Lewis' Barbecue: Big Texas Menu, Big Texas Prices

Lewis Barbecue is another of those Texas-style brisket restaurants that have been invading pork country in the last few years. 

Apparently, they can’t leave well enough alone.

 At least Monkey Wrench and The Smoke Pit have the decency to leave the B word off their portmanteau. As everybody knows, beef ain’t barbecue.

Lewis is a recent transplant from Charleston and has taken over the edifice of the iconic Tommy's Country Ham House whose memory is still regarded fondly by the locals. Gone is the hung ceiling with its accustomed water spots. The vaulted ceiling gives the place a nice airy feel. There is ample seating inside and a bar that serves all the standard libations. There’s a porch if that’s what it’s called, where people can sit on bar stools at a long shelf-like surface and look out over the spacious portico, filled with picnic tables made in a style that I might call a cross between 19^th Century barn and Twentieth Century industrial. A nice touch are the horseshoes under the shelf on which to hang hats, purses, and presumably, gun belts—it is a Texas-style place after all.

But enough about the atmosphere. As I like to say, you can’t eat it, you just pay for it. When I walked up to the bar the guy shoved a glistening piece of brisket in my face like a hawker at the fair. I popped it in my mouth and remarked, “This tastes like a dead cow.” My wife had to explain the joke. After sticking the hunk of beef in my face, he pronounced that they most certainly did not give samples of their sausage, which has the extremely appetizing moniker of Hot Guts. Nor do they offer burnt ends. They do have pulled pork, kind of shoved off to the side as if they hope nobody notices, but for the sake of journalism, I compromised my principles and went for the beef. My wife, who’s from near Lexington North Carolina, and therefore more of a purist, ordered the pork.

They have a variety of Texas-style sides, including Cowboy Pintos and Corn Pudding, as well as slaw, and fries, which, at first, I mistook for pork skins due to their odd shape. Noticeably absent was that old standby of Carolina ‘Q joints, sweet potato crunch.

The meal is served, again, Texas-style, on pink butcher paper. My wife and I each got ½ pound of meat, which they boldly proclaim is the “recommended portion” (Priced by weight, of course) with two sides, drinks, and a couple of sausages to take home. I was hoping I didn’t get stopped by a cop on the way.

                “What you got in that bag, sir?”

                “Oh, It’s just some Hot Guts,”

                “STEP OUTTA THE CAR!”

For the food, and including the tip, which alone was more than I’m used to paying for a barbecue sandwich, (and I hit the middle button) the bill came to almost $75. It kind of reminded me of when I ate at the Boat House on the Isle of Palms and got shrimp and grits for $8.00 per crustacean. That may fly in a tourist trap like Charleston, but IMO it’s a little steep for up here in good ole boy central.

$75.000 on a tray. 
Here's what $75.00 will get you at Lewis. Note the fries disguised as pork skins

It was a little disconcerting, in this town built by farmers and mill workers, to have spent tad shy on one meal, of what would have been a week’s pay for my grandfather when he worked at the old Union Bleachery back in the '60's.

The brisket was fork-tender and juicy with great bark, good smoke, and the standard Texas rub, which is loaded with black pepper. The pork was tender with good smoke and a sweet finish.

The Cowboy Pintos were well cooked and garnished with minced onions and jalapeños, but a little heavy on the chili powder. They have three sauces to choose from if that’s your thing and a cute dispenser that spits plasticware at you one piece at a time like R2D2 sticking out his tongue.

Everything about the meal was pleasing and satisfying, but at that price, I decided the next time I want some smoked beef I’m going to go out on the back porch and fire up the old Masterbuilt.

 

Tandem: Order at the Bus, Eat Wherever You Want.

 

Tandem Occupies a Prominent Place in Downtown TR. Note the VW Bus at the right side of the picture.

There are ideas that seem good at the time of their conception, such as, “Let’s find a cure for cancer”, and there are ideas that, on their face, seem looney, like, "Let’s open a crepe shop in the tiny burg of Travelers Rest, SC." (Called TR by the locals.)

But while we still haven’t found a cure for cancer, the Tandem idea has worked out quite well. Travelers Rest is quickly changing from a small burg to a destination; one of the most popular places to move to in the US.

Just about any morning around 8 AM, you will find a line forming at the yellow VW bus outside the building where people order Key Lime, Cinnamon. or Sausage and potato crepes, as well as several seasonal offerings with a full line of coffees and other drinks.

There are three seating arrangements: On a nice fall day you can sit outside at picnic tables, If the southern sun is just a little intense, you can dine on a covered porch. The most popular destination this time of year is the air condition dining room where you get to watch a barista that would scare the crap out of Starbucks.

The Line forms early at the yellow bus.

The staff is always friendly and accommodating.

On this occasion I had the Cinnamon bun crepe, a delicate wrapping of cinnamon, butter, sugar, and icing. My wife went for the Key Lime crepe; A monster of a meal with a key lime filling topped with whipped cream. Probably due to the local heat wave, cold water was provided, though not ordered, to accompany our coffees.

The Cinnamon Crepe with Cappuccino ($9.25)

T

Key Lime. My Wife's Favorite ($6.00)

Tandem has become a regular breakfast stop for my Wife and I and judging by the line outside the bus every morning, many other people, too.

   

  

Monkey Wrench Smoke House: It's About the Meat

             

Legacy: Monkey Wrench resides in a building that once held the

 iconic Martha's Hardware Store.

         I’ve been wanting to visit this place despite its rumored pricey menu since it opened in 2018. Due to some internet comments about the service when it first opened, I decided to let things settle down a bit.

        The first thing I noticed was that it was dark inside, which made me wonder if my old eyes would be able to discern the menu. The décor is standard BBQ joint with exposed rafters and rustic pine furniture. For decades the building housed a hardware store that was a local landmark, hence the name.

        They have a lunch menu that offers a chopped sandwich and a drink for eight bucks, which we both went for. They offer four sauces: Kansas City, mustard, Lexington, and a Carolina favorite, Cheerwine sauce. (If you lived here, you’d know). There were no noticeable pigs in the place, but they did have a huge mural of a bovine skull which it seems would be more at home in Colorado than Carolina

A lotta bull: There were no visible pigs inside but the 

wall is decorated with this huge mural. 

The sandwich was served on a substantial bun almost guaranteed to hold up under heavy saucing, if that's your thing. The fries looked to be hand cut and were cooked pleasantly well done. The pork, while juicy and flavorful, had barely a hint of smoke. It could have been cooked in a crock pot for all I know.

       We decided the lunch special was only about a dollar more what we pay at one of our favorite places down the street. Is it enough to bring us back? Maybe for the Brisket.

           

Lunch Special  Eight bucks gets you a sandwich and fries with a drink.

🐷🐷🐷

In Search of Goulasch

Garrett's Goulasch made in the slow cooker.

     In the town of Hendersonville, North Carolina at the top of the blue Ridge escarpment is a little German restaurant called.Haus Heidelberg.  After passing it by for several years, we finally went inside. They have a fine selection of German beers. I tried the Spaten "Optimator" which has great authority. After perusing the menu, I settled on a dish called “Goulash."

     As expected, the dish was a hearty beef stew, served with amazing mashed potatoes (Sour cream and a dash of nutmeg set them apart). What I didn’t expect was that the savory beef dish would take me back to my childhood and a long forgotten memory of my Grandmother's kitchen.

     My  great grandmother on my father’s side had the last name of Biedenbaugh from a German family that imigrated in the 19^th century. Family lore was that their original name was Petersbach, perhaps after the French town by the same name that was in the German-speaking Alsace region which was annexed by Germany in 1871. Their name was summarily changed a Ellis Island, like that of thousands of others.

     Grandma Garrett was a pretty good cook, and frequently made the stew. It was hearty and savory and contained an ingredient that I never experienced in other stews, that gave it a special flavor. That ingredient was bell pepper. And that was what made the stew in Hendersonville so special. Like Marcel Proust, who smelled the madeleines, the stew flooded me with memories of things past, particularly, that of childhood dinners at my Grandma Garrett’s Formica table savoring the stew and the aroma of A & P coffee.

     I have had Goulash at home made by my wife, but I wondered how the “authentic” dish differed. (My wife has less German blood than Senator Warren has native American), so when I decided to re-create the recipe, I went on the Net to find an authentic one.

    Goulasch or Goulash as it is Americanized is basically a spicy meat stew and is one of the national dishes of Hungary, which is why most people think of the nation when they think of the stew. It is a very old recipe, dating back to medieval times. The name relates to “Herdsman” as it was eaten by cattle and sheep herders who dried the seasoned meat to preserve it, (similar to jerky) and stored in in a (dead)sheep’s stomach so that the herders in the field only needed to add water to bring it back to edible consistency.

     Goulash is enjoyed in most European countries and the recipe is pretty common with only a few regional tweaks. I say usually, because centuries of migration between countries has more-or-less democratized the dish.

     Many countries have their own version, including Ethiopia, which uses fish instead of red meat, and the Philippines, where goat meat is often used. The main difference between Hungarian and German Goulash is that Hungarians favor caraway, and have noodles as a side dish, where Germans use potatoes, and no caraway. Paprika became a staple ingredient when it came available in Europe in the 17^th century. American Goulash, especially when made by Yankees, frequently includes macaroni noodles cooked in the mix.

     Basic goulash is meat, usually beef or other red meat, with tomatoes, vegetables and paprika. The emphasis on tomatoes and paprika and green pepper is what distinguishes it from American beef stew.  Stock or wine is used as a braising sauce. 

      Armed with this information and my trusty slow cooker, I set about to create a goulash my grandmother would approve of.

Garrett’s Goulash

The Meat:

2 lbs. beef stew meat, trimmed

The Vegetables:

One large onion, diced

One green pepper, diced

Baby carrots (or one or two regular carrots, diced)

3-4 redskin potatoes, quartered.  (Optional. I added the potatoes since I wasn’t planning to serve the stew with an extra starch)

The other stuff:

2-3 Tbsp. oil

One can diced tomatoes

One-two Tbsp. tomato paste

One-two Tbsp. Beef flavored Better Than Bullion

1-2 cloves of garlic

2-3 Tbsp. Hungarian paprika

1 cup red wine or beef stock, divided (If you want to be persnickety make sure the wine is from Germany. Beef stock is pretty much the same everywhere.)

1-1/2 Tsp. dried Thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

The instructions:

Brown the beef in the oil in small batches and place in the slow cooker.

Sauté onions and peppers in the pan juices, adding garlic in the last minute of cooking. Add ½ cup wine or stock and deglaze the pan (I forgot to do this. OOPs!).

Transfer all ingredients* to the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low.

*For firmer potatoes, add them during the last half of the cooking time.

Though the Europeans serve it over potatoes or noodles, I “southernized” mine by using biscuits.

    I added hot pepper sauce at the table, since my wife has a sensitive palette. The dish was savory, and came close to meeting my expectations. There was enough liquid for sopping with the biscuit, but not so much as to make a soup, which is what I was going for. Next time I will use more green pepper and add more black pepper for a little more spice. I will probably also use wine vs. beef stock. When I made the dish, I didn’t have any red wine on hand, plebeian that I am, and my teetotaling grandma wouldn’t approve anyway. I also like to use a little allspice in beef dishes for an extra nuance. I will NEVER add macaroni. Call me persnickety.