stanley's many times since the original post and I would like to increase my rating of the place.  The last several times I have gone, the brisket has been OUTSTANDING.  Very reminiscent of central Texas style BBQ - that is to say a lot of smoke and wonderful tenderness.  I have tried their ribs also many times and the bottom line is I just don't like them, whatever the flavor combo is, I just don't like.  There is never enough smoke and they aren't tender enough for me.  BUT, the sausage, pulled porked are good and they have been NAILING the brisket.  

***Triple update:  Stanley's has grown on me a lot over the years.  The brisket is one of the best there is in Texas.  Their sausage is fantastic.  They have a sandwich called the "Mother clucker" - a grilled/bbq'd chicken thigh, fried egg, cheese and a special sauce on a brioche type bun that is not to be missed.  I just had some of their gumbo today.  They have great live music.   I have been to a beer tasting they sponsored from Cedar Creek Brewery.  The bottom line for me is that this place continues to improve and really is a jewel in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses: 5 out of 5, this place is for real.  The brisket is worth driving for, some people love the ribs, they are just ok for me.

Red's Famous Fried Chicken

****UPDATE.  Well, I am not surprised, but Red's Famous Fried Chicken has closed its doors and you can no longer get overpriced below average chicken.   I'm looking forward to whatever pops up in its place.


Red's Famous Fried Chicken



Red's is a new chicken place in town that is now in what used to be Cinco Ranch (a failed breastaraunt) and before that El Chico.  It is in the parking lot of Toys R Us, just east of Broadway and the loop.  They didn't do a whole lot to change the outside, but it looks well decorated and inviting from the outside.

The spread:  We were seated quickly and the inside decor was somewhat non-descript, I don't really know what style/theme they are going for.  They are a little unusual in that they don't have a menu.  I find not having a menu very peculiar. The waitress quickly explained the choices.  You can get fried chicken, chicken tenders, fried catfish or chicken fried steak.  All meals come with biscuits, a salad, mashed potatoes and cream gravy, green beans, and creamed corn.

The verdict:  Well, I hated the fact that you don't have a menu.  How do you know what to order if you don't know how much it costs and have a description of what it will be?  I don't want to sit there and have a conversation about the menu with the wait staff, I want to look and decide for myself.  The meal ended up being 11.99 per person (4.99 for the kids), which isn't unreasonable, but I just like to know costs up front.  The biscuits were okay, but too dense - I prefer a delighfully fluffy biscuit and theirs weren't hockey pucks, but you had to slather them down with honey and butter for them to be palatable.  The sides were also just ok, although my wife really enjoyed the creamed corn (I thought there was way too much cream).  The green beans were pretty good, but a little overcooked.  The mashed potatoes were made from real potatoes with the skin on.  The cream gravy was actually very good and had a unique flavor to it that made it memorable.  My wife had the chicken fingers and there were good (not quite as good as Raising Cane's) they were obviously marinated, juicy and had a nice crust to them.  I had the fried chicken and I was disappointed.  The chicken was marinated in a strange herbal marinade and the crust was more along the lines of KFC original recipe with very little crispiness.  Given the fact that I didn't care for their 'famous' fried chicken, I just can't recommend the place.

Edible Tyler Roses: 2 out of 5, Their chicken may be famous, but it ain't good.

Cork - nice atmosphere and very good food

Cork Food and Drink
http://www.corktyler.com/



Cork is a relatively new place located in the Times Square Cinema shopping center off of Broadway/I-69 just south of Rice road.  The shopping center itself doesn't really lend itself to 'high end' dining, however, they have the entrance decorated nicely with modern design and a little sitting area.  Inside, they continue the modern theme with a bar area, decent dining area, and small area for live performances with some interesting modernish type art on the wall and many references to wine.

The spread:  They have an ambitious food and drink menu.  I'm not sure their theme, but they offer different kinds of sushi, small 'tapas' style plates, cheese and cured meats plate(s), a few different bowls (mac and cheese, soups, stir fry and grits), and a few traditional dishes (seafood, steak, etc).  For me, the menu was a bit unfocused and perhaps they are trying to be a tapas-sushi-wine-asian bar that serves food?  The wine list is extensive and they have a full bar with a few original concoctions.

The verdict:  I really enjoyed my experience at Cork.  The service was friendly, prompt and knowledgeable.  I tried the mac and cheese and it was the best I have had in a long time.  It comes in a bowl with spiral pasta with a bechamel-cheese sauce with bread crumbs on top with little bits of ham.  I also tried their spicy tuna roll and it was solid, but not very spicy.  The quality of tuna was good.  The charcuterie plate came with three types of cheese, a great grilled french bread and three types of cured meats.  There was a very mild soft/brie and two harder styles that offered a nice difference in texture and flavor, but none of the cheese were memorable.  The prosciutto was very good, but the cured sausage and pepperoni like sausage were both average - mildly spiced and a little bland. I also tried the ribeye which was cooked a perfect medium rare and had a nice bourbon glaze, but the cut of meat was lower grade (lots of fat and gristle).  I also tried a couple bites of the burger and it was almost amazing as my wife had ordered it medium and it came out well done.  The wine list was extensive and the bottle I split was very very good (Shatter something or other).  I also had a Cork Old Fashioned that had whipped egg white in it that gave the old fashioned a unique texture that I particularly enjoyed.  Overall, I think Cork is almost a great restaurant/bar.  I think if they trimmed down the menu some and really concentrated on quality, this would be an amazing place.  Also of note, they are very committed to having plates come out in a visually appealing manner, with nice presentation using unique plates.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5, a great place to have drinks/wine and apps, a good place to eat.

Soju: Sushi Bar and Asian Bistro - My first Tyler sushi experience

Soju: Sushi Bar and Asian Bistro
http://www.tylersushi.com/



Soju is a Sushi/Asian restaurant located off Old Jacksonville Highway just south of Grande.  It is beautiful from the outside with vibrant colors and interesting architecture.  My wife and I rolled up at around 6:00pm and almost turned around because there were so few cars in the parking lot and we have learned over the years that if a well established place is dead during peak hours, there is always a reason.  Fortunately, as the night progressed, the place filled up to a respectable level by the end of the evening, so our initial concerns weren't warranted.

The spread:  The place looks as hip on the inside as the outside, with plenty of modern flair and various local artists works on the walls.  Most of the art really wasn't my thing, but I appreciate the effort and maybe someone else loves it.  The menu is extensive with a large drink and sushi menu.  They also have an ambitious Asian themed entrees ranging from Pad Thai, noodle bowls, rice bowls, various beef, seafood and chicken stir fries/preparations.  They really are pan Asian, ranging from traditionally Japanese to Chinese to Thai style dishes. 

The verdict:  We sat down and were handed a dirty drink menu (a sign of neglect) and my first impression of the waiter was unfavorable, so we decided to just order drinks and appetizers to see if it was worth staying.  I ordered a mojito and a spicy tuna roll and my wife got the pot stickers.  The mojito was wonderful with lots of fragments of fresh mint.  The spicy tuna roll was large and aggressively spicy - which is a surprise for Tyler.  The pot stickers were also delicious with a well spiced pork filling and a savory dipping sauce, so we went ahead with our order.  We got the shrimp and vegetable tempura, pad thai and mongolian beef.  The tempura was also excellent (crunchy outside with tender inside) with two well prepared dipping sauces.  The pad thai was very large and pretty good, but lacked any real heat.  The mongolian beef was excellently spiced with a tasty brown sauce.  Also, my misgivings about our waiter were misplaced and he turned out to be an excellent server.  Overall a very pleasant experience.

Edible Tyler Roses:  4 out of 5, not perfect, but very good.

Raising Cane's - name is more exciting than the food

Raising Cane's
4186 S Broadway Ave
Tyler, TX 75701
http://www.raisingcanes.com/



Raising Cane's is a new chicken joint just off of Broadway and the loop in what used to be the church parking lot of First Christian Church.  They just opened up shop in the past couple of months and as usual, Tylerites line up to try something new.

The spread:  They have a VERY focused menu.  You can basically order chicken fingers, fries, Texas toast and coleslaw in one combination or another.  They also have a 'famous' Cane sauce.  They have drive through and dine in options.

The verdict:  Maybe I was expecting too much.  They advertise that they marinate their chicken fingers for 24 hours and that I would be crazy for their Cane sauce.  The chicken fingers were good, the food came out fast and my order was correct.  The chicken fingers are definitely the best I have had in town, but that isn't saying much.  The chicken fingers were cooked well and were pretty juicy, but there really wasn't any "wow" factor.  Nothing really stood about in the flavor profile.  I was also a little disappointed in the Cane sauce, it was basically a very mildly spiced mayo/aoili emulsion.  I basically think whether or not you will love Raising Cane's will come down to what you think about the Cane sauce because nothing else really stands out.  I was ambivalent about the sauce and thus ambivalent about Raising Cane's.  It is definitely worth trying out once to see what you think for yourself.

Edible Tyler Roses:  2.5 out of 5.  Worth a try, but not my thing.