Crane's Craft BBQ at the old Wagon Wheel Dancehall in Tye, TX, is a feast for the family

 

Crane's Craft BBQ is a family run restaurant that is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11am until 4pm (or sell out) which is located off of I-20 between Abilene and Tye. It was once the location of the Wagon Wheel which was a squaredance emporium back in the day. I enjoyed the nod to the history of the place that you still see in the building. 

Chopped brisket with a side of chips and queso and green chili hominy

As my mom, my brother, and myself walked in at around 11:30am, we were greeted by the owner. He was super friendly and quick with a joke. You place your order at the counter.

My usual order at all barbeque joints is a chopped brisket sandwich ($14) which was made with half lean/half moist brisket in this case. The sandwiches come with a side of smoked queso and totopos (tortilla chips). I also ordered an extra side of green chili hominy ($3) and a glass bottle of Mexican Coke ($3).

My mom ordered a smoked baked potato stuffed with chopped brisket and all the usual loaded potato toppings, which I believe was about $14. The potato was cooked in the smoker instead of an oven and rubbed with beef tallow. It was huge.

Interior--Order at the counter

My brother who is doing keto right now had a half pound of moist sliced brisket ($15). All of us were pleased with the taste of our brisket and the prices are about average for our market. My mom and I both had leftovers that will make a second meal for us.

You also get onions, peppers, or pickles for your plate but they are not self-serve. The options for sauces were self-serve and included a sweet version and a tangy version. Both tasted sweet to me and had an ingredient in them which made the taste a bit wonky. None of us were fans of the sauces. The meat did not really need the sauce but a nice sauce and help take the barbeque up a notch.

Interior looking toward the stage

I found the smoked queso to be unique. The taste of the cheese put me in mind of the Kraft Old English Cheese spread you used to get in a small glass jar mixed with some Mexican spices and smoke. The totopos were on the thick side. They will not break when dipping them in the cheese. I would have liked it if I could have substituted the queso and chips for a different side but I ended up paying the extra to get another side to try the green chili hominy. The taste of the hominy was nice but it was a bit on the oily side for me. I think a bit of sour cream would have helped it. 

Meat choices other than brisket included pulled pork, pork ribs, four kinds of sausage (house, chedder jalapeno, cracked pepper, boudin) and turkey.  Their marketing indicates that their beef comes from Goodstock by Nolan Ryan. They offer a nice variety of sides but none of them were low carb, except for perhaps the cucumber salad. Some sides they have that are a bit different are pineapple cassarole, elote asado, and chedder jalapeno grits. There is also the usual loaded potato salad, beans, mac and cheese, and Texas twinkies (jalapeno poppers). You can also get two slices of white bread for a $1. 

Brisket stuffed potato--Saturday only

Dessert options were a chocolate flan or banana pudding. Drinks are all bottled. No fountain sodas. Beer is also served. 

Service was great! I also liked that there was handy access to take out boxes. Seating is family style with long tables and benches. 

The restaurant also offers live music. Check their social media on Facebook or Instagram for who is playing and any specials such as the smoked potatoes or beef ribs.

Give the place a try if you find yourself around Tye and have a craving for some BBQ for lunch.  

Crane's Craft BBQ

(325) 386-9934

1023 S Access Rd, Tye, TX 79563

https://cranescraftbbq.com/

Hours

Sunday-Tuesday--Closed

Wednesday--Saturday 11:00AM - 4:00PM (or sell out)

La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza--thin crust pizza, breadsticks, dips, pasta, salads, quesadillas, nachos, wings, and sandwiches for everyone

La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza or as most locals refer to it "Brick Oven" is my favorite pizza place in Abilene. The restaurant is a small chain with locations in mostly in Arkansas, Texas and one in Missouri.

 

I like them not necessarily because I prefer thin crust pizza, which I actually do not most of the time, but because of the variety of pizzas they make. I am a fan of the Mediterranean pizza. Again, not because I usually get chicken on a pizza, but because the combination of flavors on that particular pizza with the feta, cheddar, green peppers, red onions, tomatoes, green olives and, yes, chicken on a crispy brick oven baked crust with olive oil instead of tomato sauce just works for me when I want something different. Usually, my pizza choice would a classic traditional crust pepperoni and mushroom or a deep dish supreme--if I feel like going for it in the pizza game. Brick Oven also makes a taco pizza which is unusual and another called the favorite which has artichoke hearts and turkey among several other traditional and specialty pizzas. You are also welcome to create your own with what you like the best. 

I am also a fan of their Mediterranean salad ($10 for a full size, $7 for a small) and get it on occasion instead of pizza when I want to be "good." They use crisp lettuce which I like because of the crunch.

 

Brick Oven is not especially big but has a lot of tall four person booths along the walls which feel cozy and there are tables in the middle. Televisions are around playing sports but it is not generally obtrusive. You will see lots of families eating together. There can be a wait during peak times, so feel free to order carry out. However, I do not recommend using Door Dash or some other delivery service (since the restaurant itself does not deliver) because it tends to arrive less than hot and shaken up in in my experience. I have almost always experienced good service, if a bit slow on occasion, but will acknowledge that some people have have issues in that area in the past though I have not heard any complaints about it recently. Like many places staff shortages happen so tables can take a while to get cleared or refills on drinks.

I eat at Brick Oven about every six weeks or so and have for a number of years so not sure why it has taken me this long to actually write a review. On my most recent visit, I had a Sunday lunch with my mom and my brother. We ordered some bread sticks ($7)) for an appetizer with ranch dressing instead of marinara sauce. Four of them come in the order and they arrive cut in half.
Their ranch dressing tastes homemade but does cost extra if you want some to go with your pizza order. The bread sticks come with garlic butter melted on top. They are the soft kind similar to what you get at Olive Garden. There are several other appetizer options including several dips and nachos. I ordered a small Mediterranean pizza ($9), my mom got spaghetti and meatballs ($11.50), and my brother had a Pork Paradise calzone ($9) which had pulled pork, mozzarella, cheddar, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and was topped with barbeque sauces, ranch dressing, and banana peppers and came with sides of more barbeque sauce and ranch. My mother's spaghetti and meatballs had 5-6 good sized meatballs but she thought they were under seasoned and came with two piece of garlic bread. The portion size could have been larger for the price. The pulled pork in the calzone was good but there could have been more meat inside. The crust to meat ration was heavy on the bread side. I was pleased as usual with my pizza but there did seem to be slightly less toppings than in the past. Perhaps inflation is hitting them on the supply side though I did not notice a significant rise in the cost of the pizza itself compared to the past. For three adults to eat out for less than $40 plus tip (we all had water to drink) is pretty good nowadays.

 

My recommendation is stick with the pizza style options or perhaps a sandwich. I have never been with anyone who tried the wings, quesadillas, or nachos.

 

Without question, I will be back again. There is comfort in consistency, a fair price, and good pizza.

 

La Torcia Brick Oven Pizza
4714 S. 14th St.

Abilene, TX

325-691-5303
https://www.brickovenpizzacompany.com/

Hours: Sunday-Saturday 11am-10pm

No delivery