Barbecue News

TMBBQ Fest 2014's meaty lineup includes best barbecue joints in Texas

If your idea of the perfect day includes eating as much barbecue as you can from the best joints in the world, then Texas Monthly has the festival for you. On July 29 at 10 am, tickets for the fifth annual TMBBQ Fest go on sale, giving Texans a chance to sample food from the most respected pitmasters in the state.

Inspired by TM’s incredibly popular list of the 50 best BBQ joints, this year’s festival will be held on September 14 on the City Terrace at the Long Center in Austin.

VIP tickets are priced at $145 each; regular admission is $80. Although all ticket holders get the chance to sample the famous fare, VIP tickets do score you an extra hour in the barbecue extravaganza, two free drink tickets, a commemorative shirt and The Q Card — which is basically like a reward card for barbecue lovers.

Entry for kids ages 5 and under is $10. This is presumably because children are small and can’t eat as much, but we know a few pre-schoolers who can put away their weight in ribs.

The 25 meat masters confirmed for this year’s festival include Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants Lockhart Smokehouse, Pecan Lodge, Cousin’s Bar-B-Q in Fort Worth and Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, as well as newcomer Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland. (Once upon a time, Pecan Lodge got the newcomer nod.)

Many of the participants will also offer side dishes and desserts, and there will also be a cash bar. Tickets can be purchased online.

Below is the full list of participating restaurants:

Black’s Barbecue (Lockhart)
Buzzie’s Bar-B-Q (Kerrville)
City Meat Market (Giddings)
Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que (Llano)
Cousin’s Bar-B-Q (Fort Worth)
Cranky Frank’s Barbeque Company (Fredericksburg)
Franklin Barbecue (Austin)
The Granary ’Cue & Brew (San Antonio)
Hatfield’s BBQ (Rockport)
Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering (San Marcos)
Hutchins BBQ (McKinney)
Killen’s Barbecue (Pearland)
La Barbecue (Austin)
Lamberts Downtown Barbecue (Austin)
Lockhart Smokehouse (Dallas)
Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor)
Miller’s Smokehouse (Belton)
Opie’s Barbecue (Spicewood)
Pecan Lodge (Dallas)
Pody’s BBQ (Pecos)
Snow’s BBQ (Lexington)
Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue (Tyler)
Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew (Austin)
Two Bros. BBQ Market (San Antonio)
Tyler’s Barbeque (Amarillo)

Lockhart Smokehouse is heading to Austin for TMBBQ Fest in September.

Lockhart Smokehouse

Lockhart Smokehouse is heading to Austin for TMBBQ Fest in September.

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Cheesecake News

Dallas dessert shop Val's Cheesecakes calls it quits on Greenville Ave

Photo courtesy of Val's

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A Dallas dessert shop has closed its doors: Val's Cheesecakes, located at 2820 Greenville Ave., closed for good on December 17 after 12 years.

Owner Valery Jean-Bart issued a statement saying that he was ready to move on to new things.

"The time has come to officially close the doors at our Greenville location," he said. "This is not just the end of a chapter; it is the end of a place that has been a huge part of my life and journey. Over the years, we have built something special here, but the time has come to let this space go so we can move forward with clarity and purpose."

Jean-Bart started selling his cheesecakes in 2012 after a career in civil engineering. He took the inspiration from his mother's love of cheesecakes before she passed from breast cancer.

Over the past decade, he had many ups and downs, with other locations that he opened and closed, often abruptly, and more than one closure followed by a reopening.

But he said this time he was closing permanently, calling the past few months "a challenge" but also a reminder of what matters.

"Focusing on friends, family, and my personal life is more important now than ever," he said. "I am leaving this location on my own terms, proud of what we have accomplished and ready for what is next."

What is next is Val's Blue Label, his other shop in the Cedars District at 1112 S. Akard St. which he opened in March 2023 and which is described as an elevated cheesecake experience that also holds classes and workshops.