Angelo's (Fort Worth, TX)

I've already eaten my way across much of Dallas, but there is still plenty of great barbecue in Fort Worth that is just calling my name. Today I tried out Angelo's for lunch, and I'm glad I did.

When you step into Angelo's, you're immediately greeted by a large taxidermied bear dawning an Angelo's apron. There are tons of other big game mounts throughout the restaurant: buffalo, elk, moose, caribou, water buffalo, nilgai, and many, many more from various continents. All of the game heads looming overhead made me wish I was back at the deer lease.

I got to Angelo's just after 11:00 when they opened. By 11:30, the line to order stretched halfway to the door. Clearly this is a popular lunch spot, and it's easy to see why. I ordered a Combo Plate with sliced brisket and sausage, which automatically comes with potato salad, coleslaw, and beans.

The potato salad had a very pronounced mustard flavor, and it had a decent amount of pepper to boot. It could have used a little more crunch though, but I'll let that one slide. The beans were both cooked and seasoned quite well; they were soft, but not mushy. They also tasted more homemade than many of the other places I've been. I don't really care for coleslaw in general, but I decided to try it anyway. The coleslaw was pleasantly crunchy, so that was a plus. It started off sweet on my tongue, but the pepper and spices definitely crept up on me while I chewed. I'm still not a coleslaw fan, but this was pretty tasty.

As for the meat duo, I started with the sausage. I was happy to find big link segments rather than the pre-sliced variety. The casings had a lot of snap and a good degree of smoke too. My sausage was pretty heavy on pepper, which I also liked. It might be a little spicy for some, but to me it was a welcome surprise. Both the texture and the taste reminded me of the sausage I get back in my hometown in Central Texas. I tried the accompanying barbecue sauce just for good measure, which was more vinegar based than some of the sugary ones you usually end up with. The sauce also tempered the spiciness of the sausage very nicely.

I got big, meaty slices of brisket, so initially I was worried that it might be too dry. Once slice in particular was almost an inch thick. Despite its massiveness, the brisket was very juicy and tender, and there was a good mix of fatty and lean. There was a great char on the edges and a clearly visible smoke ring, so I could definitely taste the smoke here too. I only had one slice that was a little salty for my liking, but it wasn't enough to ruin the meal. Much like the sausage, the brisket paired well with the barbecue sauce.

The sign out front says "Great Texas Bar-B-Que," and they're not lying. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to go back to Angelo's, but I certainly hope so.

**********

Angelo's
2533 White Settlement Rd.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 332-0357
http://www.angelosbbq.com