Bartley's

7/15/11 Grapevine, TX. The best BBQ business in Grapevine is Bartley's. Though North Main BBQ and Hard 8 are not too far away, Bartley's rules the land within the well defended borders of Da 'Vine. I always order too much at Bartley's. A two meat plate is a heck of alot of food, mostly because the sides are self-serve. Have you ever seen a grown man make a tower of potato salad? I'm a &$#^% architecht. This place has been around forever, which should tell you something. And that something is this:

Must haves: Ribs. "Fall off the bone" is overrated and the ribs at Bartley's have just the right consistancy to get you where you want to be. They are the smaller, St. Louis style with just the right amount of bark and smoke flavor. Sweet tea. It's good and since it's Texas, having sweet tea always scores bonus points. The sides are pretty good as well, with two different types of beans. They have a traditional style and a sweet style. They also have good potato salad AND macaroni salad. It's really a good selection, one you would expect at a medeocre chain restaurant. Chains always seem to have hundreds of sides, perhaps to make up for dry-ass rubber brisket, which leads me to....

Must Run Away Froms: Brisket. 2 parts dry & 1 part bland. Just don't bother.

There are also 2 types of sausage (one is good, the other is not but I forget which is which), pork chops, turkey, and I want to say bologna. Will have to verify that last one next time. Don't knock it 'till you try it. Until next time, smoke it if you got it.