No Reservation BBQ

Rusty Star BBQ
10600 N River Xing
Waco, TX 76712-2523
(254) 848-7827


The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You
P XII


After a morning of working out at my ranch (finally had some great weather), with only a cold McGriddle & hash brown to fuel me, I obviously got pretty hungry. So I decided to try this BBQ joint right off Highway 6, on the way back to Waco. They’ve been there for years, I just never bothered trying them, and Im not sure why… I think partially could I have heard some complaints about them, but that shouldn’t have stopped me. ALL BBQ MUST BE TRIED.

This is the Rusty Star; Ted Nugents choice for BBQ and was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s- No Reservations. I haven’t seen the episode yet, so I’m not just what the point blank and sarcastic Tony thought… but this is my opinion on the joint.

So I pull up in their lot, and as I get out I get hit with the smell of sweet BBQ smoke. You walk in; it’s a quaint little place, greeted as you walk in, there are already a few people sitting around enjoying some Q. I walk up to the counter to stare over the menu; they have your basics- brisket, sausage, turkey, pulled pork, ribs…. All of which you can get by the pound, on a sandwich or a plate with sides. They have plenty of sides to choose from; potato salad, jalapeno salad, slaw, beans, etc… as well as deviled eggs and desserts.

I go with the 2 meat plate; Sliced brisket, pork ribs, jalapeno potato salad and slaw… With the amenities of pickles, bread and sauce. I pick up a couple of pulled pork sandwiches for my folks, and a couple deviled eggs for later. Im not sure if they weigh it out, of just eye it, but my plate came with two long strips of brisket and a single rib. It was enough to fill me up, along with the sides.

The first item I try is the brisket; it has a nice smoke ring, good amount of fat, good bark, good flavor… but unfortunately it was a little dry… kind of seemed like it had been precut. Next was the rib; juicy, tender off the bone, good seasoning on the bark… was really good. One of the better ribs I have eaten lately. Now for the potato salad I could’ve got plain or jalapeno… well I just had to try the jalapeno. This is actually the first place I’ve seen offer it, so I had to jump on it. It was pretty good; creamy, flavorful, with some slice jalapenos thrown it. I could’ve eaten another serving or two of that. I think next time I make some potato salad I’m going to though in some Sweet & Spicy jalapenos. The slaw was pretty good too; fresh, not dry, crunchy, seasoned well… maybe a little much on the pepper, but was still good. The BBQ sauce was alright, your run of the mill sweet with a little spice, good consistency.

Later that day I tried the deviled eggs… but ultimately disappointed in them as all I could taste was egg and mustard. I like mustard, but this was too much and I couldn’t tell if there was anything else in them. I also snagged a bite of the pulled pork from my dad’s sandwich. It was alright, a little dry, but good flavor. If they had thrown some of their BBQ sauce on it while it was still warm, it would’ve been a lot better.

So over all I thought it was pretty good. The atmosphere was nice, the food was good, and they have some items most others in town don’t. I’ll be stopping by there more often on the way to/from my ranch. It’s not too far outside of Waco, so if you ever want to give them a try don’t hold back, it’ll be worth it and you might even run into the Motor City Mad Man.


Now time to go find the episode where they are featured on No Reservations, and see how it stands up to Tony.

Gut Pack Snack Attack

Vitek’s BBQ
1600 Speight Avenue
Waco, Texas 76706
254-752-7591
http://www.viteksbbq.com/



I’ve been eating lunch at Vitek’s since I was a little kid. I remember going there with my father and cousins, ordering the Gut Pack and chilling outside on the bench tables. I remember one time we were all chilling out side, and a bunch of very pretty Baylor students sat across from us; one of my cousins cracked a joke so funny, I ended up shooting big red out my nose... so NOT cool... but ya.

Back then V’s was a pretty small place; a single line for food, limited seating inside and out, a smaller menu… a perfect little BBQ joint. The Baylor students loved it, the locals loved it, and people would come from out of town to try’em out. Then while I was living in Galveston, I believe they had some family difficulties and closed it down for a bit. They eventually reopened it and then soon after remodeled the entire joint; now it’s a giant, nice, clean looking joint, with a bigger menu, more seating, live music, etc. Its great what they’ve done to the place, and they are doing better than ever.

They are known around for their Gut Pack which consists of; Fritos, beans, cheese, brisket and BBQ sauce. It’s like a super deluxe Frito Pie. I’ve always gotten the Gut Pack, sin frijoles. The name sure does fit; it fills you up and tastes delicious. If you don’t think you can devour a full one, they do sell a smaller version…. Wah wah wah.

Today I decided to try something else. So after looking over the menu, I choose to go with the 2 meat plate; Grilled Turkey, Homemade sausage, potato salad, slaw, wheat bread and a large Dublin Dr. Pepper. Sounds delicious... be jealous.

The first thing I try is their homemade sausage; this was some of the best sausage I’ve ever had. It had nice texture of a mild grind, the casing wasn’t too chewy. The sausage was nicely seasoned with pepper, garlic and other spices that were less prominent. Next I tried the grilled turkey; it was pretty good, nothing really special about it. They must just grill the whole turkey breast, and then slice it, since the grill marks were just on the side. It wasn’t dried out or bland, it was good for what it was. The potato salad was very good; nice and chunky, with some potato skins thrown in, a nice amount of mustard and with a hint of jalapenos or tabasco sauce…something gave a nice little kick to the potato salad. My least favorite dish was their cole slaw. It was fresh, too fresh in my opinion. The slaw looked juicy enough, but it hadn’t set long enough so the veggies weren’t very flavorful. All I could taste was the cabbage and other veggies, I couldn’t taste the dressing. I think cole slaw should be allowed to sit for a while so the cabbage can absorb the dressing.

Over all Viteks is a great place to grab lunch and a Waco Institution. The food is great, the service is excellent and friendly, the same goes for the atmosphere of the place. I think next time I’ll try the Brisket Tacos that Luke from WacoBoard told me about; didn’t even know they had them.

So if you are ever looking for some good Q, should definitely check this place out.

A Taste of The Yankees

Metro Restaurant + Bar
719 Austin Ave.
Waco, Texas 76710
(254)-399-8635
http://www.metrowaco.com/



Before there was Metro R&B there was Austin’s on the Ave. I pretty much lived at Austin’s for the first 2 years they were open; celebrated my 21st there, spent many nights after class & work there and eventually I even got a job as one of the cooks when they first opened the kitchen. I knew everyone and everything about the place, was a great bar with great atmosphere and with decent food. So when I heard that Austin & Leslie were selling the place, I was really worried about who might move in. Would they leave it as Austin’s, would they improve or kill the kitchen, how would they change the lay out, would they still rock the live music weekly.

To be honest when I heard that they were gonna change the name to “Metro R&B” I was a little caught off guard. Then I heard they were revamping the whole menu… which was good, it needed that. I just wasn’t expecting such a huge change. And with the claims of it being “Fresh”, “made in house” and “best chefs in Waco”; I was a little hesitant on trying this joint out. When a joint claims to have the “best chefs” in Waco… that’s a lot to live up to… especially since I’m not working there ;)

Their menu isn’t your everyday Waco food; they got special hotdogs, some interesting sandwiches like pizza steak & lamb with beef, different style “Phillies. They have fried plantains, knish, fried provolone, etc. As well as your run of the mill pastas, buffalo wings, salads and fries. They have just a little bit of everything.

My first experience with them was one night after hopping a few bars & I was looking for some chow. Garrett’s had already closed their kitchen, so I reluctantly popped into Metro. Tania and Laura were working the bar, they are awesome women, I’ve known them both since Austin originally opened. I glance over the menu, kinda one eyeing it. I pick out their “Real Deal Cheese Steak” and a Dos Equis.

So while the sandwich is being made, I catch up with the girls. It finally comes out, doesn’t really take very long. It looks pretty good, smells even better. But looks and smells can be greatly deceiving; the meat had decent flavor but was very chewy, not how “grilled angus steak” for a Philly should be. The cheese wasn’t very flavorful, and there wasn’t a lot of it; a Philly should be COVERED in cheesy awesomeness. The bread was a little dry, and even though I requested “no onions” I found some onions in it. I love Philly Cheese Steaks, so this was “heart breaking.”

After that I was really really reluctant to go again, but I had to give them another try and get to know the place better. So last week for lunch I went by and picked up their “30th Ave Greek Gyro” for myself and the “Havana on the Hudson Cuban” for my father, with a side of “Frites” aka Fries. The Greek Gyro is a lamb & beef sandwich on pita bread, the Havana Cuban is a “Latin twist on the ham & cheese sandwich.” The “frites” are their “hand cut French fries.”

While waiting for my food, I hung around and checked out the changed in the place. They got a couple of big murals in the joint not, apparently the wife of one of the bartenders painted them. Their bar counter lights up all blue now, the kitchen has a big ole window in it; they’ve really revamped the place.

The Gyro was actually pretty dang good. The lamb and beef were nice and tender, great flavor. The lettuce and cucumbers were nice and fresh, added a coolness to the heated lamb & protein; the tzatziki sauce was flavorful and added a nice touch. The pita bread was already very good, not dry or stale, had great flavor. Really enjoyed the sandwich and will definitely be getting it again, after I try a few other menu items. The fries were also pretty good, tasted fresh and seasoned well… they did a good job on those as well.

So over all I think they are heading into the right direction with their food. I will definitely be going back to try a couple more of their menu items; like their plantains, fried provolone, pizza steak and some of their “sabrett NY style hot dogs.” So if you are ever in the d-town area of Waco and are looking for some chow, go ahead and give Metro R&B a try.