Saturday, January 31, 2009: The Old Coupland Inn & Dancehall (Coupland, Texas)

Seven of us planned a pre-concert dinner at The Old Coupland Inn & Dancehall before Cory Morrow took the stage. To say the least, the kitchen was backed up, and, though we had a reservation, the wait for our table was long, and the wait to order and then get our food was even longer. Perhaps it’s because my blood sugar had tanked so much—after waiting so long for dinner—that anything would’ve tasted great, but the food really was excellent. The pork ribs were outstanding, the chicken was great, and I really enjoyed the green beans and the cole slaw, which had apples and raisins.

Since we judge a visit on the entire experience, rather than just on a single category (like the taste of the food), Coupland doesn’t rank among the best BBQ experiences I’ve had. However, the food was top-notch. Maybe on a different night, when it’s not so busy, the service would be up to the quality of the food. In such a case, Coupland would be a Texas BBQ force to be reckoned with.

Russell weighs in: “Atmosphere: Warm beer, cold service….great food, great music, great friends! Loved the authentic, old building. Only thing missing: A couple of great deer mounts. A big mule shoulder mount would look great in there, in my opinion. Cory Morrow put on a great show, which more than overcame the slow, subpar service by the seemingly confused staff and the somewhat strange (even by Austin standards) crowd of people we found ourselves packed together with while watching the show. Service: Very slow, exasperated staff; but I contend there was some level of ‘strategery’ involved in keeping our expectations in check to make sure we were good and hungry and would be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, after our very long wait to be served. Was shocked that they actually ran out of sauce…and Shiner! The all-you-can-eat feature doesn’t do you a whole lot of good when it takes that long for ‘em to bring the food out, unfortunately. Brisket: Maybe the best brisket we’ve manned up on so far. Incredibly moist, tender, and flavorful. This was like magic brisket and would be my recommended item at Coupland! Pork ribs: A bit inconsistent, but most of my ribs were incredibly moist and tasty. Chicken: A little inconsistent, piece by piece, as well…but most of it was falling-off-the-bone good moist dark meat chicken! Sausage: Loved the sausage; this was some of the best I’ve had even though I’m not a big sausage guy. Sides: Excellent slaw and tremendous brown-sugar, cowboy-style beans! Tator salad was decent at best. Green beans with pepper sauce were great. Overall: It’s only the service factor that keeps this place out of my top 5 of all time…really was incredible food and authentic atmosphere.”

Dave, who is becoming a Man-Up regular, writes, “It is a really old building with a lot of character which added to the experience. However, we had over an hour wait for our food which is something I didn't expect to happen at a BBQ joint. With about 20 hours of preparation time, it’s not like they are making it to order! The food was good, some of it was a little drier than I would have liked but had a nice smoky flavor to it. Their sauce was not too special, kind of tasted like they simply used A1 or some other commercial brand and put it in a different bottle for us."

Bo holds nothing back: "Oh, Coupland Dance hall, where art thou? Surely it wasn’t what I saw that chilly February evening. What happened to the 'eatinest, drinkinest, dancinest place in Texas!' - that promises 'the kind of entertainment, food and hospitality that cannot be found anyplace else?' Maybe there is a disclaimer I missed that this statement and promise only applies if you arrive not on a Saturday night, with a bunch of friends, who had a reservation. See, Restatement (2nd) of Torts §90. Coupland Dance Hall defines façade. The décor and atmosphere of the Old Coupland Dance Hall was Texas enough (a good thing) to make anyone from north of the Mason-Dixon Line feel as uncomfortable as a prize does in a crackerjack box but the service was just plain Yankee. First, as Drew points out, our group had a reservation, but that didn’t seem to matter. Even though there were plenty of empty tables large enough to accommodate our Man-Up troop we had to wait at least 30 minutes. I know what you are thinking; surely the waitress came to our table immediately upon us being sat and offered her condolences for the long wait. Well, not really, actually it took another 30 minutes or so for the waitress to even acknowledge our presence. And don’t get me started on the koozy invention happening at the table because of the warm beverages. (See, e.g. Kaitlin’s pic). After enough time for Cory Morrow to record his new album - Vagrants and Kings - our food finally arrived. I ordered the 'all-you-can-eat' option which should have been called, 'all-we-really-have-time-for-even-though-its-not-that-busy-is-one-plate.' Brisket: The brisket was not that bad. Easily the best protein of the night. The right amount of fat flavored the meat nicely. Chicken: It might have been falling off the bone but that’s because it was completely dried out. Wasn’t a fan at all. Sausage: The sausage had potential. Like, it potentially could have been good 8 hours before it was served when it was actually cooked. Even though it tasted dried out from sitting too long a last little bit of flavor was hanging in there. Sauce: Wouldn’t know – they ran out. Sides: The only sides I remember was the cowboy baked beans served in the petite kettle. By far the best food of the night. I liked the touch of brown sugar. Whoever makes the beans should immediately be appointed to Executive Chef. Coupland Dance Hall – you are on notice. Because you glisten the pages of Texas Monthly next to such venues as Luckenbach and Gruene Hall we should give one more chance to redeem yourself. However, it won’t be easy."

Russell’s scores – Brisket: 9.98; Pork ribs: 9.87; Chicken: 9.85; Sausage: 9.76; Sides: 9.55; Service: 4.2; Atmosphere: 8.6; Overall experience: 9.33

Dave’s scores – Brisket: 9; Pork ribs: 8; Sausage: 8; Sauce: 6; Service: 2; Atmosphere: 10; Overall experience: 7

Brad’s scores – Brisket: 8.75; Pork ribs: 9.25; Chicken: 9; Sausage: 7.75; Cobbler - 9.5; Service: 0.025; Atmosphere: 8.75; Overall experience: 8.77

Drew’s scores – Pork ribs: 9.8; Chicken: 9.75; Sausage: 9.5; Atmosphere: 8.8; Overall experience: 9

Bo’s scores – Brisket: 8.5; Chicken: 5; Sausage: 8; Sides: 9.5; Overall experience: 5

Overall Man-Up Score: 7.82