And now we finally get to the end of the RJG Restaurant week ('bout time!). Well... actually we closed it out on the weekend, appropriately enough, with our bi-annual visit to the RJG's all-time favorite restaurant Pietro's.
I'm usually a bit reticent to write about barbecue, since there are many proclaimed (and self-proclaimed) experts on the topic roaming around the blogosphere here in DFW and environs. One of the blogs that we have linked to the right of what you're reading here is actually a published author on the topic (Full Custom Gospel), from no less an authority than Anthony Bourdain. And barbecue has never been my specialty, so what do I know right? And besides, Full Custom hasn't written about this yet, so maybe I can sneak one in...
Whatever my street cred may or may not be, I can honestly assess what I personally enjoy. And after one visit, Black Diamond skyrocketed to the top of my barbecue list. I'll need a few more visits before I can declare it "my favorite" and all that kind of hoopla, but suffice to say Mrs. RJG and I quite enjoyed our first acquaintance with Black Diamond, to which I expect there will be many more. Over time, I also plan to visit some of the more acclaimed BBQ establishments so I can lay a proper foundation for comparison. I think I'm honing in on what I want from a barbecue place, and cannot wait to embark on the journey. Whether Mrs. RJG joins me is another story. She has a tendency, when I suggest going for BBQ, to simply state "it's too much meat". Sigh.
But for this visit, she was game. Mrs. RJG went for a loaded baked potato with chopped brisket. I may have helped her a bit, and we both thought it was great. I went in for a 3 meat platter. They were running out of pulled pork, one of my test dishes, so I settled in on sliced brisket, jalapeno cheese sausage, and something you don't see everywhere: Bologna. Of the staples, the brisket had that wonderful smoky taste. The sausage was the biggest hit with the Mrs. and I. What a great flavor, with a little kick as well. And the bologna was sublime. It's probably not something I would choose on a regular basis, but I really did enjoy it! I'm anxious to try some of their other meats on the next visit. We also sampled both of their sauces, one hot and one standard. Both were excellent, though honestly the meats don't require much help. I'm also trying to focus more on the "sides". I went with the macaroni & cheese, as well as corn on the cob. Both were great, but especially the mac & cheese. That's something that many places completely mess up, and it ends up as some gooey cold mess. But at Black Diamond, it was creamy, tasteful, and at the correct hot temperature. The corn too was excellent, each kernel coming off cleanly.
Black Diamond, for us anyway, is pretty far south and it's surprising that it actually sits in North Richland Hills. Black Diamond can be found just north of Hwy 26 (on Rufe Snow), near the border of Richland Hills.
The restaurant is a good sized place, and it features a full bar. Just walk in, head to your right, order up some meats and sides, grab a table and you're all set! There's long picnic table style seating as well as a few individual tables.
1/2/13 (new entry)
I'm usually a bit reticent to write about barbecue, since there are many proclaimed (and self-proclaimed) experts on the topic roaming around the blogosphere here in DFW and environs. One of the blogs that we have linked to the right of what you're reading here is actually a published author on the topic (Full Custom Gospel), from no less an authority than Anthony Bourdain. And barbecue has never been my specialty, so what do I know right? And besides, Full Custom hasn't written about this yet, so maybe I can sneak one in...
Whatever my street cred may or may not be, I can honestly assess what I personally enjoy. And after one visit, Black Diamond skyrocketed to the top of my barbecue list. I'll need a few more visits before I can declare it "my favorite" and all that kind of hoopla, but suffice to say Mrs. RJG and I quite enjoyed our first acquaintance with Black Diamond, to which I expect there will be many more. Over time, I also plan to visit some of the more acclaimed BBQ establishments so I can lay a proper foundation for comparison. I think I'm honing in on what I want from a barbecue place, and cannot wait to embark on the journey. Whether Mrs. RJG joins me is another story. She has a tendency, when I suggest going for BBQ, to simply state "it's too much meat". Sigh.
But for this visit, she was game. Mrs. RJG went for a loaded baked potato with chopped brisket. I may have helped her a bit, and we both thought it was great. I went in for a 3 meat platter. They were running out of pulled pork, one of my test dishes, so I settled in on sliced brisket, jalapeno cheese sausage, and something you don't see everywhere: Bologna. Of the staples, the brisket had that wonderful smoky taste. The sausage was the biggest hit with the Mrs. and I. What a great flavor, with a little kick as well. And the bologna was sublime. It's probably not something I would choose on a regular basis, but I really did enjoy it! I'm anxious to try some of their other meats on the next visit. We also sampled both of their sauces, one hot and one standard. Both were excellent, though honestly the meats don't require much help. I'm also trying to focus more on the "sides". I went with the macaroni & cheese, as well as corn on the cob. Both were great, but especially the mac & cheese. That's something that many places completely mess up, and it ends up as some gooey cold mess. But at Black Diamond, it was creamy, tasteful, and at the correct hot temperature. The corn too was excellent, each kernel coming off cleanly.
Black Diamond, for us anyway, is pretty far south and it's surprising that it actually sits in North Richland Hills. Black Diamond can be found just north of Hwy 26 (on Rufe Snow), near the border of Richland Hills.
The restaurant is a good sized place, and it features a full bar. Just walk in, head to your right, order up some meats and sides, grab a table and you're all set! There's long picnic table style seating as well as a few individual tables.
1/2/13 (new entry)
2 comments:
Visited here last Saturday. We were down off of 10 and I looked for something BBQ related and found it (and later your review). They seemed put out to be serving me. I asked for a taste of the sausage to see if was something I wanted and it was like I was asking for their first born. The food was good (had the jalapeno sausage, mac and cheese and cole slaw). Just didn't like the service.
One of these days we are gonna have to meet F2F since we seem to frequent the same area and locations.
Hi Cowboy Fan,
That's too bad about the service. We had great success on our one lunch visit. Hopefully that isn't a new trend for them.
Us cows do roam the same pastures don't we?
- RJG
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