Lockhart Smokehouse

Lockhart Smokehouse in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas serves great smoked meat classics. The brisket, sausage, ribs and other meats are smoked over Texas post oak. Updated versions of classic southern sides and some Schmidt family favorites round out the menu.

Giant BBQ Battle

*Sponsored Post
Now in its 24th year, the Giant BBQ Battle brings great food, music and fun to the streets of the Nation’s Capital. Signaling the beginning of summer, the Giant BBQ Battle is one of DC’s largest and most unique food and music festivals offering the greater DC-area community and visitors a chance to enjoy some of America’s favorite pastimes in the shadow of the Capitol Building.

Kogiya Korean BBQ

Kogiya Korean BBQ located in Annandale, VA offers traditional Korean dishes in a vibrant modern dining experience.  A young, energetic team is trained to be service-oriented and masters of the grill of quality ingredients like well-marbled short ribs and tender pork belly. Keith and I met up with my parents for lunch here.  My Mom was apprehensious at first, because she is pretty 'old school' when it comes to Korean food, and was pleasantly surprised to see so many young kids packed around the stainless steel bbq tables.  Luckily, she had called ahead so we did not have to wait long.

Willie's Brew and Que

Willie's Brew and Que is a BBQ restaurant and sports bar located in Yards Park, a short walk from Nationals Park. Willie's focuses on the art of low and slow barbecue cooking with charbroilers and custom-made smokers to churn out authentic North Carolina barbecue and other items with influences from across the country. The lively sports atmosphere is a favorite for local alumni groups - but I would steer clear.  Closest Metro is Navy Yard. 

American Ice Company

Named and modeled after what was built on the site around the turn of the century, the American Ice Company is a small comfortable bar and restaurant that serves a wide selection of beers and whiskeys ranging from every day easy drinking to craft/artisanal brewers and distillers. The menu highlights meats, vegetables, and ingredients from local purveyors.  Closest Metro is U Street.

Marrow Brew n' Que at Three Little Pigs

*Sponsored Post
We recently attended a meat-lover's dream called the Marrow Brew n' Que.  Piloted by Chef Garret Fleming and Brian Pereira, Marrow will be the outdoor spit roast and barbeque area of Gristle, the new gastropub concept currently taking residency at Three Little Pigs with a series of intimate and creative dining events, until they open up their own space.  The philosophy as described on the website states: "Gristle serves food in an organic fashion - meat on bone, fish served whole. It is based on Chef Fleming's principle of conservation dining - using the entire organism rather than disposing of edible and often improperly executed parts that have the potential to be delectably divine."

Lambert's Downtown Barbeque

Located in the carefully restored Historic Schneider Brothers Building in Downtown Austin, Lambert's serves up inventive BBQ, modern Texas cooking, and carefully prepared cocktails. They strive to provide a comfortable, casual, and original dining experience with true Texas charm.  Live music is performed most nights upstairs.  Reservations are recommended and you may get a prime booth to view the entertainment.

Franklin Barbeque

With the encouragement of friends, Aaron Franklin and his wife Stacy debuted Franklin Barbeque in late 2009 on an East Austin parking lot. From the walk-up window of a travel trailer turned brisket stand, patrons quickly noticed the Franklins were selling the best barbecue around. By spring, the line of admirers snaked around the block, and the press followed. Aaron and Stacy quickly outgrew their trailer, and moved their operation to a brick and mortar location in March of 2011. And despite the new digs and every reasonable effort to increase production, Franklin's line is as long as ever, and the restaurant has sold out of brisket every day of its existence.

Stubb's BBQ

***Special Post by Keith***
This was my first stop after landing in Austin. I originally wanted to go to Iron Works BBQ, as it had been recommended by a coworker, but it was closed on Sundays. So I was wandering around the Pecan Street Festival looking for something to eat and realized that Stubb's BBQ was pretty close by. I've heard the name and used their barbeque sauce before so I was pretty excited to give it a try.

At Home: Huli Huli Chicken

Hawaii's own version of barbecued chicken, known as Huli Huli Chicken, is cooked with a marinade made with brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh ginger and more.  The chicken is typically cooked between two grills which have to be flipped over or turned. And since "huli" is the Hawaiian word for "turn", thus was born the name Huli Huli Chicken.  Keith never had this chicken when we were in Hawaii, so we decided to make it At Home.

At Home: Ribs with Barbeque Sauce

As my residential meat-lover, Keith has a homemade barbeque sauce that he makes only with ribs.  It is a spin off a version his father made and Keith has tweaked here and there over the years.  This next installment of What Micky Eats...At Home features Keith's Ribs with Barbeque Sauce made in one of my favorite kitchen tools, the crock-pot.  But you can also bake these in the oven and still get a juicy-finger-licking tangy dish.

Dixie Bones

Visit Dixie Bones in Woodbridge, VA and you’ll see pits, smell hickory smoke and hear cleavers chopping barbeque. Collard greens, macaroni & cheese, cornbread in iron skillets and pieces of fresh baked pie flash past on trays piled high. Using fresh ingredients, everything is made from scratch. Smiles welcome you into a dining room filled with pictures, patches, and memorabilia left by friends and family as reminders of good times together.

Safeway Barbecue Battle

2012 marks the 20th year of Safeway bringing great food, music and fun to the streets of the Nation’s Capital. Signaling the beginning of summer, the Safeway Barbecue Battle is one of Washington’s largest and most unique food and music festivals offering the greater DC-area community and visitors a chance to enjoy some of America’s favorite pastimes in the shadow of the Capitol Building.

Blue Smoke

A pioneer in New Yorks' vibrant and growing barbecue scene, Blue Smoke has opened up shop at the Nationals Ballpark right here in Washington, DC. Located next to the Box Frites stand, Blue Smoke's menu offers a selection of regional barbecue styles from across the country including St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, Texas, and North Carolina.

Honey Pig

With locations in Annandale and Centreville, VA and Ellicott City, MD, Honey Pig is open 24 hours a day and offers affordable, quality food for people from all different walks of life. Known for its fun, vibrant mixing bowl of all ages and cultures, people can come together to enjoy the finest Korean BBQ in a friendly, techno-beat atmosphere.

L&L Drive-Inn®

The founders of the L&L Drive-Inn® decided to franchise and expand their operation in 1988. They were among the first to build a reputation of serving fresh plate lunches, in generous portions, and low prices across Hawaii with their very successful chain of L&L Drive-Inn® restaurants. L&L’s strong Hawaii roots provides the company the clout in being able to give customers an authentic Hawaiian taste and an authentic experience. Now available across the United States with over 175 locations in 10 states including California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Utah, New York, and Hawaii!

PORC

Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine (PORC) is a mobile food truck popular for its pulled barbeque sandwiches.  Keith has tried them for lunch once and I had a recent opportunity to check them out at Trucko de Mayo sponsored by Curbside Cookoff.

Levi's Port Café

Levi's Port Café is a nautically-themed hole-in-the-wall south of the main Barracks Row strip, just up from the Navy Yard.  Serving Southern style dinners and North Carolina BBQ that taste like they came out of a country kitchen, Levi's should not be overlooked.  The Washington Post states: "This Navy Yard-area treasure offers sweet tea and red velvet cake in addition to quality barbecue in a setting that feels as familiar as a favorite pair of jeans."  Closest Metro is Eastern Market or Navy Yard.

Hill Country Barbeque Market

Last date I was here: 06/03/2011

Restaurant: Hill Country Barbeque Market (http://www.hillcountrywdc.com/)

Location: Gallery Place

Total Rating: 3.75
Food: 4, Price: 3, Service: 3, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5

Summary: Another new edition to the restaurant strip along Gallery Place, Hill Country Barbeque Market is a classic Texan barbeque joint with a casual approach to city dining. With other location in NYC, this is the first to pop up in DC. All barbecue is cooked fresh daily on premise in a custom meat-smoking room. The brisket, sausage, ribs and other meats are smoked low and slow over Texas post oak and are served on butcher paper, counter-style by the pound as is traditional in Central Texas. Updated versions of classic Southern sides and sweets are also available. Closest Metro is Gallery Place.

On this lovely early summer evening, we decided to try out this new restaurant. Upon arrival, we were asked if we had reservations which took us back since we figured this was more of a casual place. It was already crowded but were led downstairs to another seating area that featured its own bar and stage. Once seated we were quickly explained "how to order". Basically you are given a paper meal ticket that has the menu. You take the ticket back upstairs with you to the butcher counters to order your meat. They cut and weigh the meat, wrap in butcher paper, mark your ticket, and give back to you on a tray. Next, you go to the "sides" line which is set up cafeteria style. There you can pick cold and/or hot sides. On your way out, be sure to pick up utensils before heading back to your seat. A server comes by your table for drink orders, and then later to clear your trash and pick up your tickets to calculate the bill. Overall, the food was above average compared to other barbeque joints in the city. The dry rub is smoky, spicy, and tangy. A wet sauce can be added (squeeze bottles are at each table). The sides were classic and tasty, but nothing out of this world. All in all, Hill Country is a neat and fun concept, great for groups, and fun to watch live music.  Make easy reservations to Hill Country Barbeque Market on CityEats.

What I ate:

Market Chicken

Longhorn Chedder Macaroni and Cheese

PTL Potato Salad

Skillet Corn Bread

Plus Keith ate:

Beef Brisket Moist

Pork Spare Ribs

Jalapeno Cheese Kreuz Sausage

Hee-Been

Last date I was here: 09/11/2010

Restaurant: Hee-Been (http://www.heebeen.com/)

Location: Alexandria, VA

Total Rating: 3.7
Food: 4, Price: 3, Service: 3, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 4

Summary: This family-owned Korean restaurant literally means "Fortune to our Customers" and offers Korean BBQ and sushi buffet. Regular entrees may be ordered off the menu as well. Recognized as one of the top Korean food establishments in Northern Virginia, Hee-Been is a great place to come with groups.

Keith and I went here for lunch with my parents. We sat at a table with a table-top grill built in and immediately headed to the buffet area to choose some sushi as starters. Various salads, noodles, and other prepared meats are also available. On the end side are the selections of seasoned raw meats that you can bring back to your table to cook. It provides a fun and social experience for the table. Since it is a buffet set up, you can return as many times as you like to sample each thing, however they do encourage you take only what you really plan to eat so as not to waste. High quality, natural ingredients are featured throughout all the authentic Korean delicacies. The food was very good and we enjoyed ourselves.

What I ate:

Various Sushi Rolls

spicy tuna, California, crunch crab

Various Tempura

fried squash, potatoes, vegetables

Man Doo Gui

pan-fried dumplings

Dak Gui

spicy marinated bbq chicken with rice and various pickled vegetables

Plus Keith ate:

Bul-Go-Gi

thinly sliced marinated boneless rib-eye steak

Kalbi

marinated beef short ribs

Daeji Bul-Go-Gi

spicy marinated pork tenderloin

Jap-Chae

stir fried vermicelli noodles with sliced vegetables and sliced beef sauteed in soy sauce

Ohhing Um Bokum

spicy marinated sliced squid

Shabu Shabu

fresh clams, shrimp, squid boiled in seafood broth with onions, peppers, and mushrooms