Dining Out

THE TEXAS PANTRY, MOONAH

Words: Stephanie Williams

Mmm, ribs.

Sometimes you just have a craving for decent ribs. Juicy, sweet, salty, melt-in-your-mouth ribs. With all the sides - slaw, fries, serviettes. On a recent chilly Friday night, I ventured to Moonah with the hubby and two kids to satisfy the rib craving. I’d heard, and seen on many a local Facebook foodie forum, that The Texas Pantry did good ribs.

From the street it looks unassuming. Inside, there’s a downstairs area, a room out the back (which would be fun for bigger groups) and space upstairs too. We were there early but it quickly filled with both people eating in and taking away. The young waiter, who we later found out was the owner’s stepson, was expertly navigating a temporarily broken computer ordering system and our need for a high chair to contain a wriggly little one. Within moments the kids were contained, I was sipping on a frozen margarita and the computer was fixed. Happy days.

The menu is inspired by the chef and owner Mickey Vidal’s North American history - ribs, smoked meats, chilli sauces, burgers and fries. There’s also an extensive menu of frozen margaritas (although I can’t go past a traditional lime version), wine and beer.

Mickey shared with me that he had previously been in the oil and gas industry, primarily in fabrication. “I’ve always had a passion for food and cooking and completed my chef training at night school in Houston in the 1990’s. It was my dream to open a small, independent, family run restaurant, but in Texas my only exposure to cooking for large numbers was catering for my 100+ employees every Friday night with a cookout, and competing in BBQ cook-offs at local competitions with friends.”

And where did his interest in this type of food come from? “My heritage is Cubano so cooking and entertaining is in my blood. Being Latino American means cooking for 20 people most nights just in case anyone drops by! My love for Tex-Mex food started with a margarita, good salsa and corn chips. On a serious note, I have my Step-Mom Dora to thank for my love of Tex-Mex food - she’s Mexican and has for the past thirty years fattened me up with good home-cooked food and passed on her family’s traditional recipes and tips,” Mickey said. With this in mind my husband ordered the burrito ($24), I couldn’t go past the baby back ribs ($28) and my kids share a burger and fries. The burrito, made with a flour tortilla and filled with rice, beans, lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa and sour cream, was huge and surrounded by slaw and potato salad. It didn’t last long on the plate, but long enough for me to get a forkful.

While not a kids burger as such, my son’s smoked chicken burger was also wolfed down. It was big pieces of smoked Nichols BBQ chicken thighs with lettuce, tomato, onion and honey mustard sauce. He is defeated by the mountain of chips, but they’re shared with his little brother so nothing goes to waste. My ribs spent their time on the plate fending off advances from my husband - I ended up having to share a few and committed to ordering a large serve next time. Mickey uses Scottsdale baby back pork ribs, which are covered with a rib rub and slow smoked in their traditional BBQ sauce. The waffle fries were a standout - crunchy, almost chewy, not too salty and very addictive.

After tasting his menu, I’m interested to know more about how Tasmania fitted into the plan. Mickey shared, “I met my wife in Texas, Sam is originally from Launceston. We visited her family a couple of times and I had fallen in love with Tasmania.” Mickey says that it’s the produce here that helped tip the balance. “Tasmania represents all things missing from the mass farming and commercialisation of the US. The local farmers, producers and butchers and the unique nature of small independent restaurants and shops. We moved to Tassie 6 years ago this month and opened The Texas Pantry in 2014. Combined with good ol’ Southern hospitality, we think it’s a unique and winning combination.” Mmmm hmmm, we agree Mickey! “I’d also like to acknowledge our amazing customers, they have loyally supported us for the past six years and over the past 5 months their love, patronage and encouragement have kept us going.”

100A Main Road Moonah, Ph: 03 6228 4682 www.texaspantry-online.com.au