Deep in the heart of Texas, next to
a hospital and a gas station, is one of the state's best kept secrets. At least
that's what Official Girlfriend of DCWD Texas's brother-in-law P (nay, every
member of her family) has been telling me about Mike Anderson's BBQ, a
diamond-in-the-rough barbecue place in an otherwise nondescript section of the
city. Having been revealed as a foodie way before my arrival, the five-day trip
has seemingly been anchored by the question “So when are you going to go to
Anderson’s?” as if to say, “You can’t call yourself a food lover until you’ve
had authentic Texas barbecue, and so we’re giving you only the best.”
It’s funny then that a restaurant
with this much acclaim can look so conventional at the outset. Anderson’s looks
much like one would expect any other roadside pitstop to look like: orange and
neon green signage on a brown decor, a brick and tile building set up
cafeteria-style and decorated like a cabin, but with Texan and rodeo
paraphernalia. To wit: the space is centered around a tray sliding line, loaded
with a veritable panoply of salads and sides, which almost demand that you get a BBQ plate. At
the head of this line is the carving station where the meat is ordered. The
smells emanating from the grill behind are indiscriminate, insofar as they all
smell delicious.
P talks me into the aforementioned
plate, which features a sandwich with two meats and two sides. I order a beef
brisket and pulled pork sandwich, coated lightly with barbecue sauce, and
flanked by my choice of fried okra and garlic and cheddar smashed potatoes, and
a large sweet tea. Everything about this was fantastic: the tenderness of the
brisket, the sweet tanginess of the house BBQ sauce, and the heart-attack level
awesome of the smashed potatoes. The pulled pork is okay, but my best bet would
have been the Polish sausage that P lets me sample. That and the brisket on a
soft bun would have been something to behold indeed.
Taste Test: 4 Forks (out of 5)
Perfect for: Barbecue
fans
1 comments:
That got me hungry for a bit of home cooking! We thoroughly enjoyed our European river cruises, but sometimes you just get a surprising attack of homesickness.
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