16 March 20 - 26, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents shifted, Sarah thickened the sauce, creating a richer texture that clings better to smoked meats. Sarah credits the family’s adaptability, honed well before 2020, as the key factor that sustained them during the pandemic. “Luckily, when others shut down, we ex- celled because we had already been offering food for delivery. Nothing changed. … It was business as usual. In fact, we experienced growth during this time,” she says. Today, each Hardeman’s location em- ploys family members alongside trusted staff members who have become like family. At Sarah’s Scyene Road location, Richardson has worked with the family since the ’90s. His nephew Phillip is learning from him, while Richardson helps uphold the time- honored tradition of pit master. Over the years, the Hardeman family has cemented its status as Dallas’ oldest continu- ous barbecue family, not just through decades of perfecting their craft but through genera- tions of love, adaptation and tradition that continue to shape their story. In a city where barbecue history is still being written, the Hardemans have already left their mark, with the fourth generation learning from the fami- ly’s legacy and preparing to carry it forward. Despite displacement, Hardeman’s en- dured, building a legacy rooted in resilience and the unwavering spirit of a family deter- mined to preserve its name. ▼ BEER JUST WHEN WE NEED A DRINK MOST NEW TARIFFS ON ALL IMPORTED ALUMINUM AND STEEL MIGHT FORCE NORTH TEXAS BREWERIES TO INCREASE PRICES. BY SIMON PRUITT L ast weeks cover story was about frute- rias, restaurants and markets as they grapple with a future affected by Pres- ident Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports from Mexico. A 25% tax levied (then re- scinded, in part) on all imports from Mexico and Canada seems to only be the beginning. Last week, Trump imposed a blanket 25% tariff on all aluminum and steel imports. To as- sess the potential local impact, we reached out to some local craft brewers, who use cans made from aluminum and kegs made from steel. “We feel any impact to cans or canning supply pricing almost immediately as a small batch operation with limited storage,” says On Rotation Brewery & Kitchen co- founder Jacob Sloan. The Love Field hangout offers several of its own beverages as well as options from other local breweries, including Tupps and Peticolas. “We have to source 16-ounce cans by the half pallet and buy as needed throughout the year,” Sloan told us via email. “In previous shortages, cans, lids and labels cost us around $1.50 per 16-ounce can. That’s be- fore even filling it with beer, which obvi- ously adds additional cost. So in order to not lose money when we can, our single 16-ounce and 4-pack prices have to absorb any increase.” Sloan believes the potential pricing im- pact of tariffs depends on how long they last. If they are shortlived, suppliers might have enough fail-safes to protect against immedi- ate damage. But if tariffs continue deep into the year, businesses will need to increase their prices. Wim Bens, president and co-founder of Lakewood Brewing, is holding off on any conclusions. “We are in a wait-and-see pattern on what tariffs will do to our supply chain,” he says. “Obviously, we do not want to go back to pan- demic-level prices and shortages on alumi- num. Right now, there is still supply available but that could change in this volatile political and economic landscape, especially if there is panic buying by the big guys.” Among the “big guys,” is Pete Coors, former chairman of Molson Coors. In 2018, he wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing Trump’s initial wave of aluminum tariffs during his first term in office, citing the half a billion pounds of aluminum that the company purchased each year. “A cold can of beer on a hot summer day is as American as it gets,” Coors wrote in the piece. “But now that experience will cost you more, one of many unfortunate effects of the 10% tariff President Trump imposed on aluminum imports in March.” Trump’s 2018 tariffs were removed in 2019, but there’s no indication of a timeline in 2025. “I think there will probably be a small in- crease later this year or next year,” Bens says. “Craft generally bases prices on what AB or Miller does, so if they go up, craft beer generally moves in lockstep with that.” We also spoke with Cory Hodson, owner of Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery in downtown Garland. Intrinsic imports alu- minum and steel and sources grain from Canada. “Basically everything we need to make beer we’re expecting to go up,” Hodson says. The company’s knee-jerk reaction was to double up on orders before prices changed, but that will only do so much. “We’re not going to be buying aluminum directly,” Hodson says. “We don’t have the capability of making the can, so we’re just gonna look around and get the best deal we can. What else can we do about it? “Much like COVID, we’ll just have to pivot and adjust. We’re not happy about it, but we have to stay competitive,” Hodson says. “We’re gonna do our best, and if we have to pass on the cost to customers, that’s just business.” ▼ EAT THIS THE KING OF DALLAS SAMMIES TASTING TABLE NAMED FOSSATI’S DELICATESSEN IN VICTORIA THE MOST ICONIC DELI IN THE STATE. WE HAVE ANOTHER IDEA. BY LAUREN DREWES DANIELS R ecently, Tasting Table released a list of the most iconic sandwich shops in every state. For Texas, they selected Fossati’s Delicatessen in Victoria, specifi- cally the chicken salad melt. We’re as con- fused as you are. We’re not sure where to start unpacking that, so let’s don’t. So, we started our sandwich journey. If Dallas was a sandwich, what would it be? More specifically, what is the most iconic sandwich in Dallas? An icon has to have been around for a while; it needs history and lore. You call it by name. When discussing the most iconic sandwiches in Dallas, it’s easy to focus on a few places. For instance, Cindy’s NY Deli is undoubt- edly a part of the conversation; the New York-style deli is legendary with larger- than-mouth sandwiches, particularly the Reuben on rye with sauerkraut and Swiss. We anointed the grilled bologna at Cenzo’s as the best damn sandwich in Dallas re- cently, but they’re too new to be iconic — their sneakers are still white. The Great American Hero is shuttered, although it may have been in contention after serving sandwiches from its colorful hut along Lemmon Avenue for almost 50 years. The Great Outdoors opened down- town in 1976, but its oldest standing shop on Belt Line Road closed recently. Wein- berger’s Deli gets a lot of chatter (and long lines) for its Chicago-style sandwiches, but 1.) It’s in Grapevine, and 2.) It’s in Grapevine. Even if it was in Dallas, it’s a Chicago spot. So, we’ll get to it: Jimmy’s has to be the place. The small bodega in East Dallas opened in 1966, and the building itself was built in the ’20s. In 2025, it’s struggling not to get swallowed by gentrification like Jaws going after Quint. Yet, this Italian grocery store and meat market with a fantastic niche wine collection perseveres. Jimmy’s has a sandwich counter at the back of the store stuffed with meats, cheese, and various fun accouterments. You can have a glass of wine while you shop, and you should. The spot is old and gritty, and everyone loves it. Recently, I asked what their most popular sandwich is, and the guy at the counter said, “The Ital- ian beef.” I said I’d have two with extra gravy because that’s how the guy in front of me ordered his. After eating it and getting gravy all over my desk and not regretting one splatter, I reached out to Paul DiCarlo, one of the founder’s sons. I told him what I was up to, and he grumbled a bit, surpris- ingly disagreeing about Dallas’ most iconic sandwich. DiCarlo explained that the Italian beef City of Ate from p15 Nathan Hunsinger An assortment of barbecue offerings from Hardeman’s: brisket sandwich and fries, pulled pork baked potato, meatloaf and sides, pork ribs, pecan pie. Lauren Drewes Daniels Plastic cups for beer might soon be the most affordable option.
