Spring Creek in Arlington: shiny new look, spicy barbecue flavor

Before it became fashionable, barbecue was always served in one of two basic settings:

▪ Dim, dumpy beer dive, or

▪ Shiny, bright family restaurant.

Since 1980, Arlington-based Spring Creek Barbeque has led the second category, and now that owner Chris Carroll’s flagship Spring Creek on South Cooper Street has reopened, it is more shiny than ever.

When a pit room fire struck Feb. 16, owners said the location would reopen by March. Instead, they spent six months remodeling.

Now, the 40-year-old building has murals and landscaping. It’s a lifetime removed from its original life as a country music honky-tonk named the Sunset, where fiddle bands once played Cotton-Eyed Joe in two shifts both day and night.

Carroll’s Spring Creek restaurants and affiliated Mexican Inn Cafes are both known for tilework, and the new Arlington location has handsome red-white-and-blue tiles in the bathrooms and subway tiles in the baking area. The ceiling came from an old New England barn, and a James Dean Giant mural is underway in the second dining room.

Years ago, another Star-Telegram reviewer criticized Spring Creek as an institutional chain and compared it to the ice cream that comes with the cobbler: vanilla.

But today’s Spring Creek had stepped up its game, adding “Hill Country” brisket with smoky bark, cracked-peppercorn sausage and a surprisingly good Carolina pulled-pork barbecue with mustard sauce.

On opening day Monday, the Arlington location’s signature pork ribs lived up to visits past, but the Carolina pork is the new star. The fresh bread loaves were again delivered in handbaskets.

Spring Creek has more competition in Arlington now, with Rudy’s nearby and Jambo’s, Eddie Deen Crossroads or Bodacious BBQ all closer to downtown. But the remodeled location and the forthcoming El Ranchito nearby will give diners a reason to return to South Cooper Street.

It’s open for lunch and dinner daily; 3608 S. Cooper St., 817-465-0553, springcreekbarbeque.com.

Pigskin + barbecue

In central Arlington, owner Eddie Deen reports that his Crossroads barbecue served 1,200 patrons during a college football weekend at AT&T Stadium.

Eddie Deen’s is open for lunch and dinner Mondays through Saturdays until 5 p.m. or until the barbecue is gone; 1004 N. Collins St., 817-795-6900, eddiedeencrossroads.com.

Sply and Salsa

Quick updates:

▪ HG Sply Co., the busy new bar-and-grill along the Trinity River off River Run, will launch its brunch menu Saturday.

Nothing official yet, but chef Danyele McPherson’s brunch at the Dallas location includes cranberry-pecan muffins with strawberry jam and all-natural sausage frittatas or tacos. Most talked-about item so far: the beet margarita.

HG (“hunter-gatherer”) is open daily for lunch or brunch and dinner; 1621 River Run, 682-730-6070, hgsplyco.com.

▪ Wild Salsa, a Mexico City-style restaurant and tequileria in downtown Dallas, will finally open a long-awaited Fort Worth location in early October.

Look for it at 300 Throckmorton St. in One City Place; wildsalsarestaurant.com.

Stomp time

More later this week, but this is GrapeFest weekend in Grapevine.

Tickets remain for the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, a separate sampling event with two sessions each night Thursday and Friday and seven more tastings over the weekend.

Tickets cost $23-$31 at grapevinetexasusa.com.

Visitors also can buy $12-$20 tickets for special tastings of Australian or Californian wines.

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Spring Creek in Arlington: shiny new look, spicy barbecue flavor."