Press

'You’re going to fall in love with that bologna,' the server says. My hands are hunger-quivering. Yes, the answer to 'to bologna or not to bologna?' is always 'to bologna.' Actually, the revised Shakespeare quote — as predicted by the fella who's running the host’s podium at Lakewood Smokehouse — should read: Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none, and always order the damn smoked bologna sandwich.

Lakewood Smokehouse knows exactly what to do with bologna. Coarse-ground pork shoulder and beef, top round, is kept icy cold until seasoning time. They carpet the grind with spices. They grind the mixture again, remix the seasoning and chill it again. The blend hangs out, curing for a day or two. It smokes for seven hours.

Two years ago, Lakewood Smokehouse's smoked burger was an off-menu option hidden in chalk scrawl on a board outside the restaurant. Now, it's serving five of the biggest, most mountainous-with-beef-flavor cheeseburgers in East Dallas. They're hidden in plain sight on a barbecue-heavy menu. Pizzas and tacos and giant brisket sandwiches are fine. The burgers are giants.

Whether you’re talking about smoky brisket or snappy, spicy sausage, barbecue is an essential part of Dallas’s dining scene. Even though the Hill Country still dominates the state’s barbecue conversation, there’s still plenty of stunning barbecue to be had in Dallas and Fort Worth.

It’s fair to guess that any meal that starts with delicious, warm rolls and ends with free ice cream is kid-approved, especially if the meal in between consists of tasty (and very reasonably priced) brisket sandwiches, creamy mac and cheese or grilled cheese on Texas toast.