📍 Address: 8557 Research Blvd, Ste 126, Austin

⭐ Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4)

On the outskirts of a kind of dingy shopping area, hipsters line up at Tatsu-ya's oasis of pork broth. The restaurant is clean and servers efficiently move patrons in and out in almost Hopdoddy style. Yes, everybody's heard of this place. During our dinner, we ran into not one but two groups of out-of-town friends who were at Tatsu-ya's for the first time. How did it get to be so popular I wonder? Yes, the ramen is worth the wait, and it's a fun place to be with loud music and a lively atmosphere. People probably also like the fact that it's in a very unexpected and unassuming area, a few less popular Asian restaurants down from a Target. Once you get seated, the food comes out quickly, and here's the reason why. All the soups are variations made from the same big pot of pork based broth (except on Sundays when you can get vegetarian broth). If you love pork and all things Japanese, this is definitely the place for you. If pig's not your thing, come back on Sunday. It's quality ramen.

📍 Address: 900 E 11th St, Austin

⭐ Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5)

Aaron Franklin is a meat Wizard. That's just a fact. It's science! Pigs and cows happily go to their own slaughter with the hopes that they end up being smoked and served at Franklin Barbecue! The food is heavenly, that's a given, but let's talk about the rest...the line! Some people complain about it having to wait but I think it's pretty awesome! Where else are you going to find such a great barbecue community? People are usually in pretty good moods because they know they're about to fill their bellies with the most delicious thing they'll ever taste!! I love this place so much I made a promo video for it! Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRp3fRD0cCk&feature=youtu.be

📍 Address: 182 Harvard Ave, Allston

⭐ Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4)

If you're going to steal your restaurant concept from Blue Ribbon, at least get it right. Soul Fire BBQ is acceptable if your in a pinch for cheap fast BBQ. Yes, they have good platter selections, yes they offer a variety of tasty southern sides. But there is NO CREATIVITY, QUALITY or TALENT! The wings were tender, but just dipped in sauce. The only flavor in the macaroni and cheese was the bonito type flakes shaken on top. The ribs were almost all fat. The bread was fresh on the Pulled Pork sandwich, but the meat was too dry, with not a hint of flavor. Soul Fire offers a BBQ sauce bar similar to Blue Ribbon, but without the variety of sauces. They keep the sauces heated which is a very nice touch, but does not help too much when the sauces are bland and atypical "Fiery", "Sweet" and "North Carolina". Soul fire offers a small but acceptable beer selection, but get something in a bottle until the employees master a good pour. The ambiance is mellow and cool with the soul background, but does not offer much to the "BBQ" joint feel. I would almost feel more comfortable ordering a martini in there instead of licking sauce off my fingers. Like I said, it's not a bad place if your in a pinch, but next time I will save my money and head to Blue Ribbon or Redbones

📍 Address: 439 Tremont St, Boston

⭐ Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)

The place is nice and cozy, but what we ordered wasn't something I would come back for. We had steak tacos, which were so small, and meat was very chewy and I think undercooked. We also had chips tortillas with salsa; chips were WAY too salty. (We had to use napkins to get rid of the salt.) Their sangrias were good.

📍 Address: 3141 28th St, Boulder

⭐ Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)

Terrible service, rude bartender, weird crowd. They have a cool bar with pool and shuffleboard and could be really busy but the place is ran by morons with no regards for running a serviceable business.

📍 Address: 439 Tremont St, Boston

⭐ Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)

The $1 tapas here are good, really good. I LOVE the empanadas and the shrimp. The margaritas are awesome - in the summer they have a half carafe special for $5. The food in the main room is good. They used to have a ceviche that was seriously the best, but they swapped it out for something with tequila poured over/around it. Not as good. The few complaints I have are mainly the people. I've seen a lot of confrontation in the bar area over tables/seats and who was there first. The bartenders sometimes like to flirt more than making drinks. The place seems to attract obnoxious douche-bags and airheads. You will need a reservation for the main dining room, but the full menu is available in the bar if you are willing to fight for a table.