#Roadron Dallas

For those of you that follow me on Twitter (@EatingAwesome), you are probably used to seeing me posting pictures of myself at Sporting Kansas City games wearing either my luchador mask or my Kiltman Kilt. This is a post about us following the Cauldron (Sporting supporters group) to Dallas to watch Sporting take on FC Dallas (hence the #Roadron). Although the match ended in a disappointing draw, in stoppage time none the less, we still had a blast with a few old friends that we hadn't seen in a long time.

Upon landing in Love Field, we made the obligatory stop at Fuel Town for the best tacos ever. Surprisingly, the quality of the tacos had slipped a bit since the last time I had been there, but there were still pretty damn good, hopefully this was just a temporary lapse in what is has always been an amazing taqueria. 

Side note: I did also notice that a food truck lot had been established just outside of the Love Field Airport that I would have stopped at had the Fuel Town tacos not been calling my name. Next time, you are mine, Food Truck Lot!

Mucky Duck Brisket Sliders

After our quick dinner, we headed up the Tollway to Addison (where our friends live). They had all taken off of work that day, so we had a full day of drinking to catch up with. We met them at The Mucky Duck, the local watering hole. The beer list was not going to overwhelm anyone, but we did not have a bad beer while we were there. There was live music. It was a good time. That good time segued into more hunger (imagine that). A friend of mine told me, that in Texas, you can get brisket on anything at any time of the day, so we gave the Brisket Sliders (that came highly recommended) a shot. They lived up to the billing; the brisket was tender, topped with a tangy pickle and sweet sauce, all on a pretzel bun (which, everyone in their right mind knows, makes any sandwich better). I say this as a self-respecting Kansas Citian that goes out of his way to give no credit to Texas BBQ, ever, so you know that it has to be good. 

Saturday, before the match, we decided that we needed to observe some of the local beer culture. This quest led us to the beer garden at Deep Ellum Brewery. *It was initially explained to me that the Deep Ellum neighborhood in Dallas is equivalent to Westport in Kansas City. Although I can see the parallels, I do not wholeheartedly agree, but it's close enough for government work.* 

Deep Ellum Brewery Beer Garden

How the beer garden at Deep Ellum works is you pay $10 for a sweet pint glass (that you get to keep) and 3 drink tickets. You can choose from any of the beers that Deep Ellum has on tap at that time, we even got to choose from two Armadillo Ale Works (another beer company that co-brews at the Deep Ellum Brewery) beers as well. There is an outdoor space where there are tables with umbrellas and live music. There is also an inside area, where the taps are, that you can learn about the brewing process (during the occasional informational tours). We spent most of our time inside, because (as you all know) Texas is quite hot. The outside area was pretty awesome, the girl in cowboy boots and a skirt (another Texas thing) was killing her acoustic set, but it was just too hot. The beers at Deep Ellum were quite good: the IPAs, the Dallas Blonde, (my favorite beer) the Farmhouse Wit, and even the Rye Pils.

Easy Slider: The Roadside (left)
and The Sweet & Lowdown (right)

Luckily for me, Deep Ellum has local food trucks come sit adjacent to the brewery. On the day that we visited, it was the Easy Slider Truck. Initially, I was thinking "okay, sliders could be okay". The sliders were bleeping incredible! These were the most innovative sliders that I have ever had the pleasure of putting my mouth around! Just check out the list of sliders that we tried and know that as weird as some of them may sound, they were all executed perfectly and were simply amazing! The Roadside: Angus Beef, Cheddar, Bacon, Truck-made BBQ sauce, grilled jalapenos, crispy fried onions. That one sounds normal enough (but still delicious), right? Wait for it. The Black and Blue: Angus Beef, Bacon, Truck-made bleu cheese slaw. Still not too crazy, right? Keep waiting for it. The Sweet and Lowdown: Angus Beef, Goat cheese, Bacon, Strawberry Jam. Now we are pulling into crazy town. The Nutty Pig: Angus Beef, Creamy Peanut Butter, Bacon, Lettuce, Onion, Tomato. Peanut butter on a slider? Full on nuts! Full on amazing! If you ever find yourself in Dallas, please do yourself a favour and stop by the Easy Slider truck! 

(Insert a detailed description about how Sporting should have won the game and how my boy C.J. Sapong should not have been red carded for an F.C. Dallas player's face getting in the way of a ball that he kicked.)

Torchy's: Brisket Taco (left) & Mr. Orange (right)

Before getting out of town on Sunday, we stopped at a local chain that the locals eat up (bad pun intended): Torchy's Tacos. Torchy's has a good mix of traditional Mexican tacos and fusion tacos. They had a shrimp taco that tasted just like Puerto Vallarta and some brisket tacos (because everything in Texas comes with brisket) that were overstuffed with smokey brisket & cheese. We tried a few other tacos too, which were good, but the two listed above were by far our favorites. One thing that surprised me at Torchy's: they had fountain soft drinks made with real sugar (no high fructose corn syrup here). The chips and guac were also pretty stellar! 

After a LONG LONG flight delay, we finally arrived back in KC (the promised land). Until next time Dallas, until next time.