Bar-B-Cutie (Allen, TX) - CLOSED

The wife and I were up in Allen doing some Christmas shopping at the outlets, and we decided to check out Bar-B-Cutie for dinner. It wasn't really on my radar, but a quick Internet search told me it had been voted Nashville's best barbecue 4 years in a row. We both went to college in Nashville, so I was willing to give it a try.

The place wasn't exceptionally busy, although that's probably because the Allen Eagles were playing high school football just down the street. The staff was mostly high school kids, but they were surprisingly pleasant and hard-working. Despite the scandalously sexy cowgirl on their logo, Bar-B-Cutie had a very family-friendly feel to it. It definitely seemed more like an actual restaurant than a smokehouse.

I ended up ordering the Two Step Platter with pulled pork, sausage, potato salad, and fried pickles, while my wife tried the beef brisket sandwich.

The potato salad was good, but definitely nothing to write home about. The fried pickles, on the other hand, were amazing. I got a pretty big portion of each with my platter, but I didn't want to fill up on vegetarian nonsense. I set that aside and turned my attention to the meat.

I'm always up for some good sausage (I know, I know), so I dug right in. The sausage had decent seasoning and a fair amount of smoke, but the sauce selections helped tremendously. I tried both the sweet sauce and the mild sauce and left the hot sauce for another day. Oddly enough, the mild sauce had a sweeter flavor than its sweet counterpart, but they were both welcome companions.

The pulled pork was juicy and tender, but again the sauce definitely helped on the flavor. My wife almost inhaled her brisket sandwich, so I'm guessing it was pretty tasty. Looking back, I wish I had ordered the brisket on my platter instead of the pork, or maybe just opted for the Texas Trio Platter and added a third meat.

Bar-B-Cutie was a good offering all in all. I would probably go back if I was in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip.

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Bar-B-Cutie
208 N. Greenville Ave.
Allen, TX 75002
(214) 383-7555
http://www.bar-b-cutie.com

Whole Hog Cafe (Little Rock, AR)

My wife's family lives in Little Rock, and I've been dying to try out the Whole Hog Cafe for a while now. They affectionately describe their food as "World Champion Barbecue," but as a Texan, I was understandably a bit skeptical. I finally got the chance to go during Thanksgiving weekend, and it did not disappoint.

The ambiance was par for the course: rows of picnic tables lined with plastic checkered tablecloths, rolls of paper towels, and all the saucy accoutrements any good BBQ lover needs. A great smokehouse aroma filled the whole restaurant, which made the whole experience all the more enjoyable.

Naturally, I went for the Whole Hog Platter: pulled pork, beef brisket, baby back ribs, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw.

The sides were about the typical average fare what you would expect from a local BBQ joint, but that wasn't the reason I went, so we'll give a pass on that. Now, on to the main course.

The ribs were perfectly cooked, and the meat almost fell off the bone. They were already pre-covered in a moderate amount of sauce, which had a good mild sweet flavor. I'm not a huge fan of sauce on BBQ in general, but it worked here. The brisket and pork were also both phenomenal. Perfectly tender and seasoned just right. The brisket had just the right amount of fat laced across, which kept it from being too dry. For these two, I decided to sample all 6 options in the sauce array set before me at the table:

  - Sauce No. 1: Classic barbecue sauce
  - Sauce No. 2: Tangy tomato
  - Sauce No. 3: Same as #2, but spicier
  - Sauce No. 4: Traditional Southern vinegar and spice
  - Sauce No. 5: Sweet, dark, and bold molasses flavor
  - Sauce No. 6: Rich mustard and vinegar

The Whole Hog also has a Volcano Sauce (no description necessary) available upon request, but I thought I'd give my gastrointestinal tract a break for once. All of the different sauces were uniquely tasty in their own way. I ended up buying an extra six-pack sampler of the sauces as a Christmas gift for a friend, as well as a t-shirt to commemorate my trip. As an added bonus, my t-shirt smelled like a smokehouse for days afterward until I finally gave in and washed it.

Despite growing up instilled with a natural contempt for anything other than true Texas barbecue, the Whole Hog Cafe satisfied my carnivorous yearnings without fail. Well done, Little Rock.

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Whole Hog Cafe
2516 Cantrell Road
Little Rock, AR 72202
(501) 664-6596
http://www.wholehogcafe.com