Sitting in a cushioned
leather booth with my hands resting on a tabletop handmade of pecan wood I
cannot help but feel at home. Located just a mile off Interstate 20 rests JT2
Gourmet Burger and Ranch Market. It is more than just your average restaurant,
it feels like home through the décor, the ambiance, and most of all the people.
Jason and Jolie
Taylor dreamed of one day owning a place where people could go and eat true
meat, straight off the ranch, without having to pay a fortune for it, thus JT2
was born.
The experience of
JT2 began for me as soon as I opened the door to my vehicle, smells that took
me back to the backyard cookouts of my childhood wafted into my nose and I was
eager to step inside of this cow-colored building that hosts a modest array of
greenery right outside the front entrance.
Immediately upon
entering I was greeted by a curly-topped cheerful young lady named DJ. In a
singsong voice, she walked me through the ordering process and promptly handed
me a cattle tag to serve as my table marker, then encouraged me to take a look
at the Ranch Market side of the business. This is the part of the restaurant
where fresh beef is cut to order and packaged before your eyes. The bright red
steaks called my name with their intense marbling and their qualities such as no
hormones, antibiotics or preservatives.
I had many seating
choices which included live-edge tables made from pecan wood from the ranch,
booths made with the same tabletop, or a bar top that was made of age-darkened
barn wood coated in a thick lacquer. I opted for a window booth. Sliding into
my seat, I allowed my eyes to wander the rest of the establishment. I saw
cowboy décor on all the walls including, but not limited to, cowboy hats and
lassos. I could hear the sounds of the kitchen, plates clanking, grill hissing and
knives chopping, coming when the large swinging doors rushed open carrying my
food.
Before me was a
massive hamburger made of all-natural beef and stacked high with the toppings
of my choice. While enjoying my juicy, messy and delicious hamburger I could
not help but notice the televisions showcasing the ranch where my beef came
from, not even 20 miles from my current location.
I finished my
burger, having to wipe away the warm juices that were dripping down my face,
and I head over to the aspect that makes this place unique.
The Ranch Market
is a glass case kept at a frigid 20 degrees hosting an array of specialty meat
cuts. Denver Steaks, Coulotte, Bavette, and Spinalis are just a few of the
displayed pieces. While looking at the marbled uncooked steaks I rest my hand
on the cold glass, when I lift it I leave small smudges from the heat
differences found between my body and the case.
Behind the
swinging wooden door, I saw a cutting board and brown butcher paper. When I
walked through the “personnel only” door I am greeted by a small and confined
area that hosted a cutting board, the paper as previously mentioned, and
masking tape to seal the meat when it is cut and wrapped. I was led to the
freezer where it is so cold that it makes it hard to breathe, but inside the
dark and very cold room, I am surrounded by hard slabs of meat of all types.
The ground beef in 1-pound packets clinked together like tasty hockey pucks.
Chadic began
cutting the beef to able-to-sell sizes with a knife that glints in the light
and thuds when it comes down onto the thick cutting board. Bright red blood
pools on the stark white surface and only gets wiped away when his work is
done. The meat was taken out to the public side of the restaurant and is
weighed, priced, and displayed.
JT2 is a unique business that focuses on family and fresh beef. Both of which they deliver exquisitely. The atmosphere takes you back to your own dining room and the food reminds you of home. The Taylor family puts forth a daily effort to make their restaurant much more than that to all their consumers.
Hannah’s MCOM Blog 