Eats Beat: Soulman’s has distinctive flavors, but a few flaws

By 1974 standards, Soulman’s Bar-B-Que would look good.

But Texas barbecue has improved since then, and Soulman’s new Hurst location needs more than a fresh coat of paint and free soft-serve to impress the increasingly picky brisket crowd.

The Royse City-based Soulman’s has distinctive offerings that make it different from similar cafeteria-style barbecue chains: an excellent jalapeño creamed corn, a sweet-spicy sauce that covers many flaws, and East Texas-quality buttermilk pie.

Just don’t compare it to today’s craft barbecue restaurants like Meat U Anywhere in Grapevine, or even to an open-pit Cooper’s or Hard Eight BBQ or a locally owned place like nearby Poor Daddy’s Smokehouse.

But like Dickey’s or Spring Creek, Soulman’s serves reliable mass-market barbecue. The company’s Hurst restaurant is the westernmost outpost of the mostly East Texas chain, which began in Dallas’ Pleasant Grove neighborhood.

Nothing says East Texas like buttermilk pie. (There’s also pecan.) But on a recent midafternoon visit, Soulman’s brisket was sliced thin and lacked much smoke flavor.

The ribs were big and probably were better earlier. The highlight was the hot links, which staff members said were made special for Soulman’s. (This isn’t unusual: Many barbecue chains are featuring more pork, ribs and sausage these days, because of the high price of brisket.)

Soulman’s side dishes might need a 21st-century upgrade. The creamed corn and “ranch house” beans stand out compared to other chains, but the only vaguely green dishes were green beans or fried okra.

The new location is at 565 W. Bedford-Euless Road on the corner at Brookside Drive, in a 50-year-old barbecue landmark that formerly was Danny D’s.

It’s open for lunch and dinner daily; 817-280-9741, soulmans.com.

Quick spin

California-based Blaze Pizza has come to Arlington, bringing quick-fired pizzas served off a line similar to a chain burrito shop.

In the world of quick-fired pizzas, Blaze has a better choice of toppings than the Pie Five chain but doesn’t come close to Fort Worth-based Pizza Snob’s artisan choices.

Blaze’s big advantage, though, is its airy crust. (Warning: Don’t try to fold one of these feather-light slices, or you’ll wind up with a lap full of marinara.)

Blaze offers eight pre-set choices with combinations such as barbecued chicken-Gorgonzola, but the best plan is to build a pizza from the choice of seven cheeses, six sauces and 23 toppings.

Blaze might be best known for a drink: a blood orange-lemonade.

Look for it at 841 E. Lamar Blvd., near Whole Foods Market; 817-522-1230, www.blazepizza.com.

A second location will open in Fort Worth at 5925 Convair Drive in the Waterside development, which also will have a Taco Diner and Zoës Kitchen along with Whole Foods.

A ‘10 best’ in Cowtown

The new Texas Monthly list of “Where to Eat Now” includes a familiar name among the state’s 10 best new restaurants of the year.

Horseshoe Hill Cafe, chef Grady Spears’ tribute to chicken-fried steak, made the list, proving calf fries can match up against haute cuisine.

“This is the kind of food that Big Tex — the 55-foot-tall cowboy who looms benevolently over the State Fair of Texas — would eat if he were a real person,” Texas Monthly wrote.

Horseshoe Hill is open for lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays; 204 W. Exchange Ave., 817-882-6405 (which often goes unanswered at busy times), horseshoehillcafe.com.

Cannon Chinese Kitchen, the city’s first contemporary Chinese restaurant, also won an honorable-mention listing, both for its stylized decor and for the ginger-scallion steamed halibut.

It’s open for dinner nightly except Sunday and for lunch Tuesday through Friday; 304 W. Cannon St., 817-238-3726, cannonchinesekitchen.com.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Eats Beat: Soulman’s has distinctive flavors, but a few flaws."