Rodeo Goat ~ Fort Worth, Texas

There's another location in Rockwall 

First visit: Dec 2012

Continuing on with the RJG Restaurant week, today's post concerns a one Rodeo Goat. Mrs. RJG had her monthly Grand Jury duty to serve, so I was on my own for lunch on this mid-week day. In an act of solidarity, I felt that maybe I too should also venture down towards central Ft. Worth for the afternoon. A perfect scenario to try Rodeo Goat, a place that offers two of my favorite intake items: Burgers and Brew!

Rodeo Goat is the newest venture from some of the fine folks at Flying Saucer Draught Emporium and the Meddlesome Moth. From that, you probably already guessed that craft beer is going to play a major role in the Rodeo Goat concept. And indeed it does, with a specific focus on the burgeoning DFW microbrewery scene. They offer at least one beer from the following up and coming breweries: Four Corners (Dallas), Revolver (Granbury), Lakewood (Garland), Deep Ellum (Dallas) and Peticolas (Dallas), along with already established Texas brews from Rahr (local Ft. Worth), Real Ale, St. Arnold, Live Oak, and of course Spoetzl/Shiner. I suppose the only bummer is that they are, for now anyway, only going to offer two seasonals: One from Real and one from Rahr. I really do hope they consider more rotation than that. But otherwise, it's a very fine selection of beers on draft. They also carry an impressive array of craft beers in bottles and cans from around the US. Though nothing one can't find at a well stocked beer store.

While I'm giving top bill to the beers, the majority of the food community is buzzing about their burgers. And well they should. Rodeo Goat is the latest burger place to infuse the ingredients, rather than lay them on top after the patty is cooked. Infusion is a fancy term for mixing the ingredients into the burger before you cook it. It's a winning idea that adds new life to the hamburger market (we spoke of a similar concept with Yourway Burgers about a year ago). Well you already know that the RJG had to start with the Hot Bastard, a burger infused with chiles and spicy cheeses. And it truly was a corker on the Scoville scale. Definitely the best "hot" burger I can recall having. As such, I cannot wait to try some of their other highly interesting looking burgers such as the Terlingua, Salted Sow, and the one that has everyone talking: Caca Oaxaca (what a name!). And they cater to vegetarians as well, with at least one soy burger option. And there are salads too (one is vegetarian) and they appear to be much more than token items.

Another fine tradition that Rodeo Goat brought along is the idea of pretty waitresses and bartenders to serve the food. That's one concept I doubt I'll ever tire of!

I will be back as soon as possible, probably with Mrs. RJG along for the ride. Or maybe even Mr. Music if we can get the time. Both will really enjoy this place.
If you're anywhere near the Cultural District, and start building up a huge appetite after viewing all those classic oil paintings at the Kimbell, then by all means drop by for an infused burger and a pint or two of Texas craft beer!

12/29/12 (new entry)

Up-N-Smoke ~ Keller, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Dec 2012

First visit: Apr 2008

Feb 2014 update: Officially closed on Jan 31, 2014.  That's too bad, as we enjoyed their barbecue and went on an occasional basis. Though we did for certain miss all of 2013. They didn't close because of a lack of business, but rather the owner retired.

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I was first introduced to Up-N-Smoke by my former neighbor Mr. SS (who is now a full-time resident of Manhattan and enjoying the culinary delights offered there - lucky guy) in April of 2008, right at the time I started this blog actually. But for whatever reason, I didn't get back to the place until 2010, and have been a few times since. This is our initial post for Up-N-Smoke.

For Mr. and Mrs. RJG, Up-N-Smoke has become our favorite barbecue restaurant in NE Tarrant. We haven't tried them all (though we intend to), but we've done some sampling in the area (Cousins, Red Barn, Big Barn, Feedstore, Spring Creek, Red Hot and Blue, and a few others) and we prefer Up-N-Smoke so far. When it comes to barbecue, I'm not really a "sides" guy, so I tend to weight the ratings all towards the flavor and tenderness of the meat, as well as any sauces on offer. So keep that in mind when evaluating this review. I certainly enjoy the sides - especially if a place offers something unique like dirty rice, but if its the usual heavy stomach items like potato salad and mashed potatoes, then I can easily eschew them for something else. Like extra meat.

With that in mind, I appreciate that Up-N-Smoke has a hearty "meat sampler" (technically it's an appetizer, but big enough for one full meal), something not all 'cue establishments offer up (though I think they should). Up-N-Smoke's variety pack includes sliced brisket, smoked turkey, sausage, pulled pork, and St. Louis ribs. I'm a big fan of pulled pork, and theirs stacks up well with the competition. Tender and flavorful. The dry rub ribs have a wonderful blend of seasonings. The brisket can be cut with a fork. Perhaps most surprising is the turkey. Turkey is usually a somewhat generic throw-in, without much deviation from place to place. But at Up-N-Smoke, the turkey is truly delicious. As for sauces, they do provide a standard mild smoky concoction, as well as a spicy pepper sauce made by Ol' Gringo (Cousins uses the same one).

Worth noting that Up-N-Smoke has a very fine beer selection, including micros and imports.

Not that it's mandatory to gripe about something, but if I did have a beef (yuk, yuk), it's that the place could use a little makeover. But c'mon RJG, you say, it's a barbecue place! It should be a little dilapidated, right? Agreed, but this one might be a bit much. Half the restaurant is smoking - in the bar area, and it very much has that stale cigarette smell. The other half is much easier on the olfactory (and much smaller in space), but the last time we went they had the water buckets out for the leaky roof - and half the tables were closed off. Yea.... I think they could reinvest some of the profits into spiffying the place up. If they did, I think it would be cool to have a view of the railroad which runs along its western edge. Seems no restaurant in the area has ever taken advantage of the antiquated industrial landscape surrounding it. The railroad seems to run non-stop in this area, so it makes an interesting side-show.

Up-N-Smoke is located in Old Town Keller, which is getting nicer and more active by the moment with more restaurants / taverns coming. It's still dominated by antique and car repair shops, but it's slowly becoming a bit more interesting. The issue will always be that the town is divided by the much used US 377, which is a main north/south artery, and until they either build a pedestrian bridge, or provide a by-pass - the area may always struggle to gain the critical mass you need to be successful in the retail world.

4/4/08; 10/10/11 (new entry); 12/26/12