Matt Sutton and Mike Miller flank one of their flagship rotisserie smokers at M&M BBQ Company.The tiny town of Tool on the western side of Cedar Creek Lake 50 miles southeast of Dallas is one of the most important spots in the Texas barbecue scene. It’s not a restaurant with spectacular brisket or handcrafted sausage, and you won’t find it on some food writer’s best of list. Rather you’ll find, where the special craft is smokers and pits for some of the biggest names in Texas barbecue.
In times past, barbecue’s provenance was linked to where you lived, and there was no traveling to seek out other barbecue. But when barbecue hounds started trekking to historic spots to seek out peak brisket, suddenly everyone looked to draw locals and visitors alike. The reasons why will sound familiar to any business owner, and according to Miller, he faces many of the problems that his restaurant clients deal with: expensive materials, shipping and supply chain challenges, and finding the staff talented enough to execute the end product.
At Oak’d, owner and chef Michael Lane knew that in order to stand out, he would need a barbecue restaurant that offered more than just stellar Texas barbecue. Oak’d has live music, a daily happy hour at their full-service bar, and will gladly host your private party. At the new Oak’d location in Addison, there’s an even bigger bar, Skee-Ball and foosball to keep the guests entertained.
"We are different because of our values and ethos as a business," Heim says. He's not concerned with winning awards or making the"best-of" lists, because he's completely focused on his customers.