Better than Dickeys

I 've driven past this place a couple of times while I was working, and yesterday was the day I finally decided to stop in and try it.  I'm a fan of all of BBQ's many wonderful varieties...KC, the Carolinas, Memphis dry rub...but my preference is of course Texas BBQ.  Brisket and ribs smoked slowly over a low fire, sometimes for over 12 hours.  My dad's got a pretty simple recipe of yellow mustard coated over the brisket as the binder, and the S&P all over.  But it's the smoke...and I think the smoker...that really makes his briskets amazing.  He gets up at 4am and starts the fire for meat that will be served that night.   But Kansas City has some pretty amazing BBQ as well, and so I was excited to try this place.  When I pulled up, they didn't look like they were open, and the webpage only has the Vienna, VA location on it.  But I saw some people walking around inside, so I figured I'd check it out.   The inside is very clean, ...

G rowing up, Dickey's BBQ on 14th Street in Plano, Texas was our go-to BBQ restaurant.  It was down the street from my dad's office, and we'd go there for lunch or dinner at least once a month.  The guys cutting the meat knew my dad by name, and I can remember the HUGE wheel of cheese they use to have, in the middle of the restaurant, covered with a cheese-cloth and you would go up there and slice off as much as you wanted. I heard once that the 14th St. location was the 2nd Dickey's BBQ built, after the original on Fitzhugh and 75.  I can believe it, because it's been there as long as I can remember, and I'm going on my 45th year.  And because we always went there, the quality of Dickey's is how I judge every other BBQ I've ever had in my life. I ask myself the question... Is it better than Dickey's?  Or is it worse? If it's better, then it's good BBQ.  If it's worse, it's bad BBQ.  And I've had both...I've eaten ribs at The ...