The ever-popular County Line, a barbecue restaurant in Austin, recently opened a new location in Rockwall. It took us around 25 minutes to drive there, but it was well worth the trip.

When we walked in we noticed the laid-back country home feel of this barbecue restaurant. They had wagon wheel chandeliers, western pictures and large fireplaces. We were hoping to sit on the patio, which opens out onto Lake Ray Hubbard and has plenty of seating and a huge outdoor bar with flat screen televisions. But when we arrived, we found a cold breeze coming off the lake, so we decided to enjoy the view from inside. You can see condos and docks on the near side of the lake, but it sheer size allowed for great views.

Inside, families of all sizes who were laughing and enjoying the fun atmosphere surrounded us.

Tony, our waiter, and “Bear,” the manager, not only took care of us and made our trip extra special, but they also showed the same hospitality to all the tables around us.

We started with the margaritas, as we looked over the great menu. We were recommended and served the Cadillac because you get so much variety. It includes family-size platters of chicken, sausage, beef ribs, brisket and pork ribs, and generous bowls of potato salad, cole slaw and beans, not to mention its famous homemade bread and ice cream!

The large wheat and white homemade Texas bread came out steaming hot from the oven and was great to start with. Both the bread and margaritas were great but did not compare to the main entrée.

Along with the great meats, the sides of potato salad, cole slaw and beans were exceptional. We particularly enjoyed the flavor of the potato salad with its firmer potatoes, and the beans, which had a little spice to them.

All in all there was a meat, side and sauce for everyone’s taste buds. All the meat was smoked and cooked to perfection. The pork ribs were falling off the bone, and the sausage was very flavorful.

The barbecue sauce that accompanied the meats had an interesting citrus barbecue flavor. Honestly, we were not very fond of it at first. However, after we tried it on the brisket, we understood why it is so famous. The smoked flavor with the citrus sauce worked very well together.

After trying all of their meats and sides, we had no room left for a dessert, but because our meal came with ice cream, we decided to try it. The ice cream included homemade vanilla and cookies and cream ice cream. With a hint of Jack Daniels, perfect texture and a delightful homemade taste, it was a great way to end a delicious meal and actually settled our stomachs.

Don’t hesitate to get away from the typical Dallas restaurants and enjoy a nice meal at the County Line barbecue restaurant in Rockwall. And if you know a meat lover far away, The County Line offers a nationwide shipping service of its food.

The County Line did not let us leave hungry. Its large portions left us with a large amount of leftovers, but it made for a great lunch the next day. So make sure you bring your appetite when you go to The County Line because its slogan is, “Eat here, diet at home.”

The County Line is located at 4821 Bass Pro Dr. in Garland.