The writers here at Tyler TX Directory over the years, have made no secret of our love of great barbeque. In fact, promoting the local traditional Texas staple has been something of a mantra on ours. I realize there are a few excellent examples in the surrounding area, but in my opinion, there are basically two Tyler stops that stand alone, they are Stanley’s and the Purple Pig. Both of these local institutions also offer live music on the weekends to entertain patrons and provide a venue for mostly local talent to perform; which brings me to the central point of this article. Up and coming local country music artist Paul Ruark, will be playing “the Pig” on Saturday night.
Paul is causing quite a stir with his first single “You Can Keep the Change.” He’s recently played the new tune at campaign rallies and for presidential candidates. The song is now available at itunes, and the video is steadily gathering hits. It should be stated however that Mr. Ruark is far from a one trick pony. There are a number of new songs and eventually a complete album, due to be released shortly. He’ll be performing the latest material Saturday night as well.
Texas takes a lot of pride in its contribution of talent to the national music scene, particularly when it comes to traditional styles like country and bluegrass. Events like this one represent an opportunity to get behind one of our own and help push him to the top. It’s especially important in charged political times when our musicians reflect, in large part, the traditional cultural and political view; that we as their friends and neighbors support them. It seems to me, this is something the arts have failed to do in recent years.
All sanctimony aside however, Saturday’s event promises to be great fun; terrific local music and terrific local barbeque! Paul’s set starts at six and runs until around ten. The Purple Pig is located at 19785 State Highway 155 S, between Tyler and Palestine. For more info on the Purple Pig visit their webpage at http://www.purplepigcafe.com/index.php . For more on Paul Ruark, or to see his video, visit his website at www.PaulRuark.com .
The riddle of the day, what does Tyler have dozens of but keeps building? If you guessed Tex-Mex restaurants, then you got it right. Chuy’s restaurant is expected to open in Tyler April of this year. Well what makes Chuy’s any different than the rest of the Tex-Mex restaurants in Tyler? Why wouldn’t we stick to eating at Jalapeño Tree or Mercado’s restaurant? Chuy’s promises a new, fun, and different environment. Chuy’s restaurant started in an old barbeque shack in Austin, Texas. As two young men, Mike Young and John Zapp used all their money to open this first restaurant; they had no more than $20 to decorate. As you can imagine they had to use what they could find. Chuy’s restaurants still use this decorating technique. At some Chuy’s restaurants you might find tire rims hanging from the ceiling or old traffic signs hanging on the wall. They have a signature item in every restaurant which is the Elvis Shrine. One of the most important things about the restaurant is that they make a fun restaurant that makes you feel right at home.
The Purple Pig in Flint TX is one of my favorite bar-bq restaurants in the Tyler area.