Today I played some early-morning tennis at TCU's indoor tennis facility because the weather currently has been too cold for my wussy ass to play outdoors. Plus, the elements like wind and precipitation don't help much either. After playing for around three and a half hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., I was freaking starving!
When I was leaving the parking lot of the courts, I figured I'd hit a drive-thru to eat something on the long drive back to Dallas. I was thinking about all the different restaurants I've seen on I-30 between Fort Worth and Dallas and which one sounded the most appealing.
But then it hit me, let me see what barbecue restaurants were close to my current location. I opened Google Maps on my phone and searched for "barbecue restaurants near me."
The number two (hehe) option was Heim Barbecue. I remember reading/hearing something about this place and new it was supposed to be good according to most people/critics who have already partaken in it's offerings. I think the article also said something about it just missing the Top 50 list for Texas Monthly due to not being open during the rating time period or something. Or I could be just making it up.
Anyway, Heim was approximately ten minutes from my location. I did read that sometimes there were waiting lines around the building and getting parking spaces close wasn't that great either.
When I got to the place, I did a brief "is it worth it" drive by. I did see that there were maybe 3-5 people waiting in a line outside the door but I didn't know how long the line was inside the door. I figured what the hell. I was already here and I have a long drive home so might as well at least get out and see what's up.
As mentioned, parking is a bitch. There seems to be a parking lot right behind the building with maybe 10-20 spots but I think it shares parking with two or three or more other businesses. I did drive through it and no one was leaving. I drove around the block which includes the businesses and some residential houses, a-la Bishop Arts District, and was lucky to find a spot being vacated as I pulled up about one hundred feet on a street behind Heim.
I took this as another sign to keep on keeping on...
Okay, so finally I get to the door and there are still about five people in line outside the door. I take a quick glance in and I find that the line ends almost just past the inside the door. Another sign...
I'm waiting outside, luckily the weather is warmer than expected, and more people start to get in line. I'm talking 2-3 at first and then there are 10, then 15. It's a good thing I got there when I did.
They do have a bar area which can be accessed from the inside or outside that you can sit at and order but I didn't know for sure if I wanted to hang out and eat or make the long drive home and devour it in the comforts of home.
The full wait time for me once I got in line was maybe 20-30 minutes. The meat aroma was way worse than the wait in line because it smelled so good that my mouth watered for the duration of the wait and it just made me want to taste the offerings that much more.
I get to the counter and the cashier/order taker was friendly as can be. So was the prep woman which is I would call the person who is between the order taker and kitchen that puts the food on the trays or in the to-go bags.
Anyway, while waiting in the line previously, I decided that I would definitely get brisket and ribs. I usually just get brisket but I've had a few good-tasting ribs from other BBQ joints so I figured I'd keep trying them at new places.
I also happened to see an item that caught my eye: loaded potato skins. The description on the menu board and the price point made them a seemingly worthy "extra" to get with the ribs and brisket.
So, I gave my to-go order. I paid for my order. I waited for my order. I received my order in about 5-10 mins after ordering. I left with my order. I drove with my order all the way from Downtown Fort Worth to basically Downtown Dallas...all the while inhaling the awesome barbecue smell the entire time!
I finally got home to reveal what the smell of goodness had in store for me.
The wife and one of my kids gathered around for the unveiling...
What you see (from left to right) is a pound of ribs, loaded potato skins and a pound of brisket.
It all smelled good and looked good but I couldn't wait to see if it tasted good.
It all did taste good...enough!
The ribs were tender and had a good smoke aroma. However, they weren't as flavorful as I had hoped. I feel ribs are something that really can't be messed up but you can make them underwhelming. I felt like these ribs were good but nothing I need to return for.
The loaded potato skins were very good. I didn't expect them to be but they were. The wife and kid really liked them and preferred them over the ribs and brisket. I only had a small bite of them to get some of the awe they were feeling because I was invested in having the brisket. However, I would order the loaded potato skins again!
The brisket was very good too. I was fairly flavorful and moist just like I prefer it. It pulled apart with ease. The bark was perfect. It was just all around pretty awesome!
They have other offerings like sausage and chicken but I'm not wasting my taste buds or dollars on those offerings. Others may have a different opinion.
So, there you have it. Heim is definitely worth hitting up if you are near the Downtown Fort Worth area.
When I was leaving the parking lot of the courts, I figured I'd hit a drive-thru to eat something on the long drive back to Dallas. I was thinking about all the different restaurants I've seen on I-30 between Fort Worth and Dallas and which one sounded the most appealing.
But then it hit me, let me see what barbecue restaurants were close to my current location. I opened Google Maps on my phone and searched for "barbecue restaurants near me."
The number two (hehe) option was Heim Barbecue. I remember reading/hearing something about this place and new it was supposed to be good according to most people/critics who have already partaken in it's offerings. I think the article also said something about it just missing the Top 50 list for Texas Monthly due to not being open during the rating time period or something. Or I could be just making it up.
Anyway, Heim was approximately ten minutes from my location. I did read that sometimes there were waiting lines around the building and getting parking spaces close wasn't that great either.
When I got to the place, I did a brief "is it worth it" drive by. I did see that there were maybe 3-5 people waiting in a line outside the door but I didn't know how long the line was inside the door. I figured what the hell. I was already here and I have a long drive home so might as well at least get out and see what's up.
As mentioned, parking is a bitch. There seems to be a parking lot right behind the building with maybe 10-20 spots but I think it shares parking with two or three or more other businesses. I did drive through it and no one was leaving. I drove around the block which includes the businesses and some residential houses, a-la Bishop Arts District, and was lucky to find a spot being vacated as I pulled up about one hundred feet on a street behind Heim.
I took this as another sign to keep on keeping on...
Okay, so finally I get to the door and there are still about five people in line outside the door. I take a quick glance in and I find that the line ends almost just past the inside the door. Another sign...
I'm waiting outside, luckily the weather is warmer than expected, and more people start to get in line. I'm talking 2-3 at first and then there are 10, then 15. It's a good thing I got there when I did.
They do have a bar area which can be accessed from the inside or outside that you can sit at and order but I didn't know for sure if I wanted to hang out and eat or make the long drive home and devour it in the comforts of home.
The full wait time for me once I got in line was maybe 20-30 minutes. The meat aroma was way worse than the wait in line because it smelled so good that my mouth watered for the duration of the wait and it just made me want to taste the offerings that much more.
I get to the counter and the cashier/order taker was friendly as can be. So was the prep woman which is I would call the person who is between the order taker and kitchen that puts the food on the trays or in the to-go bags.
Anyway, while waiting in the line previously, I decided that I would definitely get brisket and ribs. I usually just get brisket but I've had a few good-tasting ribs from other BBQ joints so I figured I'd keep trying them at new places.
I also happened to see an item that caught my eye: loaded potato skins. The description on the menu board and the price point made them a seemingly worthy "extra" to get with the ribs and brisket.
So, I gave my to-go order. I paid for my order. I waited for my order. I received my order in about 5-10 mins after ordering. I left with my order. I drove with my order all the way from Downtown Fort Worth to basically Downtown Dallas...all the while inhaling the awesome barbecue smell the entire time!
I finally got home to reveal what the smell of goodness had in store for me.
The wife and one of my kids gathered around for the unveiling...
It all smelled good and looked good but I couldn't wait to see if it tasted good.
It all did taste good...enough!
The ribs were tender and had a good smoke aroma. However, they weren't as flavorful as I had hoped. I feel ribs are something that really can't be messed up but you can make them underwhelming. I felt like these ribs were good but nothing I need to return for.
The loaded potato skins were very good. I didn't expect them to be but they were. The wife and kid really liked them and preferred them over the ribs and brisket. I only had a small bite of them to get some of the awe they were feeling because I was invested in having the brisket. However, I would order the loaded potato skins again!
The brisket was very good too. I was fairly flavorful and moist just like I prefer it. It pulled apart with ease. The bark was perfect. It was just all around pretty awesome!
They have other offerings like sausage and chicken but I'm not wasting my taste buds or dollars on those offerings. Others may have a different opinion.
So, there you have it. Heim is definitely worth hitting up if you are near the Downtown Fort Worth area.
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