Peggy Sue BBQ in Dallas

Peggy Sue has a nice rack. Of RIBS — what were you thinking? I didn’t even see “Peggy Sue.”

We decided to chow down on some barbecue last weekend, and Peggy Sue BBQ was highly recommended, after all The Dallas Observer listed them as The Best Barbecue in 2008. It sounded promising, so I got out my Apple iPhone and searched them down.

The diner is tucked into a corner of Snider Plaza near the SMU campus (6600 Snider Plaza, Dallas, TX 75205). Walking inside felt as if we had entered a time machine and were whisked back to the 1950s. The walls were plastered with photos and memorabilia. Though it wasn’t boring, it wasn’t decor that hasn’t been done before at a million places.

I confess that when I see a place as cluttered as that one, the first thing I do is scan the wall to see if they dust the place. Actually, they do. It was very clean, but because it was dark in there it didn’t feel clean. I put those thoughts aside to enjoy my meal.

We opted to try the dry rub ribs and a plate of brisket quesadillas with four side dishes. The menu claims that “few places offer you such a refreshing and extensive choice of tasty, lightly steamed vegetables. Many a vegetarian has dined with pleasure at Peggy Sue BBQ.”

I beg to differ. Luby’s, a chain restaurant that my kid’s called “The Grandma Restaurant,” has a much wider array of vegetables that are just as tasty. It’s also probably easier to find a Luby’s if that is the kind of food you want to eat.

Maybe we just didn’t make the right choices? We ordered coleslaw, fried okra, hopping john, and we can’t remember the fourth vegetable. It just wasn’t that memorable. The coleslaw was delicious, I’ll give them that. The peas in the hopping john were overcooked, and it was a rather bland dish. When my husband tasted the fried okra, he shook his head and said, “Your fried okra has spoiled me.”

Excuse me while I swell with pride for a moment.

The brisket quesadillas lived up to their hype. They were quite delicious, in fact if I go back to Peggy Sue BBQ that would be the dish I’d order. Or, maybe just the brisket, because it was tender and succulent.

We had been excited to see that the ribs were “dry rub” and had visions of “Memphis dry rub barbecue,” My verdict is that they were quite tasty. Mr. Tucker, however, was clearly disappointed. He expected the “slow roasted” ribs that we found in Tennessee (those were so tender that the meat fell off the bone).

Peggy Sue BBQ has a “nice” rack of ribs, but not spectacular. I’d have to try a lot more BBQ joints that were inferior to it in order to vote it “the best” in Dallas. I’ll happily put that on my “to do list.”

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This is one of a series of posts I am doing on Saturdays called “My Neck Of The Woods.” Each Saturday, I will post about something in my area, or in my state, that a tourist passing through here might not know to find. I invite y’all to join me and tell about your neck of the woods. Read the page about it, and if you’d like to post, follow the directions and I’ll link you here (I’m not fast with the links!). Soon, nobody will need those guide books, because they will have us!

Other posts you might enjoy:

1. Experiencing The Dallas Farmer’s Market
2. Where The Locals Eat
3. “Party Down” at The Vintage Factory

Tagged as: barbecue, BBQ, Dallas, My Neck Of The Woods, Peggy Sue BBQ, Prairies and Lakes, review, ribs, Talkin' 'bout Texas