Mi Ranchito Mexican Restaurant - Where have you been all my Tyler life?

Mi Ranchito Mexican Restaurant

Beef and barbacoa tacos.

Caldo de Res

This is a little place off of Front street just west of downtown Tyler.  It isn't much to look at from the street.  There are some colorful murals/drawing painted on the windows and a small parking lot out front.  On the inside, there isn't much more.  There are a 10-15 tables with a few Mexican themed decorations.  My first reaction when rolling up on the place was that it was a little "sketchy".  I was heading over to BBQ Hernandez/Taco Y Mas, but they were closed (this is the second time I have been over there and it was closed, please don't tell me they have shut down).

The spread:  The menu reminds of the little hole in the wall places back in Houston that I love.  They have several different types of soups (caldos) - beef, pork, menudo (on weekends).  They offer tortas, enchiladas, tostadas, etc.  They also offer tacos with your choice of beef, chicken, al pastor and barbacoa.  There were a few more items that I hadn't heard of before and I am looking forward to coming back and trying.

The verdict:  Ah....finally a place that knows how to cook good Mexican food on the cheap.  The flour and corn tortillas were made fresh to order.  The chips were dense and crispy with two types of sauce - red (hot) and green (not so hot) - both excellent.  I knew when the chips came out that I was in for a treat.  I had the caldo de res (beef soup) which comes with tortillas, rice, cilantro and limes.  The broth was rich and well seasoned, the beef tender and delicious.  I also tried the beef, barbacoa and al pastor tacos, and all three were excellent.  Interestingly, most places have a salty, not so great beef/fajita taco meat, but that was not the case here.  The meat was tender and had a great balanced season to it.  The barbacoa was juicy and tender.  The al pastor was also great.  Overall, this is one of the best first food impressions I have had of a place in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses:  5 out of 5; First impressions matter, and I love this place.

Star Donuts - Are all donut places the same? I donut think so.

Star Donuts



Star donuts is located just south of Bergfield park off of Broadway.  I can't imagine that the building was originally designed to be a donut place, but it works nonetheless.  You can drive through or go inside and check out the wares.

The spread:  Well they serve donuts as you can imagine such as glazed, sprinkles, chocolate, cinammon twists, apple fritters.  They also have kolaches, several styles of breakfast sandwiches and breakfast tacos.  We usually grab a variety of donuts and kolaches in the morning when we have guests staying overnight.

The verdict:  I haven't tried all the donut places in Tyler, although I have tried several.  Coming from Houston, I was a little bummed to have to miss out on Shipley's and had resigned myself to eat mediocre donuts and kolaches.  I'm not sure what the guys at Star Donuts do, but they serve the best donuts and kolaches in Tyler, hands down.  The donuts are melt in your mouth soft and delicious.  The kolaches have soft, yet chewy breading.  They are dangerously good.

Edible Tyler Roses:  5 out of 5, outstanding donuts and kolaches.

Vietnamese Pho Restaurant - This place is Pho real

Vietnamese Pho Restaurant



This is a small, family owned Vietnamese place just off of 64 and the loop, across the street from the Walmart.  It is in a strip center without a whole lot of curb appeal.  Walking inside reminded me of your typical Vietnamese place in Houston, minimal decor, plenty of seats, and clean.  I have been wanting to try this place for a while because I love a good bowl of Pho and am alwayas looking for a good 'real' ethnic place (of which there are few and far between in Tyler).

The spread: Well they obviously sell Pho, which is a vietnamese rice noodle soup.  It comes in a big bowl of savory beef broth with rice noodles and your choice of meet (go for the combo - meatballs, flank steak and brisket) and with fresh basil and bean sprouts.  You also put in hoisin sauce and sriracha to your liking.  They offer various appetizers from egg rolls to spring rolls with your choice of meat, as well as salads and other (as far as I can tell) authentic Vietnamese items.  They also have a good selection of vegetarian items.  They also offer vermicelli and rice entrees that all look authentic.  This is a menu I am excited about discovering.  Many of the items I have never tried, and certainly are offered no where else in Tyler.

The verdict:  Well I only tried the spring rolls with roast pork and the special Pho soup, but I was very impressed and can't wait to go back and try some of the more esoteric items on the menu.  If you care about food and are looking for a different, authentic eating experience, then give this unassuming little place a try.  The spring rolls were terrific and fresh.  The Pho had a great base broth with fresh basil and bean sprouts and tasty, well seasoned meat.  If you've never had Pho, this would be a great place to give it a try.  I was a little scared when I first sat down because I was the only person there at lunch, but please go out and support this true gem in Tyler.

Edible Tyler Roses:  5 out of 5;  Do I recommend this place?  Pho sho!

The Rack Hamburger Grill - My kind of place

***UPDATE:  Wow, The Rack has closed.  I feared for their business success because of their location and recently downgraded their rating.  They were having problems in the kitchen and keeping beers on tap.  I am truly sad to see The Rack go, but you gotta keep people happy and coming back to succeed.

**UPDATE:  I have been to the Rack multiple times since the original post.  I have to say that they have some real problems with consistency.  I have yet to have a burger as special as the one I had on my first visit.  They just can't seem to get the meat temperature right.  I still enjoy the place and definitely recommend giving it a try, but just not as enthusiastically they go from 5/5 to 4/5 Edible Tyler Roses.

The Rack Hamburger Grill
http://www.theracktexas.com/

The Rack Hamburger Grill is a new restaurant that opened up near the Azalea district off of Broadway, just south of 9th street, located in the Tyler Shopping Center (next to Steinmart).  I don't think their has been a restaurant in this particular space, but it seems like a pretty hard place to keep a restaurant open.  From the outside, they have a little patio area with some large picnic tables.  Inside the place there is a healthy bar area and a dining section.  The decorations consist mainly of stuffed/mounted animals.

The spread:  As you can imagine this is trying to be a hamburger joint, but they are doing a lot of interesting things with the food menu. Their apps consist of candied bacon, salads, seared tuna, cheese fries, etc.  The star of the show is their hamburger selection.  You can choose their regular ground meat burger (ground and seasoned in house), buffalo burger, blue cheese burger, venison burger, lamb burger, ahi tuna burger, veggie burger, turkey burger and a few others.  The meals come with charro style beans and choice of one side:  regular fries, sweet potato fries, mac and cheese, etc.  They also offer a few desserts.

Perhaps the most impressive is their MASSIVE draft beer list.  They have a lot of beers on tap, almost all of which are craft microbrews from Texas (20 beers on tap on a regular basis).  I was in beer heaven.  They also offer a large selection of bottled beers.  A beer lover could get quiet happy here.

The verdict:  THIS IS THE BEST HAMBURGER IN TYLER BY FAR.  Stop what you are doing, go to The Rack and get a burger.  I recommended this place to a friend of mine who loves burgers and he told me it was the best hamburger he has had in his life.  I ordered a Rack burger with cheddar cheese, bacon and egg and I ordered it medium well.  This is one of the rare places that actually cooks your burger to your desired temperature.  They care about their food.  The burger was one of the best I have had in my life.  The meat is juicy and tender, with the right amount of sear from the grill.  The french fries are also done right, in house, from real potatoes and fried twice (the way fries are supposed to be done).  The beers were great.  This is definitely a place that I will go back to again and again.

Edible Tyler Roses: 4 out of 5.  Get a burger and a beer and enjoy!  I fear that location will doom this place, but it is worth the drive....yum.

State of Tyler Barbeque - Best in Tyler?

This post is going to be a little bit different. I have reviewed several Tyler area BBQ joints and wanted to write a post that talks about all of them, and of course ranks them. My preference for BBQ is simple. It should have a lot of smoke, be falling off the bone tender and have an accompanying spicy/slightly sweet sauce (on the side of course). Of course, good BBQ doesn't need a sauce, but how often to you run into BBQ so good it doesn't need sauce? In terms of cut of meat, I prefer in descending order: beef brisket, pork ribs, sausage of any kind, chicken, cabrito, turkey, then whatever else you want to smoke. The method of cooking should be slow and low, turning a tough piece of meat into melt in your mouth goodness.

I have tried just about every BBQ place I know of in Tyler and the surrounding community to include: Bodacious BBQ, Stanley's, The Purple Pig, Hickory Fare, Stacy's in Jacksonville, and Spring Creek BBQ. With the exception of The Purple Pig and Stacy's, I have been disappointed. Stanley's has serious problems with consistency, although they have plenty of awards that tell me I'm wrong for not liking their food. Bodacious serves average food. Spring Creek will do in a pinch (with some great service). Hickory Fare is slightyl above the pack, but again doesn't put out great Q. Stacy's offers solid ribs and brisket, but the 45 minute drive down to Jacksonville isn't worth it. I guess the Purple Pig really isn't in Tyler city limits, but to me it offers high quality barbeque done right.

Best BBQ in Tyler: The Purple Pig

Any differences of opinion or any places I have missed?