Good For A Field Goal

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Coach’s Bar-B-Que

925 W. McGregor Dr.

McGregor, TX 76657

254-236-0045

Coachs BBQ

For a couple months now, my father has wanted to go try The Coffee Shop Café, out in McGregor and owned by a Citrano. We finally made it out a couple weeks ago, and while out there I noticed a new BBQ joint has popped up right beside them. This really peaked my interested. So after eating lunch at the Coffee shop, I went by Coachs to take a “sneak peak” for myself. We’ll talk about The Coffee shop later though, don’t worry.

            The first time I went by, was just to snag a look at the menu and any of the food that might be out. I talked to the cutter for a bit about the food they serve, and about the upcoming concerts that plan on having. Told him I’d be back soon to try some grub. The second time I finally got to chow down on some of Coach’s BBQ. After pondering, I decided on getting half a chicken and a /4lb of sliced brisket. My father got some brisket and some of their jalapeno sausage. When the guy asked me what kind of brisket I would like, I said “Top Cut”… apparently this threw him off and he ask me if that meant the “bottom, lean half.” For those of you who don’t know, in the BBQ business we call the fatty, juicier section of the brisket “Top Cut”- mainly because it is on the TOP of the brisket. The bottom half, is called the Lean cut… it is usually much drier and obviously more healthy for you. Then he proceeds to cut the entire brisket from the back end, which gave me Top cut and Lean Cut… with a nice ribbon of fat in the center. Never seen brisket served that way, but to each his own I guess…. Not as much waste this way I suppose. Also, they had all the meats plastic wrapped… I wonder how much that costs them a day. haha

            After getting our BBQ, we moved onto the sides. They offer a few items to choose from, I went with the standbys- Potato salad and Cole slaw, and my father got their beans and potato salad.  Proceeding forward, we then notice a large cast iron skillet full of what appears to be home-made Peach Cobbler. IT looked and smelled delicious, and we decided to get some, but we’d get it after we finished eating so it’d be nice and hot.

            The first thing I try is obviously the brisket. It has a nice looking, solid, smoke ring and doesn’t look dry. It tastes pretty good, nice and tender, juicy… but I didn’t get any predominate smoke taste. Apparently they smoke with pecan, one of my least favorite woods. So I was surprised I couldn’t really taste it. For some reason, I think the plastic wrap might be partly to blame…   Next, I dive into what looks like some delicious chicken. It wasn’t as tender as I expected, I had to really pull to get the leg off. You could definitely tell it had been smoked by the pinkish hue of the meat. I sensed a nice amount of smoke flavor in the chicken, and the skin was good. But I didn’t taste much else. Either they didn’t season it much or it just didn’t pop. Was a very mellow tasting chicken… it was still good and juicy. Thank goodness, cause so many people dry out their chickens.

 The slaw was pretty dang good, probably my favorite thing of the meal. It was made with long shredded, fresh and crunchy veggies. The dressing on it was nice and sweet, didn’t over power the veggies but wasn’t weak and underwhelming. The potato salad was the most interesting dish of the meal. It is a German style White potato salad. You don’t see to many White potato salads around anymore, which is odd considering Texas and BBQ history. IT was pretty good, it had a nice amount of mayo and you could taste the seasoning used, along with the hint of vinegar used and with a nice chunky texture to top it off. It took me a while to realize the BBQ sauce was on the table the whole time, but I finally got around to it. Made me think of a slightly more vinegary Rudy’s BBQ Sauce.

            While eating, I looked over the building. It’s a nice large building, plenty of seating, with a bar in the back for nights with concerts I suppose. Looks like it must’ve cost them a pretty penny, fo-sho. Apparently the place is owned by a couple of retired football coaches, who’ve known each other a while and decided to dive into the BBQ world. The place looks great, the employees are definitely friendly and wanna make your experience a good one. The food was alright, nothing special, based on what I ate. But I’ll definitely go back one night for one of their concerts and probably try some of their turkey, ribs and some of the Mac n cheese.

             The price won’t really hurt your pocket, and you will definitely leave full and with some decent Q in your belly. But I wouldn’t really say you should drive all the way out there for their Q, especially with gas going up up up. Waco has plenty of good BBQ joints of their own. If you are out in the area, I’d say, stop by and give them a shot. I’d really like to see them improve and get a great following.

A Prime Cut

135 Prime

1201 Hewitt Dr # 110

 Waco, TX 76712

# 254-666-3100

135prime

           

            Yesterday was a regular day at work; prepping, smoking, flipping. But after work I felt like going out for a bit to grab a drink and a bite. I originally started out at the Salty Dog, got a vodka tonic from my girl Leslie and chilled out on the patio for a bit talking to my cousin. I was really hungry; I hadn’t eaten much all day, so I had come upon a small dilemma… where to eat? I could’ve eaten there and grabbed one of their Dog Bowls or a Burger; but earlier that day I had talked to one of my friends I went to culinary school with and he is now one of the head chefs at 135 prime. Chef Cayman Colunga, he has been bugging me for months to come out there and try out the 135 experience, but I was hesitant due to the prices. Tonight that didn’t matter; I was hungry, had some vodka running through my veins and decided ‘who cares about the price.’ So I paid my tab at the Dog and headed over to 135 prime; dressed in my nice cargo shorts and official USA soccer jersey. (USA did beat Italy for the first time ever)

            The place has a nice crowd, but I get to pick where I want to sit… which is always nice. I sit in one of the retarded booths that are formed out of the middle wall, that way I can see everything going on from my side…. And no one can sneak up on me. My waiter/server is Thomas, real nice guy and on his game. He recommended some wines, but I went with a Fratelli Moscato-- which is a sweet, semi carbonated wine. I looked over the menu and there were several things I would love to eat, but I went with the item that would allow me to try out a little bit of everything; the Chef’s Weekly Special.

This consisted of a 4 course meal;

+First: Seasoned prime ground beef empanada, served with chili con queso sauce.

+Second: Spinach salad. Fresh spinach, dried cherries, candied pecans and freshly sliced strawberries, tossed with strawberry vinaigrette.

+Third: 12oz New York Strip, with sweet caramelized onions and smoked Gouda. Served with dauphinoise potatoes. (Dauphinoise potatoes are pretty much like Gratin: using thinly sliced and layered potatoes and cream cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic)

+Fourth: Layered lemon meringue Tart-our-Tart. Layered with a cherry compote and lemon curd, and topped with a meringue, garnished with candied citrus peels.

 

*The pictures are a little dark, I didnt want to use the flash & disturb the other diners*

            The ground beef empanadas were awesome; the ground beef was tender, juicy and seasoned perfectly. The pastry dough was dainty and flakey, perfectly cooked and great flavor. Along with the fresh queso and jalapenos, I could’ve eaten a whole plate of these for my dinner alone. I tried to eat them slowly and savor them…. But they were sooo good they didn’t last very long.

            The salad consisted of a couple hand-full of fresh spinach, couple of sliced strawberries, a few dried cherries thrown in, the dressing on the side and I had them hold the pecans. It was a fairly simplistic salad, but nothing like the salad the lady across from me was eating, which consisted of 4 tomatoes slices and a ¼ head of Lettuce… left intact.. interesting. I really enjoyed the strawberry vinaigrette, which seemed like it had a bit of cream added to it. The dressing had fantastic flavor and consistency that paired perfectly with the spinach and berries thrown in. I’ve always been a fan of strawberry dressings; they are great for the summer months.

            Now for the main course, the big ole steak and potatoes. The potatoes were great; cooking nice al dente. The cream sauce had great consistency and cheesy flavor, and a hint of garlic and butter. Though I nearly burned my mouth diving in, that would’ve ruined the rest of the meal, but I saved it. I ordered my steak med-rare, hot, juicy and pink on the inside. Pretty much every time I’ve ever ordered a steak anywhere they get it wrong (Outback Steak House is horrible at this)… but 135 prime nailed it. Cooked it just I would have, had I cooked it at home or for a customer even. There was a little excess fat on the steak, but that wasn’t too bad. What mattered was that it was tender and juicy and tasted great. Topped off with those grilled onions and the tasty tasty smoked Gouda. Was one hell of a steak.

            Last but not so much the least, was dessert. A mini pie looking gadget, topped with lightly toasted meringue. I dive in and I get an initial hit of lemon (reminds me of my mother’s lemon chess pie), then come along hints of orange and then blast of the cherries that are thrown in. It was a nice little finish to the meal. Thank goodness it wasn’t very big either, I was stuffed by the time I was done with everything.

            Over all I had a really good time. I ran into some people I know, got to enjoy a great meal, and kinda caught up with my culinary friend (and thank god he didn’t burn my steak… haha). The waiter, Thomas, did a great job; was on top of it the whole time, great to talk too about food and wine. Got out of there for just under $60, and it was well worth every penny in my opinion. I can see why they stay so steady; heck they were packed on this Wednesday night. I’ve now eaten at every high end restaurant in Waco, and since my favorite one closed down, the 135 Prime has now become number 1. So if you haven’t been yet, stop by for a nice special occasion or pull a “for the hell of it” like me. Ask to be sat in Thomas area and then yell at Cayman to not drop your steak on the floor.