Cruise has been actively plugging the film across the globe, with stops in Seoul, London, New York City and Cannes. Two weeks ago, the actor took to Instagram to announce that he'd be making a swing through the Lone Star State on May 22. His journey started in San Antonio, where he visited Fort Sam Houston, then a couple of movie theaters to interact with fans catching his new film on the big screen. Cruise then said he planned to come to Dallas to "eat some delicious barbecue before heading to more movie theaters to say hi." Naturally, we wanted to know which barbecue he planned to visit.
The comments had some suggestions for him, most of them respectably noteworthy. Brandon Hurtado chimed in to suggest his namesake establishment (although he missed perhaps the biggest recommendation from new Dallas resident Paige Bueckers, who rated Hurtado "10 out of 10" when she visited a few weeks ago). Someone made a suggestion for Slow Bone, which was just featured on Guy Fieri's Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, and several other commenters offered guidance to the litany of great barbecue in Fort Worth.
Pecan Lodge served up a spread of their smoked meats for Tom Cruise, including their succulent brisket, ribs and a special sausage made just for his visit.
Catherine Downes
"Up until today, there was a part of me that was like, I don't know if it's gonna happen or not," Fourton told Channel 8. "When he got there, he was so genuine and spent a tremendous amount of time with myself and the staff talking to them. There weren't any boundaries or anything like that."
Pecan Lodge pulled out the stops for Cruise and put out a spread of their finest smoked meats, including beef ribs, brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork and a hatch green chili and jalapeño sausage made just for Cruise's visit. According to a Cruise spokesman, the beef rib was the star of the show, which is a choice we can't really argue with.
According to Fourton, Cruise met with fans in the restaurant, then helped his team clean up tables and clear plates before heading out.
"I was really taken away with how genuine he was," Fourton said.
From Deep Ellum, Cruise went to the Cinemark theater on Webb Chapel to meet fans watching his latest film in all its IMAX glory. Cruise's final stop in Dallas was at the AMC NorthPark, where he greeted a throng of eager fans, shook a few hands and signed a quick autograph before heading out.
We'll just throw this out to Cruise and his people now. Next time you swing back through, we'll play tour guide and show you as much stellar Texas barbecue as you can handle.
