19 May 23 - 29, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents We Feel Dissed Yelp says five of the nation’s best barbecue spots are in North Texas. BY CHRIS WOLFGANG F or better or for worse, Yelp helps a lot of consumers make more in- formed decisions on everything from dentists to dinner reserva- tions. Crowd-sourced opinions from users (and ads from businesses looking for an extra leg up) have turned Yelp into a billion-dollar business. But the platform is in constant battle with fake reviews (both positive and negative), as well as claims from small businesses who feel pressured to buy Yelp’s services in order to deal with inaccu- rate reviews. So it’s with a healthy dose of skepticism that we read Yelp’s 2024 list of the top bar- becue restaurants in America and learned that just five of them are in North Texas. A total of 12 Texas spots made the list. Any Texan worth his salt-and-pepper rub would agree that the number is on the low side. Ev- erything is bigger in Texas, after all, includ- ing our opinions about how our barbecue is best. If you don’t believe us, just look at the eight restaurants on Yelp’s list with “Texas” in their name that aren’t even in the Lone Star State. First, let’s review the list of North Texas spots that Yelpers believe are noteworthy. Tender Smokehouse has been popular on Yelp since we first wrote about the Celina lo- cation in 2018, and it tops the local spots at No. 16. Hurtado Barbecue serves up stellar Mexican ’cue and, perhaps only coinciden- tally, the Texas Rangers became World Champions once they added Hurtado to the ballpark concessions. That’s good for only 26th place in Yelp’s rankings. The most recent Texas Monthly Top 50 list names Fort Worth’s Goldee’s Barbecue as best in the state (to which we resoundingly said, “Hell, yeah!”), but such high praise is only worth 66th place according to Yelpers. Smoke ’N Ash, the unique Ethiopian/barbe- cue hybrid in Arlington, checks in at 83, and the Patriotic Pig in North Richland Hills rounds out local spots at 84. Earlier this year, Yelp launched Recogni- tions, which highlights reviewers who write three or more reviews for businesses in the same category. Dallas ranks third behind Los Angeles and Las Vegas for “BBQ” Rec- ognition, meaning we’ve got a lot of Yelpers sharing their smoked meat opinions. Big Names Absent But for the love of everything holy and smoky, where are the other stellar spots in our own backyard? Many of the big names in Dallas- Fort Worth are left off, which leaves us scratching our heads instead of rubbing our bellies. Do Yelpers need some help with sug- gestions? One need only look at our Top 100 Restaurants for assistance. How does a spot like Hutchins, which invented the Texas Twinkie, not make it into Yelp’s Top 100? What of Cattleack, whose praises we’ve sung praises for a decade? Have the fine reviewers of Yelp never had a brisket and tortilla from Zavala’s? Or anything that Kris Manning turns out at Smokey Joe’s in Oak Cliff? Beyond our Top 100, there’s a plethora of barbecue spots that we’re simply shocked haven’t earned more love from Yelp. How is Terry Black’s in Deep Ellum missing, with 2,300 reviews and a 4.5/5 rating on the plat- form? And given the dearth of Cowtown spots on Yelp’s list, we’re left to ask: do Yelpers even Fort Worth? Where is the love for favorites like Panther City, Brix Barbecue or Dayne’s? Yelp may have some insights, but the de- tails are light. In its story, Yelp bigwigs laid out their methodology for the list: “We iden- tified businesses in the Barbecue category with a large concentration of reviews men- tioning “barbecue,” then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the to- tal volume and ratings of reviews mention- ing those keywords,” the site explained. So, if the reviews of your favorite barbecue restaurant mention “succulent brisket” or “killer ribs,” that’s not enough to make the list because the review doesn’t specifically say “barbecue”. That feels inherently flawed, but without knowing what the “other factors” might be, we’re left to speculate. Yelp is certainly one of many tools at the disposal of the discerning diner looking for the latest restaurant gems, but It shouldn’t be the only resource. Sure, scour your social media feeds for opinions, but don’t forget to add your local media to your lists. Texas Monthly’s barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn is based in Dallas, and oversees the magazine’s Top 50 list every four years. The Dallas Morning News’ Sarah Blaskovich is a pro- fessed barbecue lover who often shares a lot of smoked meat content via her Twitter feed. Eater Dallas maintains its own list of essential barbecue, with regular updates. And, of course, all of the contributors here at the Observer offer up plenty of bar- becue opinions on the regular that aren’t bought and sold, all without a paywall (al- though we’d love it if you considered sup- porting us with a membership). We won’t even badger you for five stars on Yelp, either. ▼ FIRST LOOK SURF’S UP WITH STRONG DRINKS, PARTY VIBES AND GREAT FOOD, SURF CAMP IS THE IDEAL ROOFTOP BAR AND RESTAURANT TO START YOUR SUMMER. BY CHRIS WOLFGANG F un is part of Nick Badovinus’ DNA. Fun is what happens when you list a 1974 Ducati motorcycle on the menu (price: MKT) at your high-end steak house, Town Hearth. Fun is why there are shark jaws over the door of his seafood restaurant, Montlake Cut. Fun is all over the place at National Anthem, a veritable mix tape of Ba- dovinus’ greatest restaurant hits. So this will come as no surprise, but fun is at the top of the menu at Surf Camp, Ba- dovinus’ rooftop bar and restaurant in the East Quarter, which occupies the third floor above National Anthem and Brass Ram. Self-described as a “rooftop refresh- ments and fair-weather snack bar,” Surf Camp delivers on those promises from start to finish. If you’re allergic to the outdoors, Surf Camp is not for you. There’s no indoor seat- ing, but enough tables and chairs for 100 or more guests, with little more than a light mesh awning over a third of the deck. Artifi- cial grass covers most of the roof, and the white tables with bright paint splatters may have been sourced from Jackson Pollack’s gift shop. There are inflatable pools stuffed with floats with lounge seating throughout. Our mood instantly brightened as we posted up on barstools that overlook Commerce Street and dove into the menu. On the drink front, Surf Camp leans heavily into tropical jams, with nearly a dozen cocktails and margaritas to choose from. We opened with a Painkiller ($12) with aged rum, coconut, orange and pine- apple juices topped with a light dusting of nutmeg. The rum was subtle, the juices not too sweet, and our guess would be that more than one would indeed anesthetize any painful symptoms you’re experiencing. There’s a copious selection of beer in cans available, and the nine different wine options by the glass may be the most expan- sive we’ve seen while sitting outdoors. If you’re cutting out the alcohol, there’s also a trio of mocktails available, as well as Hawai- ian shaved ice flavored with house-made syrups that will beat back the heat. Our server made several food sugges- tions during our meal which were spot on. The teriyaki pork egg rolls ($14) come four halves to an order, and inside the crisp fried shell is a lightly marinated teriyaki and ponzu marinated shredded pork and Asian-style slaw. The egg rolls are flavorful enough to stand on their own, but come with a teriyaki or sweet-and-sour sauce for dipping, should the mood strike. It’s difficult to go to any Nick Badovinus venture and not get a burger, a longing that nods back to the original Off-Site Kitchen, which closed in 2015. At Surf Camp, the OSK vibes are strong, with the basic cheeseburger checking in at just nine bucks, dressed with lettuce, tomato, on- ions, pickles and mayo. We bumped our burger up to the “Goin Back To Cali” ($13), which added queso Oaxaca, guacamole, ba- con and tajin. Honestly, that many toppings are just asking for messy hands, but they’re all well- executed, and the burger had a crunchy salty sear that lures you back for more bites. It also doesn’t hurt that you’re getting the same basic burger goodness that’s being served one floor below at Brass Ram, on of- fer for an eye-popping $29. The Surf Camp burger may be half the price, but it’s equal in flavor. In a chat with the Dallas Morning News’ Sarah Blaskovich last fall, Badovinus sug- gested that Surf Camp would be one of sev- eral themes that the rooftop bar might employ, and hinted that come spring of 2024, the Surf Camp concept would be re- tired. On our visit a few weeks back, our server knew of no such plans, which we hope is a sign that Surf Camp is here to stay. It’s the urban oasis that we could all use a little more of. Surf Camp, 2130 Commerce St., Third Floor. Wednesday – Thursday, 4–10 p.m.; Fri- day – Saturday, 4–11 p.m.; Sunday, 4–9 p.m. Chris Wolfgang Tender Smokehouse tops local spots at No. 16 | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Lauren Drewes Daniels Surf camp has party vibes and great food.
