Category Archives: Far East Dallas

One90 Smoked Meats is Smokin’

Written by Carolina Merino

If you’re like me and had never heard of One90 Smoked Meats (shhh please don’t rat me out), then believe me, you’re going to want to familiarize yourself … and fast. This unassuming shop in East Dallas put on a great show.

This past week I had the privilege of attending a One90 Smoked Meats media dinner, hosted by the owners of One90 and Oak Highlands Brewery. As explained to us that evening, long time friends, Kyle St. Clair, Herman Guerra, and Adam Weatherred had been smoking meat together for years in their backyards before leaving their respective careers and opening up their shop in 2015. And for good reason … because they have this art down to a science. (Yes, I wrote that correctly.) Their smoked meats are perfection.

The dinner started off with an assortment of cold shaved smoked meat and cheese trays, smoked salmon dip, and a brisket chili that brought some serious heat. That was followed by a stop at the bar to taste one (or more) of Oak Highland Brewery’s 10 craft beers on tap. The DF-Dub, a German dark wheat style ale, was a standout and paired nicely with the smokiness of the entire meal. (Because, beer and BBQ.)

Then, it was time for the main event—melt-in-your mouth brisket, pulled pork, and buttery poblano sausage. While seated, trays of mac and cheese, potato salad, and coleslaw were delivered to our tables. If all that wasn’t mouth-watering enough, we ended the meal with a decadent banana pudding that tasted like it was made in your grandmother’s kitchen.

: Picture courtesy of One90

Their shop kiosk reads “small batch craft meats” and that’s the dining experience One90 offers with their popular sandwiches piled high with the smoked meat of your choice, their vacuum-sealed grab-n-go smoked meat packages, and bevy of unique meat options which also include duck breast, rack of lamb, beef tenderloin, pastrami, and salmon. (They also have all this available online.) You can order meat delivered directly to your door or sent to anyone across the country as the perfect holiday gift.

Additionally, One90 has put together a menu of their go-to staples to make your holiday extra special. Orders must be placed by November 14 for Thanksgiving and December 19 for Christmas. Order now!

I enjoyed every bit of this meal and can’t wait to head over to their storefront to try one of their delicious ham sandwiches and grab some packaged brisket to go!

At first glance, One90 Smoked Meats seems like a typical bbq joint, but as I quickly learned, it truly is so much more.

ONE90 SMOKED MEATS
one90smokedmeats.com
10240 E. Northwest Highway (Far East Dallas)
(214)34-MEATS

Cover photo courtesy of One90.

A Good Friend to Have

Again, I traveled outside of my bubble. And again, I was glad I did. I’m sure you’ve heard the buzz about Goodfriend, the new beer and burger house over on Peavy and Garland Road one of the Vickery Park owners and a former Vick bartender, Matt and Josh, respectively. I’ll start by saying this, don’t wait to go until after reading this — get off your ass and go NOW.

My boyfriend and I prepared for our adventure with a full tank of gas, water bottles, and granola bars stocked … you know, just in case. The drive there wasn’t bad at all. Take Mockingbird east and just keep onnnnnnnnn going until you see white lights strung across a huge patio on your left that will beam you in. Parking was an issue, but I found a spot that my car hardly fit in, but fit nonetheless. (I didn’t take the time to figure out where alternate parking was – sorry).

Give yourself plenty of time for this dinner because you’re probably going to wait. So many make the trip for the delicious food and drink at Goodfriend that we were told that there was an hour wait. We ordered a drink and found a seat without a grumble because the place smelled so good that we didn’t want to risk being kicked out for being bratty patrons. The staff was so friendly that that probably wouldn’t be an issue even if we were rude.

Time to set the scene: a giant horseshoe-shaped bar is the center of the restaurant with bar seating on the left and restaurant seating on the right and stained glass above the bar. The decor is a hodge-podge of rustic engineering-type paraphernalia with an industrial touch including a giant table with a HUUUUGE fan inside. Sports fans: there are big TVs in the bar seating area and behind the bar and for commercials breaks you can enjoy the two dart boards in the corner.

The drinks were delicious. The cocktail menu is whiskey heavy with their list of whiskey cocktails dubbed the Magnificent Seven — and they are (magnificent, that is). I started with a Manhattan, the likes of which would have given my Manhattan-loving uncle a run for his money. After drinking the Manhattan, I felt like I could box a kangaroo – true story. The drinks were strong and I look forward to making a second trip to try some of the other M7s like John the Baptist, Bobby Burns, and the Goodfriend itself.

The offerings at GF include an American craft beer menu which will feature standard craft beers, seasonal beers, and special release brews. Get bored with beers easily? They post their “rotator” beers on a huge piece of paper inside the bar (and on Facebook) that are switched out quite often. In addition to their beers they have a fully (and I mean FULLY) stocked bar.

Goodfriend Burger

The food was ah-mazing. We made our way to our hard-earned table and when Matt handed us our menus, deciding which burger to order was one of the more difficult decisions I’ve faced in a month (I live a charmed life). They offer grass fed burgers and some more exotic options as well as a veggie burger (if you must). I landed on the Lolita lamb burger, the Boy had a turkey burger, and of course we got cheese fries to share. The burgers were delectable and I finished every bite of mine along with a good portion of the cheese fries (the ranch is mind blowing). The stomach ache was well worth it!

Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House
facebook | @goodfriendbgbh
1154 Peavy Rd., Dallas, TX 75218
(214) 324-3335

Muddy Waters

This Dallas legend has been around for quite a while and is a bastion of the Dallas local music scene. If you ask any of the guys from the Local Yokel show, this is one of the places in Dallas you MUST go … just so you can say you’ve been.

The night we went, we sadly didn’t do our homework; it was open mic night. No one was playing when we were there but a DJ was setting up (it looked like it would have been entertaining to stay!). So, we did the next best thing and fed our dollar bills to the jukebox and played a few rounds of pool.

The drinks were pretty misleading … I had a few and was quite festive though I thought they tasted weak. The drinks were so misleading that I felt confident enough to order jambalaya (very out of the ordinary for this girl!) when we ventured over to Alligator Cafe to grab a bite when we discovered Muddy Waters didn’t have any food offerings.

The bartender was efficient and the regulars were bizarre to say the least (and one was a bit smelly). This wouldn’t be a bad place to grab a round of pool or listen to a great local band … try it sometime. 🙂

Muddy Waters
1518 Greenville Avenue | Dallas, TX 75206-7413
(214) 823-1518

amster-DAMN bar (Closed)

With the places I’ve spent time in Dallas, Exposition Park was new to me. The drive down there from my office and finding parking was a bit stressful (my friends did the smart thing and took the Green Line which stops right across the street from A.B.) but when I arrived, a drink was promptly shoved into my hand and we ventured out onto the roomy patio.

The patio has quite a bit of “potential”; the night we went it was a bit cool but I can imagine how nice it would be on a beautiful Dallas Spring day. We caught up and sipped our cheap(ish) drinks … and then another drink … and then another. It’s the kind of place you get caught up and spend a bit too long drinking (in a good way).