Tootie’s Texas Barbeque

Sadly I’ve had to revise my review of this once great barbecue restaurant. I gave it five stars at one point. Their hours are really erratic now, and when I do manage to catch them while they are open they tend to be out of half of the stuff I want. Sadly, I learned that the owner passed away last year, which may be the main reason for the troubles. I hope whomever the new owner is can turn Tooties around and bring it back up to where it used to be once again.

I’ve always enjoyed Tootie’s food and since the revamp (pursuant to the Restaurant Impossible TV Show makeover) I like the atmosphere much better.
That said, my last lunch here (before this) was outstanding while this lunch was just «OK.» The shredded brussels sprouts and the mac n cheese are great but these side portions are miniscule. My brisket, which I haven’t had here in a very long time, was sliced perfectly thin but just plain dry and bland – terribly unfortunate considering this was the star of the meal. I won’t order it again. The meal in total was exceptionally unbalanced, both nutritionally as well as for taste. I would seriously like to see them ease-​up on the overpowering 60+ grams of protein (guessing) and give me more of the sides.
Overall, the quality of the food was good, sans the dryness of the brisket.
This was really a 3-​star meal, but I’m still a fan and I’ll be back.

My usual BBQ place seems to be closed so I called Tootsie’s to see if they’re open. I had been there once before about a year ago or so and it wasn’t bad. Wasn’t great, but could scratch a BBQ itch. I called in my order, picked it up and got back to the office, starving.
The Ribs: Dry. Very Dry. Over seasoned. A smattering of BBQ sauce that tasted too salty and not very good.
The Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Like glue and had a sour kind of flavor. No thank you.
The BBQ beans: Ok. Eating them with the ribs made the ribs bearable. I have doubts that those beans were homecooked though.
It’s a bummer. There aren’t a lot of non-​franchise BBQ places out here so it would be really easy to shine. Instead, Tootsie’s left me with a dull ache for real BBQ. I won’t be going back.