Mama E's BBQ

FT. WORTH: Mama E’s BBQ
818 E. Rosedale
Fort Worth, TX 76104
817-877-3322
Open Sun-M 11-5:30, Tues-Thur 11-7, F-Sat 11-9

Mama E's is on a desolate strip of Rosedale Ave. next to the I-35 overpass. The building is small with only a few tables, and the business is mostly takeout. The menu is wider than most of the joints I've tried with catfish, spaghetti, meat loaf and other soul food favorites. My meal arrived in a styrofoam container with a heap of pre-sauced thinly sliced brisket and giant spare ribs. The potato salad was whipped with mustard, and was good and tangy. The beans were just average. Although the meat was sauced, the sauce was thin and complemented the meat well rather than overpowering the flavor of the meat. The ribs still had a good crust with a fleeting smoke flavor. The meat was tender with well rendered fat and a great overall flavor. The thin slices of brisket had a good crust with little smoke line. The smoke flavor was slight, but the fat was well rendered and the flavor was above average. With friendly service and good food, this lonely joint is a welcome oasis along this sparsely populated street.

Rating ***

Riscky's BBQ

FT. WORTH: Riscky's Barbeque
300 Main Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
817-877-3306
Open M-Thur 11-10, F-Sat 11-12am, Sun 11-9
www.risckys.com/bbq.asp

Sundance Square is the last on the list of many Ft. Worth neighborhoods where I would start a search for authentic Texas 'cue, but that's what Riscky's advertises, so I stopped in when I found Bailey's up the street was closed. I ordered a two meat plate that was staggerinly large, and equally pricey at $14.50. The ribs were average at best with little crust and that flavor that only comes from being stored in steamer wrapped in plastic. The brisket was better with a good crust and smoke line. The smoke flavor was better than average, but the slices were dry with no fat. The sides were nothing better than average, and the best item might have been the smoked bologna appetizer that was sprinkled with "Riscky Dust". WHo knows what that is, but they may want to try it on the rest of the meat to kick up the flavor.

Rating **

Mom's BBQ

FT. WORTH: Mom's BBQ
1509 Evans Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
817-348-8558
Open M-Sat 11-7, Sun 12-6

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

2008: Mom's is in a newer brick building with a small footprint. Five or six small tables sit in front of a large counter where orders are taken. I was the only customer at 1:30 on a Friday, and I ordered a sliced brisket sandwich and two pork ribs. The large spare ribs arrived unsauced with a heap of sliced beef on top. Three slices of white bread for the "sandwich" sat longingly on the side. The brisket was fatty and slightly tough, and needed more time in the smoker. The crust was immature but had decent flavor. The overall taste was good, but it needed more smoke. The ribs were also tough with gobs of unrendered fat. The meat had a poorly formed crust with fleeting smoke flavor. The rib meat was average. For a joint that gets a lot of praise from locals, I was expecting more, but this may have been an off day.

Rating **