Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, Austin Tx

I have heard about Valentinas Tex Mex BBQ for a few years so when we started looking at taking a trip to central Texas I saw my opportunity to try their famous breakfast tacos.

One of the breakfast features that morning was The Knockout Taco and after reading the description that is what I decided on. The wife chose the other feature the Manchaca Taco. We ordered, grabbed our drinks out the cooler and sat down outside in the sun to enjoy the spring Texas morning.

The smell coming from the smokers was heavenly

The Knockout Taco is creamy refried beans, potatoes, fried egg, crispy bacon, smoked chorizo, and mesquite smoked brisket, topped with queso and their “gangster salsa”on house-made tortillas.

I will be honest when I first saw this thing I got up and grabbed a fork because I thought there was no way that tortilla was holding up, but it did all the way to last bite. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this. It has a lot going on in that delicious tortilla but it all works! Nothing got overshadowed. The mesquite smoked brisket was tender, and juicy, with great flavor. The chorizo was perfect paired with the brisket, and the egg was a nice over easy with a runny yoke. The potatoes, refried beans, and bacon where all delicious. The queso and gangster salsa topped everything off perfectly. This is hands down the best breakfast taco I have ever had.

I snagged a small bite of sausage off the wifes’ Manchaca Taco, and it was delicious. She was very happy with her choice as well, but I still think she wishes she would have gotten the Knockout, lol. Overall our breakfast at Valentina’s will not be forgotten anytime soon. Do not pass this place by when you are in Austin. It is the real deal. I have two regrets about Valentina’s, 1- we did not go back a second time before leaving Texas. 2 – not trying the barbecue by itself. I would have like to sample more of their of the menu. Please do yourself a favor and go to Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ, it truly was amazing.

The Traveling BBQer

Spotted these two Mill Scale 1000 gallon offsets outback of Valentina’s

April 3, 2022 0

Station 8 BBQ, Wichita KS

Station 8 BBQ is new to the restaurant scene in Wichita, and a place I could not wait to try. They opened to the public a few weeks ago and have been receiving great reviews. Their hours are limited, 11-2 Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I had tried to coordinate a lunch date with my wife at Station 8 a few times so we could share the yeti platter, but it hasn’t worked out yet. Our busy schedules and their limited hours make it difficult. I decided since it was just me I better not get the yeti, but man I wanted to! I chose two meats and two sides which comes with bread, onion, and pickles.

Photo from Facebook, I love the interior decoration and atmosphere at Station 8

I had to try their brisket that they slice right as you order it, and hot links. Slicing brisket in front of you when ordered is unique in Wichita, and something I wish more places did. I chose smoked Mac and cheese and bbq beans as my two sides, and added a can of Diet Coke. I think my total was $22 for my meal. A little more expensive than other places in town, but with meat prices the way they are now it is understandable.

Station 8 offers two sauces, a sweet and hot when you order, none on the table. I chose the hot. The sauce was not a standout, and not anything that makes or breaks the barbecue. Maybe that is a good thing though, the meat should stand on its own. I think next time I will try the sweet just to give it a try. The brisket had good bark on some spots, and other spots it had fallen off. The brisket was tender, moist, and had good flavor. Overall a good brisket. The hot links were good as well, but seemed very similar to other links offered at spots in town. The beans were very good, had a good smokey flavor and what I think was some chopped brisket mixed in there. One of the better bbq beans in town. The Mac and cheese was good but I was wanting something more from it. Maybe another cheese thrown in the mix or something, but it is worth ordering it again. The sliced bread which we were told they make everyday was a good complement to all on the tray. Overall a good barbecue lunch. I wouldn’t put it as the top spot in Wichita yet, but it is up there. Station 8 has a bright future in Wichita. Overall I would give it a 4 out of 5. I have heard great things about the pulled pork so it is at the top of my list to try on my next visit, and I have got to give their ribs a try. Has anyone else tried Station 8 yet? What are your thoughts?

Traveling BBQer

March 15, 2022 0

Meat Mitch BBQ, Leawood KS

Meat Mitch BBQ is a product of award winning pit-master and sauce maker Mitch Benjamin. They opened in December of 2021 after a long construction process. They are no strangers to the Kansas City barbecue scene though, Char Bar is also a Meat Mitch restaurant. Having really enjoying my experience at Char Bar I was anxious to try Meat Mitch BBQ.

We arrived around 5 o’clock on a Saturday evening. The decor is unique and creates an inviting atmosphere. We ordered the pit masters platter with beans and Mac and cheese, and smoky chicken suckers. The platter comes smoked burnt ends, black Angus carved brisket, smoked turkey, 3 rib bones, pulled pork, smoked rope sausage, and fries.

The ordering system is different, order at the front, sit down, and then a waiter comes by and takes drink orders. Our appetizer and pit-master platter came out at the same time. I am not sure if this is a normal because of how you order, or just an anomaly on this evening.

Overall I can describe our trip to Meat Mitch BBQ that evening as disappointing. I hate to say that but it is the truth. I say disappointing because I know from my Char bar experiences this was not what this restaurant is capable of producing. The chicken suckers had a nice buffalo sauce coating and were served with a very good homemade ranch dressing. The rub on the meat, and the variety of sauces on the table are all fantastic, but the execution just wasn’t there on this platter of food. The ribs were undercooked and not tender, the sausage was cold as soon as it arrived at our table, and the mac and cheese was average. The turkey was a bit dry but overall not bad. The brisket and burnt ends were good, but still lacked some on execution. The rub and sauces compliment each other well. The pulled pork with whomp sauce was my favorite combo. The star of the platter was the beans and fries. The beans very good, probably the best beans I have had at a barbecue restaurant. The fries had a barbecue rub on them and were nice and crispy, very good.

The question is will we go back, and the answer is ABSOLUTELY. I know that every place has an off night and I know that is what this was. Meat Mitch BBQ has a bright future on the Kansas City BBQ scene. Please don’t let anything I have said here discourage you from eating there. I look forward to venturing back there and trying The Meat Tower and some bread pudding next time. Check out their menu and make a plan to grab dinner there in the near future. Let me know your experience. Traveling BBQer https://meatmitchbbq.com

March 5, 2022 0