Once upon a time I had to travel several hundred miles just to get a taste of real Texas barbeque. Then a couple of years ago, an expat Texan (and a direct descendant of the infamous hanging judge, Roy Bean) opened Judge Bean's BBQ near downtown Nashville. Though it was more than 30 minutes away from either the church or the house, my truck quickly acclimated itself to autopilot--right to the front door of my new favorite hangout. Life is good.Now, life has gotten even better. The younger brother of the "Judge" has just opened Mickey Roos BBQ right here in Franklin (and by just opened, I actually mean today; and by right here, I mean less than 5 minutes from the church). And it is really good! Really good. Texas good. Austin good.
The brisket is tender, smoked to perfection, and very moist. The chicken is amazing. The hot beans will open up anyone's sinuses. The cole slaw is Texas-style: fresh and crisp without even a hint of vinegar. The tacos are made with chunks of brisket, corn tortillas, and creamy guacamole, just like God intended. And the sauce has just about the right amount of sweet chipotle kick and zing. Even the remodeled burger-joint building has an authentic Texas feel.
Boy, oh boy, am I ever in trouble now! I am going to have to double, maybe even triple, my run mileage!
George,
ReplyDeleteYou are not far from the Kingdom. Aparently only 30 minutes from a taste of it, anyway. Praise the Lord. But I envy you...Charlottesville has no such oasis of God's Country.
Glad to hear about the new joint in town, which I'll have to try out next time I'm in town. The new Judge Bean restaurant downtown is a tad bit tidier than the old one by the fairgrounds. The Judge serves great brisket and chicken, but Rendezvous (Memphis) and Dreamland (Huntsville, Bham, Tuscaloosa) are hard to beat for ribs. Pax.
ReplyDeleteAh, the bliss of Barbecue. BTW, Dreamland is also here in Mobile. But, I'm not a Dreamer. If you want really good ribs here - go to Brick Pit. Or, drop me a line before you come and I'll throw some on at my house along with a pork shoulder and yes, even brisket.
ReplyDeleteY'all come!
Lawrence, fire up the pit because I am on my way! Pulled pork AND brisket! Yum, yum!
ReplyDeleteBeing up here in Moscow, Idaho, I don't have the priviledge of eating Texas BBQ very often. In mid-January we were in Austin and I made my family travel a bit out of the way so we could eat at Rudy's BBQ. It was absolutely wonderful . . . mouth-watering BBQ on picnic tables and bottles of Sissy Sauce (for sissies). We had the real sauce with jalapenos. It made our trip to Texas well-worth it.
ReplyDeleteHey, there was a gas station at the front of the restaurant, as well. Where else can you eat at a gas station but Texas???
Kerry