The popular TikTok star said the ribs at Hutchins Barbecue were some of the best he has had.
Social media food critic Keith Lee, who has more than 15 million followers on TikTok, is on the Dallas food scene and his restaurant reviews have the Metroplex in a frenzy.
Over the weekend, Keith Lee posted his first food reviews from the restaurants he visited and used his popular catchphrase, "He got 'em, he tried 'em and rated them 1-10."
Thunderbird Pies and Terry Black’s Barbecue, both located in East Dallas, were his first stops. His third stop was Halal Fusionz, a ghost kitchen concept in Farmers Branch.
FIRST UP, THUNDERBIRD PIES
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In his video on Thunderbird Pies, a Detroit-style pizza spot owned by the group behind Cane Rosso and Zoli’s, he tried three of the restaurant’s pizzas and a few sides. Lee said he wished the pizzas had more sauce but didn’t like the red sauce, which he found too onion-forward.
“Overall, with a few minor adjustments, I could see this place being good,” he said of Thunderbird Pies.
Jeff Amador, chief marketing officer for the restaurant group behind Thunderbird Pies, told our partners at The Dallas Morning News that the video review was a complete surprise. He didn’t think Lee would visit any of their restaurants because they have almost a dozen in their portfolio and Lee usually looks for smaller, family-owned places.
- Brussels Sprouts Rating: 5/10
- Buffalo Wings Rating: 7/10
- The Goat Pizza Rating: 3/10
- Budd Pizza Rating: 3/10
- Connie Pizza Rating: 7/10
“I personally love our pizza. We just got named best pizza or D Magazine so to hear a review like that was a little disheartening, but everyone has their opinion and that's OK,” said Hollie Contreras, spokesperson for Thunderbird Pies.
TERRY BLACKS
At Terry Black’s in Deep Ellum, Lee liked the brisket, which he rated an 8.5 out of 10, but wasn’t blown away by the sides or the jalapeño cheddar sausage, which he gave a 1 out of 10 for its greasiness and “overpowering meat flavor.”
The restaurant’s mac and cheese, which he said tasted like a “salty, wet noodle,” also got a 1 out of 10 rating from Lee.
- Sausage Rating: 7.5/10
- Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage Rating: 1/10
- Turkey Rating: 7.9/10
- Brisket Rating: 8.5/10
- Ribs Rating: 8.7/10
- Cornbread Rating: 2.5/10
- Mac and Cheese Rating: 1/10
The winner for Lee was the ribs.
"Is it the best rib I've ever had? No. Is it good? Absolutely," Lee said. "I'm going a little bit past good. That's delicious."
HALAL FUSIONZ
His third stop was Halal Fusionz in Farmers Branch — a Pakistani and Tex-Mex ghost kitchen concept with takeout and delivery only. This time he gave high praise for Halal Fusionz in Farmers Branch.
Lee said he learned of the restaurant through an email from its owner, Ahmed Siyaji.
“It would mean the world if you can stop by my restaurant while you’re in Dallas,” Siyaji’s email said. “I started this in my mom’s legacy. I lost her last January.”
@keith_lee125 Halal Fusionz taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
A paneer tikka taco and a birria taco made with Pakistani nihari and served with a spicy consommé both earned an 8.7 out of 10 from Lee. His favorite, though, was the Chipotle Kheema taco made with Pakistani ground beef, in which he scored a 9.3 out of 10.
In the hours after the review was posted, the parking lot outside the ghost kitchen was full of people who’d placed orders online.
NBC 5 spoke briefly with the owner of Halal Fusionz Monday night. He was understandably busy, and we are waiting for a response back.
Hutchins BBQ
After speaking about multiple smaller eateries he wanted to try being closed, on the next stop of Keith Lee's food tour, he made his way to Hutchins BBQ.
“I 100% see why 17,000 people told me to come here,” Lee said of Hutchins BBQ, which he picked based on recommendations from social media followers.
- Texas Twinkie Rating: 8.5/10
- Brisket Rating: 9.3/10
- Sausage Rating: 6/10
- Pork Rib Rating: 9.5/10
- Potato Salad Rating: 5/10
- Peach Cobbler Rating: 9/10
Lee was blown away by multiple items on the menu, including the Texas Twinkie (a cream cheese bacon-wrapped jalapeño popper), the pork rib and brisket.
But the restaurant’s peach cobbler really got an "amazing" reaction from Lee.
"You can call it peach cobbler, you can call it whatever you want, just call me when you make it," he said.
Lee says Hutchins BBQ was a part of his "popular" category since the restaurant has already reached its target audience. Hutchins has previously been named one of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ spots in the state, with restaurant locations in McKinney and Frisco.
Absolutely Edible Cakes
The next stop of Keith Lee's tour was a sweet one to Absolutely Edible Cakes.
Owner of the Rowlett cake shop and catering business, Nikki Jackson, heard that Lee was coming into town and posted a video message to TikTok for Lee, explaining her business and location.
“Keith Lee!!! Where you at?!? I’m gonna bug ya ‘til I hug ya!!”
On Tuesday, a few days into the tour, Lee sent his family in to pick up two of her desserts to try and he stitched Jackson's video with his review.
"She said she was gonna bug me until she hugged me. Well, she ain't gotta bug me no more. I got it, let's try it and rate it 1-10."
@keith_lee125 Absolutely Edible Cakes taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
He gave Jackson’s sweet potato pie and red velvet cake 9′s, and he wanted to meet the woman responsible for making the desserts that blew him — someone who rarely likes sweets — away.
Jackson, overwhelmingly grateful explained to Lee that her sales have been really slow, causing her to throw away a lot of cookies at the end of the night.
Followers immediately showed support for the restaurant and by the next day, she had a long line outside of her business.
Our partners at the Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
