A heaping helping of news & reviews from DFW’s dining scene.
Chris Meesey writes about DFW restaurants in his blog, www.foodczar.blogspot.com. He submitted this review recently for DFW.com
Frequent travelers to Central Texas are no doubt familiar with Coopers Barbecue, the pride of Llano, Texas, that once catered a state dinner for President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Those people will quickly recognize similarities at Hard Eight BBQ in Coppell.
Like Coopers (which is planning to open a location near Billy Bob's this summer), Hard Eight features outdoor pits where you select your meat, then have it weighed and priced before you venture inside.
There, you encounter another serving line to select sides, pay and have a seat at one of the long communal tables loaded with condiments. Don't forget to stop by the pot of excellent complimentary beans, rich with onions and peppers and resembling Mexican bean soup (again, very much like Coopers).
My wife loved her moist, tender brisket, and the juicy turkey. Both dishes were full of campfire quality and texture. For me, the thick, meaty pork ribs were the standout, ready to fall off the bone. But they were not quite smoky enough.
Potato salad was thick and creamy and loaded with mustard, while the cornbread salad featured a plethora of peppers, but was way too dry. Hard Eight's BBQ sauce was too sweet for our liking, but we uncovered a bottle of Hard Eight Pepper sauce that yielded a sizeable kick, and should be added -- with caution.
Counter service is Texas-friendly and quite charming.
Hard Eight may not be worthy of a presidential state dinner, but it's just fine for lunch or dinner with the family.
On the web: www.hardeightbbq.com.
