taken to the woodshed

Chef Love himself cooking up some goodness

We had the opportunity to check out Chef Tim Love's newborn creation, The Woodshed Smokehouse. After great experiences at his other spots, I was chomping at the bit, so to speak. Rustically decorated as expected, Woodshed could be the quintessential summer hot spot; it's a fine restaurant, but when the weather is nice, it's set up to transform into an epic patio location right on the Trinity River. It's built in an "L" shape with large see-through garage doors comprising the inner walls facing an expansive patio to open up the entire dining room for the majority of the year in Texas.

Dining room with large opening doors in the summer time

Bar on the other side, same doors opening to large patio

The Woodshed has only been open for about a week and the service could definitely use some fine tuning, but personally I thought the food was very good. There actually wasn't a thing I tasted that I didn't like. I would consider it mid-to-upscale BBQ with a creative culinary flare - some stand-by's like ribs, BBQ sandwiches, etc., but also a few twists in line with his other ventures, showcasing unique sausage (rattlesnake/rabbit) and intriguing small plates like smoked cauliflower, stuffed peppers, and acorn squash. It has gained initial notoriety for using "pit fat" instead of butter as a dipping sauce for the camp bread and tortillas, and while the bread was delicious, the fat was probably more of a talking point than a necessary caloric sidecar. While not as traditional, I'd say it was one of the better BBQ places I've tried, albeit on the upper end of reasonably priced. I'm excited to go back when the temps are up and the whole shed is in full swing.