Nicole "Houston-Quitter" D.'s Profile

Let me preface this review by telling all of you this (including the manager, I hope you read this :)): I swore I would never patronize this restaurant. The old Cotton Belt BBQ that used to be here was my FAVORITE barbecue in Texas, but they closed down. Then Red Barn on Colleyville Blvd opened a 2nd location here, which I swore I'd never go to because I strongly disliked Red Barn. Then it changed again to Big Barn, which it still is today. When it became Big Barn BBQ, I did consider going and trying the food, until I saw shill reviews here on Yelp. I flagged the hell out of Big Barn, and the reviews got removed - particularly one that the owner/manager posted herself. Then I became irate, and said I'd never eat here because of that. However, last night I was having a hankerin' for some brisket, and I got curious about Big Barn. I thought long and hard about how mad all the reviews on here made me, but I decided to give it a try, and made up my mind that when I was done eating, I would post a 100% completely honest review. Because of this, I was REALLY hoping the food wouldn't suck, because a bad review would sound very biased. But here it goes:

The food doesn't suck.

Big Barn was on and poppin' when I pulled up. There was a live band playing out on the patio, and the place was PACKED. I had to drive down the street to find somewhere to park. Apparently the new owners here are doing something right... makes me feel even less bad about getting all those reviews removed. I know times are tough in a struggling economy, and business owners are trying anything they can to get their business name out there, but again, TOS rules are rules, and I did what was right. Looks like they're doing fine though without the 5-star reviews.

Anyways, I get in line to order my food: a 2-meat plate, with 2 sides and a slice of toast. I get sliced brisket and cheddar & jalapeno sausage with green beans and mac-n-cheese. The employees are all very, very friendly. No complaints about the service at all! They were great.

I get home with my food, and am pretty excited to try it out, as I am with all new BBQ spots - it could be pure gold, or it could be meh. You never know til you take that first bite of everything.

Brisket: Lacking in flavor, sliced a bit too thin for my taste, but was nice and moist. Not dry at all.

Sausage: Pretty good. A little bit dry, but had a good flavor.

Green Beans: Done my favorite way - with onions and bacon. If you're a vegetarian, these aren't veg-friendly. Not skimpy on the bacon at all... lots of big huge pieces. Needed a leeeetle bit more seasoning though.

Mac & Cheese: Definitely not Blue Box. Had a good amount of cheese, but was pretty dry. Needs some cream or milk, and maybe some more cheese too, but definitely not bad.

I got the spicy sauce, which had a very good, rich flavor to it. I absolutely loved the sauce... it was excellent.

All in all, I'm glad I gave it a shot, and I'm glad I didn't have to come on here and sound all bitter and spiteful by giving it a bad review. I'm gonna go back eventually to try the food again with a clearer mind. I may change my opinion on it and end up liking it a lot more when my mind isn't all clouded with judgement lol Either way, I'm happy to see that this place seems to be doing well, and they probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon, judging by how busy they were. Seems like it's probably a really good spot to go on the weekend to enjoy some beer and food and listen to some live music during the warm evenings over the summer.

Also, now that I've identified myself, I hope the owner doesn't run me out with a cattle prod next time I go because I got all those reviews removed... lol. I've added an honest one in their place! Show owner comment »

I went here recently for a work-related dinner, and I was reeeally expecting to like the food. I read the other reviews before going so that I'd know what to expect, but I still managed to be let down.

Or waiter was great - don't get me wrong. I've got no complaints at all about the service. My problem is with the food. The chips and salsa we got when we sat down were really good - the salsa had just the right amount of kick.

I decided to order the shrimp tacos, and that's where things went south. The shrimp itself didn't taste fresh at all. It didn't have that gross fishy scent that old shrimp gets... it just had a musky flavor. I didn't want to finish my tacos because I was worried they were gonna make me sick, but I was hawwwngry (no worries, I didn't end up getting sick). The sauce they put in the tacos is way too watery, so I ended up with soupy tortillas that didn't wanna stay in one piece. I ended up having to eat the tacos with a fork, which REALLY isn't a problem at all. The problem was that the shrimp and the rest of the taco filling were all disgusting.

*IF* I ever go back to Mi Cocina for some reason out of my control, I'll definitely be ordering something else.

I've come to this location several times with a group of my friends, and we've always had a pretty decent time. The first time we came here, I was REALLY surprised that we didn't get thrown out - one of my friends got really drunk and rowdy, and tried to fight one of my other friends. We ended up with a few broken glasses at our table, and our table was moved several feet from him trying to knock it over while we all had drinks on it. Our server was really tolerant though, and we got our friend out of there lol

Since that night, we've been back a few more times without our little troublemaker friend, and it's been good times. I agree with Tricia O about the pool tables - good luck getting one. They're usually being hogged by hipsters and DBs (I won't define that one... if you know, you know lol) who babysit the tables all night and you won't be able to get a game in. The music they play is basically pop music, but it's mostly somewhat lesser-known songs by big artists, so it's not too annoying. I've looked a couple times for a jukebox, but I'm not sure if there is one.

The best part about Fox And Hound is the beer selection (thank you, Fat Tire!). They're also about to start selling Bitburger, which I hardly ever see anywhere. The drinks aren't ridiculously priced, and the cocktails aren't too too skimpy on the booze - they pretty much fall right in the middle. The food isn't bad, either.

The last time we went, I think we had the best service I've had ANYWHERE in years. I even wrote a little note on my check to our server: "Thanks, Drew! You're the best!" lol He really was. All in all, not my favorite drinking spot, but my definite go-to one when I'm in that particular area.

I'm normally not one to write yet another review for a chain restaurant that has tons and tons (although this particular location only has 5 as of right now), but after a dinner as good as the one I had last night, I felt like I really had to.

This particular location is nestled in a little mini Pappa's-plex - there's also a Pappasito's and Pappa's Burger in the same parking lot. They get really busy on the weekends, so thankfully our wait was only like 30 minutes. When we were seated, we were greeted by a really friendly waiter (I think his name was JJ?) who had a great sense of humor - he was one of the best waiters I've had in a pretty long time.

Me and my friends shared an Appetizer Trio, which was basically devoured. The calamari, alligator, and fondeaux were all really, really good. The alligator and calamari were perfectly tender - not tough at all. I washed mine down with a Shiner and was happy as could be.

For dinner, I got the Big Bay Platter with asparagus, and this is where I found my true happiness. It came with 2 jumbo stuffed shrimp, 2 small lobster tails, and 2 shrimp skewers. The lobster tails were good - not mind-blowing, but good. The stuffed shrimp were very rich and very tasty. The big winner though were the shrimp skewers. The shrimp was SO SO fresh, and the sauce on them had a good flavor, but wasn't too overpowering so I could still taste how fresh the shrimp was. This was definitely the best and most fresh seafood I've had since I've been in Texas, and it does come with its price tag.

I'll for sure be back to Pappadeaux. The only reason I knocked off a star is because our table was way too close to a big party behind me, so their waiter kept hitting me every time he tried to refill their drinks. He was very apologetic, and I wasn't mad about it or anything because I understood how busy they were, but they definitely try to cram wayyy too many people in there at a time.

I love LUSH beyond all words. There is no way for me to possibly describe its greatness in one review. Basically, this company hand-makes all its own skin and hair products, and a LOT of them are Vegan. The products are all imported from Canada and use totally fresh ingredients, including only organic fruits and vegetables. All the products smell AMAZING, and the scent they give off lasts for hours without a problem.

These days, I will not buy my shampoo, conditioner, body wash/soap, body powder, lip balm, or bubble bath from anywhere else. Sometimes I'll buy my body lotion, facial cleanser, and facial moisturizers elsewhere, but I typically only buy those from here also.

I also can't even begin to describe the cart I have next to my bath tub that's loaded up with fizzies (Bath Bombs), bubble bath products (Bubble Bars), bath melts, and sugar scrubs... all from LUSH. Can you tell that I love them? Plus, aside from not doing any animal testing, a lot of their products come without packaging because they're solids, so you don't have to feel bad about the plastic, if you're Earth-conscious.

The types of scents they offer are sure to please everyone! There are countless items to please fans of herbal, floral, sweet, and fruity scents, plus tons of others. I personally prefer the "warming" scents during autumn and wintertime (chai, cinnamon, nutmeg, java, etc) and floral scents through the rest of the year (jasmine, ylang ylang, rose) and LUSH is always sure to have something that sounds good to me.

The ONLY downside is that their products are pretty pricey... but you always get free samples with your purchases, plus the sales associates will show you exactly how to use any and all of their products if you're ever unsure. The stores also have pretty frequent events which include product demonstrations, contests, giveaways, and hand or face treatments.

I love Market Street because of all the different types of food you can buy here. There are so many things they sell here that I DO NOT need to be eating, but I do anyways because, well, they taste good. Market Street is always clean inside when I go, and the employees are always very friendly. Their deli area is massive, serving up all kinds of pre-cooked items, breads, fresh seafood, cheeses, etc. The Sicilian-style marinaded mozzarella is fantastic!

One of my favorite, most random things to buy here are maki rolls, which I absolutely gorge on. They're just seaweed-wrapped rice crackers, but Tom Thumb (my usual grocery store) doesn't sell them, and I hadn't seen them since I moved away from LA, thus leaving behind my beloved Trader Joe's. I'm happy to be able to buy them here :) Thank you, Market Street's "Asian Foods" section!

All in all, I love Market Street. The only thing I dislike is having someone walk me out to my car to load up my groceries for me. I don't know why, but I hate carry-out service unless I've purchased something way too large for me to carry on my own. On the other hand, I LOVE the fact that, since all your items are loaded up for you, the employees all take the carts back into the store themselves. You will notice that there are no cart caddies anywhere in the lot because of this, which therefore means there are also no stray shopping carts littered around the lot, begging to put a dent in your car or block your parking spot. I've noticed that a lot of people have mentioned their prices, but I really think Market Street is fairly cheap. Given the area and the type of foods they sell, they could definitely get away with higher prices... but I'm glad they don't try to!

Prior to going to Chan Thai, I'd never had Thai food, so I really don't have anything to compare it to. I ended up here completely by accident this past Wednesday because my original destination, The Quinn Bar, was closed for two days for Thanksgiving. My friends and I ended up at Chan Thai and sat in the bar area for Happy Hour. The only beers they have on tap are Blue Moon and Miller Lite, so I opted for a Blue Moon (or... maybe 5 Blue Moons. lol). They were only $2.75 each, as I learned when I inspected my bill - not too shabby, I must say! Maybe an hour or so into our 4 hour visit, our waiter brought us all some complimentary appetizers (it wasn't until later that I realized free appetizers are part of their Happy Hour special - sweet!) which were basically a spring roll and some other meat on a bone that I didn't touch lol I'm not sure if it was chicken or pork... but my guess would be chicken?

Anyways, I ordered the Pad Thai with tofu, and a crab potstickers appetizer for a bit of variety so I wasn't just eating a plate of noodles with nothing else. The potstickers were pretty "meh" but at that point I didn't care because my $2.75 Blue Moons were starting to kick in. The Pad Thai was pretty tasty. Like I said, I've never had it before so I had nothing to compare it to, but I thought it was good. Not great, but good.

Our waiter was very friendly, and came to check on us and bring us new drinks pretty often, so he got a nice tip out of me. All in all, I'd go back if I was in the mood for Thai, but I don't really think I'll ever crave Thai food again. Of course, I'm not going to hold it against Chan Thai just because I'm not crazy about Thai food - the Happy Hour specials were pretty sweet :)

Finally some chili cheese fries the way I like 'em! This OC Burgers location is fairly new, and I remember noticing it right around the time it opened, wondering what the food was like. I always skipped it because I'm not much of a burger person. Chili cheese fries however.... move outta my way!!

The fries at OC Burgers are just the right size - not scrawny like at McDonalds, and not crinkle-cut either (which seems to be pretty common around these here parts). I personally prefer steak fries, but not when they're drenched in chili-y, cheesy, oniony goodness! These probably rank 3rd on my list of favorite chili cheese fries (surpassed only by Tommy's and Bravo Burger... both in California).

Now, I'm not gonna leave you high and dry by reviewing a burger place solely on their chili cheese fries - no worries! I DID order an "OC Burger" with grilled onions. The burger was delicious! Cooked perfectly for me (I have a disturbing, over-crazed fear of any pink in the middle of my burger - Mooyah is notorious for making me spit and pitch my dead-animal-on-a-bun), all the ingredients tasted fresh enough, and it wasn't a wimpy lil 'un, either. I've read some of the reviews about their breakfast, and you can be sure that I'll be ordering a breakfast burrito from here soon! I'm a sucker for a good breakfast burrito.

The only reason I took a star off is because the service is sorta slow. I don't necessarily mean that the food is slow coming out... I mean that you will pull up to the drive-thru and sit there for a while with some time to reflect on your day, think about what tomorrow may bring, and then finally wonder if they're even freakin' open by the time someone greets you over the speaker.

For those of you who live in the Mid-Cities area, OC Burgers also just opened a new location over in Hurst between 121 and the Walmart on Precinct Line. Remember where the short-lived Seekers Cafe was? It's now an OC Burgers location... in case you live closer to that area.

I really wanted to love Mooyah, but I just... didn't. Really, the only reason I'm not giving 2 stars is because of the staff - they're all very, very friendly. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the food. Like a couple others have said, the burgers get wrapped in foil, so it's gonna end up soggy by the time you eat it no matter how quickly you drive home. The ingredients are all very fresh though, which is a huge plus. As for the fries... meh. I really didn't like them. You get a ton of them with your order, which is great when you're a fry lover, but I just couldn't get into them.

I love the selection of burger types and toppings, but I just don't love the food. Sorry, Mooyah!

This review is solely about Pho V's smoothie bar. I've never eaten the food, but I'm addicted to their boba tea!

Call it what you want: boba tea, bubble tea, whatever! I didn't know they made it until I read Tara M's review a few months ago, and then I went rushing over there the next day. Since moving to Texas, I had yet to find some GOOD boba tea. I had a disgusting experience in Houston (see review here: http://www.yelp.com/bi... ), and when I looked up places here in DFW, it seemed like all the tea bars were really far away from where I live, and I didn't feel like venturing out 30mins away for a smoothie. Now, I've got mm-mm-good boba tea within walking distance from my apartment.

The staff here is all very friendly, and they have an entire smoothie bar by the front door, so I can just walk in, order my tasty beverage, and walk out. They also have a frequent smoothie card, so your 9th or 10th one is free. Pho V uses just the right amount of boba, and they use fresh fruit for their smoothies. They literally have a TON of different drinks to choose from... so whether you're in the mood for an iced green tea, a mango smoothie, or a black milk tea, they're sure to have whatever your little heart desires.

My personal favorite is the strawberry banana swirl smoothie with boba. It's my favorite treat to stay cool in the summer heat, which seems to last for a solid 7 months in the Lone Star State.