I've been limiting my restaurant meals recently in an effort to eat healthier, so my recent trip to Soulman's Bar-B-Que was a caloric splurge. And after sniffing the succulent scent wafting from the front door, my hopes were high that I was in for a treat.

Soulman's is located along Highway 67, where Longhorn Bar-B-Q used to be before its unfortunate demise. I have missed Longhorn because it was tasty, well-priced and convenient. I was thrilled to see that a new barbecue place was opening. This is Soulman's 12th location in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including another local one in Lancaster, so the name is relatively well-known, though nowhere near the level of Spring Creek or Dickey's. 

Soulman's offers the standard array of meats, including ribs, brisket, sausage and chicken. It also has a surprisingly large array of side dishes that go beyond the standard potato salad, cole slaw and beans. There were mashed potatoes, a cabbage dish, fried okra and a few additional options. It was nice to have a selection. You serve yourself, so you can control your portions or sample smaller amounts of more foods.

The main event is where the trouble starts. The meat, while served in belt-busting portions, fell disappointingly short on taste. My food was lukewarm and the brisket was dry. I'm not usually a fan of topping my barbecue with sauce because it masks the flavor, but this  brisket desperately needed the (watery) sauce for moisture. It did have a nice crust and a smoky flavor, though, so there's some potential.

The sausage was standard chain barbecue fare. The side dishes I sampled were good, if a bit on the salty side. The meal also came with Texas toast. In all, the two-meat plate was more than enough food, but the price of $12.99 was a bit on the high side for the quality of meat I received.

Overall, the place has some potential. Perhaps I visited on a rough night or the staff is still working out the kinks of operating a new location. I'll head back in a few weeks to check things out again. In the meantime, this weekend I'll be checking out the new Cancun's Ameri-Mex Restaurant that recently opened at 531 E. Belt Line Road.

If you've visited Soulman's, please post a review on the site detailing your experiences.