Central Texas BBQ Pilgrimage Trip April 5, 2008

Before I begin this journey through the heart of Central Texas BBQ, I’m obligated to lay some background. I started loving BBQ as a resident of pork-heavy, Memphis BBQ influenced Arkansas. For the first two years of college in Texas, my exposure to Texas BBQ was limited to dry, under-seasoned brisket and grocery store grade sausage drowned in non-distinct bottled sauce. It was the kind of BBQ eaten at all the catered events in college with pickles and slices of plain white bread. I didn’t understand how anyone could love this stuff. How is it even BBQ when the meat doesn’t have the slightest hint of smoke? Can we just douse any kind of meat with sauce and call it BBQ? In my mind, Texas BBQ fans were nuts. They would all be converts if they just laid their hands on a juicy rack of BBQ pork ribs or a tender pulled shoulder sandwich. I was sure of this.

My harsh opinion of Texas BBQ shifted with a visit to Cooper’s BBQ in Llano during a summer road trip. I saw pit BBQ for the first time and the sight, taste, and texture of Cooper’s pork ribs and beef brisket left a deep impression. Later, I learned through my Texas BBQ bible (Robb Walsh’s amazingly well-written, chock full of first hand interviews, and complete with drool-inducing photos Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook) that Cooper’s falls under the cowboy style of BBQ with its mesquite smoked flavor and luscious, brisket drippings-infused sauce.  It’s Robb Walsh’s writing that triggered my fascination with Texas BBQ and its various styles and historical roots.  To rephrase, there isn’t one definitive style of Texas BBQ. The expansive geography of the state lends itself to diversity by regional influences. Those who believe that Texas BBQ is all about the beef might be surprised to find the popularity of pork-heavy, traditional southern BBQ served throughout east Texas in establishments like The Country Tavern in Kilgore, famous for its tender pork ribs and a sweet, tomato-based BBQ sauce. Those who believe that BBQ requires the use of wood logs or wood chips for flavor might be surprised by the barbacoa style of BBQ served throughout central and lower Rio Grande Valley, where meat is sealed in maguey leaves and buried in hot coals to cook.

Texas BBQ has many faces.  But there is one style of BBQ completely unique to Texas, a style that didn’t start out as BBQ (some will argue still isn’t BBQ) and evolved by circumstance into what we now know as Central Texas pit BBQ.  Tracing its roots to the German and Czech immigration to central Texas during the 19th century, Central Texas BBQ is based on old world butchers’ meat smoking methods. Leftover meats that didn’t sell at the market were smoked so they would keep longer. Migrant farm workers that came through town during harvest bought the smoked meat, served on plain butcher paper, and ate them right on the spot with no utensils. These smoked meats were not served with sauce and the no sauce tradition lives on in a few Central Texas establishments today.  This staunch belief that only salt, pepper, and post oak smoke should touch the meat is why some other BBQ proprietors around the state will argue that Central Texas BBQ isn’t even BBQ, it’s just meat smoking.  BBQ or not, one thing is for sure, these meat markets in the front, smokers in the back establishments are disappearing around the state.  Robb Walsh expresses this sense of nostalgia in his book:

“As small-town retail districts fade away, some of the oldest barbecue joints in Texas have closed their doors or moved to greener pastures.  Meanwhile, in urban Texas strip malls, new barbecue restaurants are decorated to look like old country stores.  The high-school kids who work there probably don’t even know why.  In these new automated operations, employees load meat onto the racks of gas-fired rotisserie ovens, push a button, and go home.  The virtual barbecue oven does the rest.  The quality of the smoked meats pales in comparison to the taste of meat cooked the old-fashioned way with nothing but smoke…Old fashioned Texas barbecue has become an art form.  As each old barbecue joint disappears, the ones that remain become more treasured.”

And it’s with this sense of nostalgia that I started this pilgrimage trip to four legendary Central Texas BBQ establishments with five other enthusiasts on this particular Saturday.  Knowing that I would be stretching my stomach to its fullest capacity, I wanted to treasure (and compare) each of these savory, smokey bites of history.

First Stop: Louie Mueller Barbeque
206 West 2nd St, Taylor, TX 76574

Louie Mueller BBQ opened in the 1940’s behind Louie Mueller’s Complete Food Store to meet the demand of hungry cotton pickers who came through town during the harvest (Taylor was a cotton shipping center).  Louie Mueller BBQ moved to its current location in 1959.

Smoke pits at Louie Mueller BBQ:

Timing this Central Texas BBQ pilgrimage trip was tricky.  All the establishments we were planning to visit operate under the “close early evening or until we run out of meat” philosophy.  In order to fit in all four places before closing and break up the BBQ eating with a brief “work up your appetite” period between each establishment, we hit Mueller’s at 10:00 am, right when they opened.  As BBQ is a finicky brand of cuisine, it’s arguable whether this early timing may or may not have influenced the food.

Mueller’s being our first stop meant that we were most ambitious here, ordering every kind of meat on the menu for sampling except the turkey.

Mueller’s Brisket:

Brisket, like all meats at Mueller’s, had an outer crust of dry rub.  The brisket had two distinct portions, a fattier top portion and a leaner bottom portion.  Though the fattier portion with the seasoned rub was juicy and well seasoned, the moisture and flavor didn’t seem to penetrate into the bottom of the brisket.  In other words, the fat hadn’t quite “melted” into the rest of the brisket yet.  Mueller’s does offer a sauce with its BBQ, and adding some of the vinegary goodness helped the dryness of the bottom half of the brisket.

Mueller’s Sausage:

Mueller’s regular sausage had good smokey flavor, but the casing didn’t have the kind of crispy crackliness I like.  The chipotle sausage had a snappier skin, but left an odd, almost sweet, after taste.

Mueller’s Pork Ribs:

Mueller’s pork ribs fell on the dry side.  Again, the rub provided good flavor on the bark but did not penetrate into the meat.  Though the pink smoke ring is evident, the flavor was not pronounced.

Mueller’s Pork Tenderloin:

Pork tenderloin was Mueller’s weakest meat this morning.  The meat was dry and bland.

Mueller’s Beef Ribs:

Beef ribs were the standouts at Mueller’s.  The rub had penetrated its flavor all the way to the bone.  Smoke flavor was pronounced.  The substantial bark, when eaten by itself, was like peppery beef jerky but with more moisture. 

About an hour south, we arrived in the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” as state legislation declared in 1999.  Lockhart is home to three of Texas’ most famous BBQ establishments: Smitty’s Market, Kreuz Market, and Black’s BBQ.  Having only so much stomach capacity, we only managed to eat our way through two of these three legends.  I visited the one that we skipped, Black’s BBQ, last September and you can read some notes about the food here.

Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart:

Right on the town square near the courthouse was our second destination. 

Second Stop: Smitty’s Market
208 South Commerce, Lockhart, TX 78644

Smitty’s location is actually the original Kreuz Market location.  That’s “market” as in “butcher’s meat market,” and Smitty’s continues the tradition of serving its BBQ on plain butcher paper with no utensils today.  This is a site with a long history, the smokers responsible for blackening these hallway walls are over a hundred years old.

The source of all that smoke?  Flaming post oak burning at the pits.

On to the feast!

Smitty’s Brisket:

Smitty’s brisket had good smoke flavor, but were on the lean side, especially since we specified “fat brisket” with our order.  The brisket was a little dry.  The glistening end shown in the photo here had been touching some of the other more moist BBQ meats in our order.  The taste reflected the look of the dryer end of the brisket.  The fattier end had a pleasant, almost crunchy texture.  Smitty’s brisket was well seasoned, something Mueller’s brisket lacked. 

Smitty’s Sausage

 

Smitty’s sausage is, in my opinion, the finest in Texas.  I’ve only been here twice, but the sausage has been sheer perfection each time.  The crisp casing is filled with peppery, smokey ground meat.  Each bite snaps and breaks the skin to reveal juicy, coarsely ground morsels of smoke.  It’s juicy but doesn’t feel greasy.  Sausage is probably my least favorite out of all the BBQ meats, but Smitty’s does sausage so well that I would not hesitate to order a link all for myself.

Smitty’s Pork Ribs:

When I first tried Smitty’s pork ribs three years ago, I swore they were the best I’d ever had.  My better half, a devoted rib enthusiast, went back for a second order and ended up eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 or 10 ribs.  Impressive yet disgusting, I know.  On this visit, I wanted confirmation that these were indeed great ribs, and they were worthy of all the praise I’d given them leading up to this trip.  The pork ribs had substantial bark and were still fall off the bone tender.  The interior was tender and juicy without being mushy.  Too many pork ribs suffer from being dry and requiring extensive teeth work to get off of the bone or on the other end of spectrum, being overcooked to the point of mushiness so the meat is tender but loses its meaty texture.  Smitty’s manages to achieve the perfect balance between the two, giving the bark excellent texture and maintaining the meat’s tissue integrity without sacrificing moisture and tenderness.  In short, they are still the best ribs I’ve ever had.

Smitty’s Prime Rib:

Smitty’s prime rib had perhaps the best smoke flavor out of all of its meats.  The photograph here does more to convey the prime rib’s juiciness and tenderness more than I can ever do with words.  The prime rib had the kind of unadulterated beefy flavor that really satisfies.  However, it could’ve used a touch more salt.

We also tried the pork chops at Smitty’s, which were tender but didn’t really stand out when compared to the other meats sampled here. 

We were only halfway through our day of gluttony but most of us started feeling full.  Not stuffed, but reasonably full.  We needed a break, so it was off to Lockhart State Park for a short hike and some fresh air.  All of us smelled like camp fires.

An hour later, it was back to the feasting.

Third Stop: Kreuz Market
619 N. Colorado St, Lockhart, TX 78644

Kreuz Market’s history dates back to 1900, when it was a meat market and grocery store in the current Smitty’s location.  Kreuz Market moved to its current location in 1999.  Even though the newer, bigger, and brighter location doesn’t quite have the same kind of historic feel as the old location, the German meat market BBQ traditions haven’t died.  In fact, they’re spelled out clearly as soon as you enter Kreuz’s front doors.

Kreuz also uses post oak for smoking.  In fact, piles of post oak logs are stacked for aging so that most of the logs used for smoking are two years old.

A row of Kreuz’s many pits:

Full as we were, as soon as we walked in and smelled the air inside Kreuz, our appetites started stirring again.  But knowing that we still had one more stop on our journey, we kept to the basic meats and didn’t sample the entire range of Kreuz’s menu.

Kreuz Brisket:

Finally, we encountered a brisket that neared perfection.  Kreuz’s brisket was smokey and moist, with the fat melting into the meat to give it a loosened texture.  Between the crusty outer ring and juicy interior, this was beef BBQ at its finest.

Kreuz’s Sausage (somewhat hidden under all that beautiful brisket):

I didn’t find Kreuz’s regular sausage memorable at all.  In fact, the inside was mushy.  The jalapeno and cheese sausage had excellent flavor and better texture than the regular sausage, but the casing was not as crisp and snappy as Smitty’s. 

Kreuz’s Prime Rib:

Kreuz’s prime rib was not as moist as Smitty’s, but was seasoned well and a tad more smokey.  I would say this is the better prime rib of the day in terms of overall taste, but there is something really satisfying about the balance of textures (fatty, juicy, and tender) in Smitty’s prime rib that is unrivaled.

We all piled into the van en route to our last stop of the day.  By this time, the van smelled like a campfire even without all of us in it.  What started the day as an enticing smell is now growing tired.  After a brief excursion to a winery tasting room in San Marcos, we perked up for our last stop of the day.

Fourth Stop: City Market
633 Davis St, Luling, TX 78648

City Market in Luling, not to be confused with the unaffiliated Luling City Market in Houston, has been open since 1930.  Unlike Kreuz, City Market does offer a sauce upon request.  But don’t ask for forks, they’re still a stickler for the no utensils rule (unless you get sides like potato salad, then you can have a spoon).  Unfortunately for us, we hit City Market at around 5:00pm and they were sold out of sausage, what many would argue is one of City Market’s strong suits. 

City Market’s Brisket and Pork Ribs:

Brisket at City Market on this Saturday was a little on the dry side.  Still, the brisket was smokey and had the best beef flavor of the day.  It’s important to note that we arrived at City Market just in time to get some of the last brisket of the day (they ran out just a few minutes after we received our order), and it looked like we were getting a leaner, dryer cut of brisket than usual.  The pork ribs at City Market had beautiful bark with great texture, but the interior meat didn’t quite have the juicy porkiness of Smitty’s ribs.

I had some rather tasty potato salad at City Market as well, which was the only thing I ate on this Saturday outside of too much BBQ meat, a couple of slices of pickles, and two bites of white bread.

The journey was over and we were all beyond stuffed.  Here are the votes from the group of six on their favorites of the day:

Best Brisket (out of all 4 establishments): 3 votes for Kreuz, 2 votes for City Market, and 1 vote for Smitty’s
Best Pork Ribs (out of all 4 establishments): 6 votes for Smitty’s
Best Sausage (out of Mueller’s, Smitty’s, and Kreuz): 6 votes for Smitty’s
Best Prime Rib (out of Smitty’s and Kreuz): 4 votes for Kreuz, 2 votes for Smitty’s

The group was also surveyed on their top 3 meats overall (each person picked 3, so there are 18 votes total):

Smitty’s pork ribs: 5 votes
Mueller’s beef ribs: 3 votes
Smitty’s sausage: 3 votes
Kreuz’s brisket: 2 votes
Smitty’s prime rib: 2 votes
City Market’s brisket: 1 vote
Kreuz’s prime rib: 1 vote
Smitty’s brisket: 1 vote

It’s a little ironic that amongst all that beef-heavy Central Texas BBQ, the singular winner of the day was Smitty’s pork ribs.  Then again, it was the only pork cut that made it onto the favorite list of the day, so maybe it’s merely the exception to the beef lover’s rule.

The favorite establishment of the day?  The group unanimously voted for Smitty’s.  Whereas each establishment did something exceptionally well, each cut of Smitty’s BBQ was impressive even when it wasn’t the best compared to the others.  Plus, if you’re bringing a visitor for a true taste of Central Texas BBQ, it’s hard to beat those dark hallway walls blackened since 1900.

Holiday Season Houston Highlights January 31, 2008

I had the opportunity to travel to Houston a couple of times during the holiday season.  The humid and hot sauna of a city is one of my favorite restaurant destinations for all sorts of reasons, not all of which are rational.  First, I’m sentimentally attached to the hip eateries in the Montrose area that I frequented during a summer gig of living in an one-room garage apartment, barely earning enough money at my internship for rent but blowing most of it on food.  Second, I’m in awe of Houston’s ginormous Viet-Chinatown on Bellaire Blvd, where a large Vietnamese population makes authentic and fusion Asian cuisine extremely accessible.  Third, for Mex-Mex and Tex-Mex with a seafood focus, the folks in Houston just do it better.  Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t give up any of my favorite DFW digs (particularly the BYOB restaurants) to trade, but Houston remains a sentimental favorite.  Below here are some food highlights from recent trips south on I-45.

Montrose, Quirky and Hip

Ok, it’s my favorite neighborhood inside the Loop because it’s where I slept on an IKEA futon for a summer.  But more than that, Montrose is a demographically diverse, bohemian contrast to stereotypical Houston.  It’s home to Houston’s Best Gay Bar (by Citysearch Poll), great art museums like the Menil Collection, the best vintage/antique shopping strip in town, tons of tattoo and body-piercing parlors, and some of Houston’s finest established restaurants like Hugo’s, Da Marco, Mark’s, Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen, and more.  A newer shining star in the Montrose dining scene is Dolce Vita (500 Westheimer Rd, Houston), an intimate pizzeria/enoteca in a restored Montrose bungalow.  Featured in Food & Wine and Texas Monthly, Marco Wiles’ (of Da Marco) latest creation offers authentic tastes and a fantastic ambiance for about half the price of Da Marco.  Affordable Italian and a commendable wine list made Dolce Vita the perfect destination for a reunion dinner with a couple of college girl friends. 

Living up to its enoteca name, Dolce Vita’s lengthy all Italian wine list is surprisingly affordable, and almost half of the selections are available by the glass.  When requesting a medium bodied red, our waiter recommended the Cannonau di Sardegna Sella & Mosca ($26, about 2.5 times retail).  Cannonau is a grape native to Sardinia that is similar to the Grenache.  The fruity berry and plum flavors made it an excellent companion to our lighter fare choices.

One glance at the Dolce Vita menu and you’ll immediately know this is no yuppie trendy wine bar.  Starters include veggies like shaved brussel sprouts with pecorino and roasted cauliflower, marinated seafood items like salmon, whitefish, and anchovies, and of course, a spread of salumi and cheese options.  We started with pumpkin goat cheese crochettes ($5) and mushrooms with mint and ricotta rosa ($4).

Before biting into these little fried balls of delight, I assumed the menu description implied fried pumpkin puree-goat cheese mixture.  I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into the crochette to find a ball of creamy goat cheese wrapped inside a thin layer of pumpkin.  The pumpkin flavor was subtle, but added the much needed earthy balance for this rich dish.  Mind you I was with the same girls that swooned over the fried goat cheese balls with honey from Malaga Tapas and Wine Bar in Austin, so needless to say, we were all big fans of these golden little globes of fun.

The mushrooms with mint and ricotta rosa didn’t prove to be as popular.  Part of reason was because our waiter had forgotten about this appetizer order until after he brought out our pizza.  Cold, over salted ricotta cheese and slimey mushrooms just don’t fare well when you’ve already moved onto the warm, luscious entree.  But even if the service had been in order, I still think this dish was far too salty to stand alone.  Accompanying crusty bread would have made the intense ricotta more enjoyable.

The salad choice of the evening was arugula with roasted tomatoes ($8).

The salads at Dolce Vita are meant to serve two, but the three of us had no problem sharing.  It’s amazing how fresh, bitter greens can be so tasty with a simple vinaigrette.  The added flare of the sweet roasted tomatoes certainly didn’t hurt.

For the entree, we split a taleggio pizza ($14).

Italian native taleggio cheese has a strong smell but a mild, buttery, and almost fruity taste.  The semi-soft cheese provided a rich mouthfeel with its oozy texture.  Combine this richness with soft pear slices, bitter argula, truffle oil, all atop a lightly charred, thin pizza crust, and you have the best pizza I’ve had in my life.  Second place doesn’t even come close.

For dessert, I opted for the dolce latte cake (all desserts are $6):

Creamy and rich in almost a tres leches kind of way but with a definite coffee zing.  The other girls went for gelato (choice of 3 out of 9 available flavors).

Cute presentation but my bite had an uneven texture with tiny bits of ice.

Even with the minor mishaps (oversalted ricotta and icy gelato) and somewhat careless service, I am incredibly jealous that we don’t have a restaurant like Dolce Vita in Dallas.  Is anyone aware of a Dallas establishment that’s using taleggio, rapini, bottarga, clams, or robiola on pizza?  At these prices?  Let me know.  Dolce vita is an incredible value for a gastronomical adventure. 

For something not so new, we headed to Niko Niko’s (2520 Montrose Blvd, Houston) for lunch the next day.  Niko Niko’s classic gyro sandwich has been a Montrose neighborhood favorite since the restaurant’s inception in 1977.  Over the years, the restaurant’s popularity has outgrown the neighborhood and become somewhat of a Houston institution.  Even Niko Niko’s renovation and expansion a couple of years ago can’t catch up to the growing crowds, the expanded dining room is still perpetually packed and parking is still a challenge.  You’re better off finding off street parking a couple of blocks away than trying to squeeze into that tiny lot next to the restaurant. 

Parking issues aside, it’s hard to argue with the appeal of eating a warm, fluffy pita stuffed with perfectly seasoned lamb and beef roasted to tender perfection, topped with fresh tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce ($7.95) amongst the hustle and bustle of this crowded counter service joint. 

Did I mention the plate also comes with Niko Niko’s oven potatoes?  Well, you actually get a choice of potatoes, rice, or French fries.  As good as Niko Niko’s seasoned fries are, I’m a sucker for these olive oil drenched, Greek seasoned oven baked potatoes.  Carbolicious!

When you’ve been around for as long as Niko Niko’s has, you get your share of fans and critics.  Most serious foodies tend to be critics of this pseudo-Greek/semi-American establishment.  Even though I know Niko Niko’s isn’t the best authentic Greek restaurant in town, I’m a fan.  Niko Niko’s is a one show pony, the gyro is by far the best item on the menu.  The other items range from passable to average, like the loukoumades (honey balls, $5.75 for full dozen) we had on this visit.

These honey balls weren’t even spherical and had definitely been overfried.  I’ll stick to the ones from the Greek Food Festival instead.  But, like many Niko Niko’s devotees, I don’t come here for a full service elaborate Greek meal reminiscent of a past trip to Athens.  I come here for the comfort of that perfect gyro sandwich for a lazy early afternoon weekend lunch or killer late night munchies (Niko Niko’s is open until 11:00pm on weekends).  Besides, Niko Niko’s has been popularizing Greek food to the masses in Houston long before the craze that came with My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and you have to give them credit for that.

Chinatown, Old and New

Speaking of popularizing ethnic cuisine to the masses, I paid homage to the downtown (old Chinatown) location of Kim Son (2001 Jefferson St, Houston) for lunch. 

In 1993, when Kim Son relocated from their original Houston downtown site, this 22,000 square foot building was the largest Asian restaurant in Texas.  Since then, Kim Son has opened two more monstrous Kim Son restaurants and six Little Kim Son (a quasi-fast food concept with a limited menu) locations in the Houston area.

Kim Son’s expansive 16-page menu ranges from Americanized Chinese cuisine (a la Orange Beef and Kung Pao Chicken) to traditional Vietnamese and Cantonese Chinese dishes to fusion-esque plates that combine influences from all three cuisine styles (if Americanized Chinese cuisine can truly be considered a style).  It’s not the best authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Houston (not by a long shot), but the menu variety appeals to a wide range of tastes, evident by the packed parking lot and dining room on this Friday lunch visit.  Just like Niko Niko’s, Kim Son deserves credit for popularizing Vietnamese cuisine to the masses in Houston, making it as approachable as Tex-Mex for those with less adventurous tastes.

For lunch, I chose an order of Bo Nuong Xa ($12.95), grilled beef with lemongrass and garlic, which Kim Son’s menu has nicknamed “Vietnamese Fajitas” to make more approachable to the masses (and the translations has gained popularity on Vietnamese restaurant menus all over Houston). 

The form of the thin grilled slices of beef are not traditional (Bo Nuong Xa is typically cubed lemongrass beef) but Kim Son has transformed the traditional flavors into a format Texans are more comfortable with.  Take a moistened spring roll wrapper and fill it with the grilled sliced beef, top with the typical fresh accompaniments (sprouts, herbs, and pickled carrots, not photographed), add some fish sauce for flavor, and roll it all up.  Why bother giving operating directions with this entree when the descriptive “fajita” name explains it all?

But if you’re looking for a truly authentic Chinatown experience, leave downtown behind and head southwest to the Beltway 8/Bellaire Blvd area.  With half a dozen large Asian grocery stores anchoring strip malls filled to the brim with restaurants, boba tea shops, and bakeries, new Houston Chinatown is Texas-sized indeed.  To sample every restaurant in the area would probably take over a month’s work.  Though I have some favorite places for full blown dinners, this time I was briefly passing through and needed a quick late lunch.  For the wintry weather conditions (well, wintry for Houston), nothing sounded better than a bowl of dumplings in hot broth at San Dong Noodle House (9938 Bellaire Blvd, Houston).

San Dong has recently found a new home in Chinatown more presentable than its old digs further east.  The cleaner, brighter space remains simple and offers basic counter service.  San Dong serves their ground pork stuffed dumplings in a beef broth, a reflection of northern style Chinese cuisine.

The beef broth wasn’t as rich on this visit as it has been in the past, but nonetheless provided soothing comfort on this relatively cold day.  The bok choy and the pickled mustard greens gave a nice crunchy texture contrast to the al dente dumplings.

If you find yourself at San Dong, don’t overlook the prepackaged “deli” items sitting on the shelves next to the cashier’s counter.  There are steamed bao zi (buns) and jao zi (dumplings) with various fillings and my favorite San Dong “snack,” Pearl Balls.

San Dong is the only Chinese restaurant in Texas that I’m aware of that serves these glutinous rice balls filled with ground pork and chestnuts.  Pearl balls are a popular New Year’s treat in China, but they’re available year round at San Dong.  If you’re interested in making these at home (since I don’t know where they are available in DFW), try this recipe.

A Tex-Mex Guilty Pleasure

It seems only fitting that after all my foodie adventures in Houston, I would stop by the most non-foodie restaurant of all time on the drive home.  Los Cucos, a regional chain of Tex-Mex restaurants with a dozen locations spread throughout Houston and San Antonio, became a regular guilty pleasure in college.  With a metabolism that I now miss greatly, I indulged in Los Cuco’s greasy quesadillas, green sauce (a sour cream based salsa verde-ish dip), and cheap margaritas all too often.  Driving back to DFW from Houston on this trip, I gave in to my craving and had lunch at the Conroe location (2000 I-45 North, Conroe).

The Conroe location, like many other Los Cucos restaurants, is located in a run down strip mall with more potholes than parking spaces.  Upon seating in a generic restaurant booth, I was relieved to find that Los Cucos had finally removed the non-professional photographs of the food from the menu.  The photos were so discolored and faded after the copying and laminating process that the food looked extremely unappetizing.  Who wants some mystery gray-colored grilled meat for lunch?  But rest assured, Los Cucos serves up some delicious and unabashedly rich Tex-Mex.  The photos were misleading and I’m glad they finally took them off the menu.

My lunch comprised of a stuffed avocado with a cup of chicken tortilla soup.

The chicken tortilla soup at Los Cucos has a broth so rich that you actually need a drink of water in between bites to re-set your tastebuds (and to wash out some of the all-too-rich mouthfeel from the broth).  It’s an amazing cup of stewed tender chicken, soft onion slices, and tender avocado slices.  But, like all dishes at Los Cucos, the soup needs to be consumed in moderation.  The star of this plate, however, is not the chicken tortilla soup, but rather the golden fried ball that stands for everything the American Heart Association is against.  The avocado is peeled and cored, then stuffed with fajita beef strips and cheese, then rolled in batter and deep fried.  A peek inside the avocado:

Though the photo is blurry, you can get an idea of the oozy cheesy deep fried “oh man I have to run a marathon to burn off these calories” state of guilty pleasure.

My partner, appearing rather appalled at my cholesterol-induced euphoria, enjoyed a slightly less (just slightly) guilty pleasure, beef quesadillas.

If you think the gringo-fied nature of quesadillas makes them largely the same at all Tex Mex establishments and thus not worth trying, I would generally agree with you.  The ones at Los Cucos, however, are different (and crave-worthy).  Los Cucos tortillas, made fresh on-site, are doughier (less cooked) than those at other restaurants.  The tortilla is super stretchy, so a bite into the quesadilla pulls on both the cheese and the tortilla.  I can’t logically explain why this makes the quesadilla better, but it certainly has made an impression on me.

From sophisticated to everyday, grand to hole-in-the-wall, these highlights are the reason why I always enjoy a trip to Houston.  Oh, and if you’re wondering why any self-proclaimed foodie would publicly confess her love for Los Cucos, you should really try a deep fried stuffed avocado first.  Just one bite.

Mmm… Ribs (Country Tavern in Kilgore) January 3, 2008

My better half swears that the ribs cooked by his sister-in-law’s father are the best in the world (ooh, that was a mouthful!)  He swears nothing even comes close, not Smitty’s, not Cooper’s.  Then, where does the East Texas Rib Master go for ribs when he wants to eat out?  He gives the same answer as half of the resident in East Texas, Country Tavern (State Highway 31 & FM 2767, Kilgore).

The Country Tavern, we’re told, has been around for at least 30 years.  There’s a nice exact figure for the history books.  The place used to be a total dive, a rowdy honky tonk with a cramped dance floor and a worn out pool table.  After a tragic car accident, Country Tavern took on new ownership and cosmetic updates a few years ago.  Country Tavern is no longer a dingy dark warehouse, but the essence of the haphazardly thrown-together watering hole is still there.  Smoking is now only allowed at the bar and not at the tables.  A newer pool table accompanies the jukebox in the bar area. 

There’s no menu at the Country Tavern.  And even though the kitchen offers other items (namely brisket and sausage), everyone knows Country Tavern is a ribs and draft kind of joint.  No beer for us on this visit, we had a long drive back to Dallas after dinner.  We started off with a large rib plate ($17) and two glasses of sweet tea.

It’s a standard Texas order of ribs, forgettable potato salad, white bread, and pickle slices.  The sauce is warmed in the bottle and brought out with your order.  East Texas BBQ follows the tradition of pork and sauce focused Arkansas and Tennesee BBQ rather than beef-heavy sauce-free Central Texas BBQ (with the exception of brisket, though brisket in East Texas is typically consumed with BBQ sauce).  Country Tavern’s sweet, thick sauce is no exception to the rule.  Instead of a “no sauce needed” attitude, the focus here is on the slightly tangy, sweet sauce. 

The ribs cannot be compared to those at Smitty’s or Cooper’s of the Central Texas school of BBQ philosophy.  These are simply a different style.  The fall off the bone tender, finger-licking good ribs remind me of high school road trips to Memphis.  The ribs from Country Tavern lacked smoke compared to typical Central Texas BBQ.  I found the ribs enjoyable, but by personal preference, yearned for more smoke.  The combination of the sweet BBQ sauce and the sweet tea was too much for my low sugar-tolerance self.  But my better half opted for a second order of just ribs.

This close-up photo shows the nice (but sticky from a sugary glaze) bark on the ribs.  The burnt, almost caramelized, ends of the bark were my favorite part of the ribs.  But again, low on smoke.

The fun-loving, carefree atmosphere at Country Tavern is a complete contrast to the stiff BBQ purist attitude of Central Texas.  Through its long history, the ribs at Country Tavern have evolved into legendary status in their own right.  But unlike the legends in Central Texas, the service at Country Tavern comes complete with silverware, sauce, and even a hot towel for clean up when you’re done with your messy dinner.  However, would I trade these creature comforts for pit-smoked perfection in my ribs?  Well, call me a purist, but most definitely yes.

Tasting Atlanta with Delight and Envy November 18, 2007

Atlanta is like Dallas in a lot of ways.  Both are sunbelt business-oriented cities that serve as major transportation hubs with considerable suburban sprawl, and thus guilty of SSS, “souless suburbs syndrome” (incidentally, both cities seem to be growing more northward).  Neither are destination vacation cities known for its cultural offerings but both maintain a respectable amount of art and history to appease its residents.  When a small group of friends scheduled a weekend trip to Atlanta to visit our Dallas-transplanted-to-Atlanta-for-grad-school friend, I was expecting a food scene a lot like Dallas.  Granted the geographic influence on each state’s cuisine would be different (Texas is more cattle country steaks, chili, and BBQ while Georgia is more deep south soul food), I had expected the atmosphere of dining options to be similar, lots of casual upscale to high end restaurants for the business diners, a good ethnic food scene due to the diversity of a large population that comes with job growth, and a few restaurants that the city can truly claim as its own original.

My basic assumptions proved to be more or less true.  However, one thing that I did not expect, and that I discovered while doing research for this trip, is the substantial presence of the foodie community in Atlanta.

I had always thought that Dallas had a decently active foodie community based on discussions on forums like Chowhound and blogs like DallasFood.  Generally speaking, as compared to other major cities in Texas like Houston or San Antonio, people in Dallas are obsessed with the dining scene.  I’m sure enthusiastic foodies exist everywhere, but those in Dallas seem to be more vocal out of the trio of Texas cities (not including Austin, Austinites LOVE their food).  But the Atlanta foodie community is something else.  Sorry, Dallas folks, we’ve been had in this category.

Don’t believe me?  Check out sites like Atlanta Cuisine, Omnivore Atlanta, Atlanta Foodies, Chow Down Atlanta, Blissful Glutton, Steakhead’s Atlanta Eats, Off the Broiler Atlanta… I’m sure there are more.  Could it be that this stereotypical business oriented souless city has as strong and passionate of a foodie community as San Fran or NYC?  It’s a full time job just to keep up with these online resources, and I’m sure there are more in hard copy.  Alas, it was simply information overload for last minute trip planning (the night before, to be exact).  So I skimmed a few sites and just decided to go with the flow.  It was time to pack my bags and see if Atlanta cuisine could impress me the way the foodie community has.

First up, breakfast at West Egg Cafe (1168 Howell Mills Rd NW, Atlanta).

I am told that the West Side, the area of Atlanta where West Egg Cafe is located, is an up and coming region in the city.  Judging by all the surrounding construction, it is still coming, not quite delightfully charming yet but the future looks promising.

The interior of West Egg Cafe is modern day simplicity meets hippie chic details, or in Texan vocabulary, very Austin-ish.  Like the decor, the menu puts a spin on classics.  The blue plate special (classic egg, biscuit, and breakfast meat combo) comes with choice of regular bacon, Canadian bacon, turkey sausage, or for an additional $1.00, vegetarian sausage.  Conservative diners in the group scoffed at menu items like tofu scramble bowl and turkey meatloaf.  I’ve got no beef with scrambled tofu but didn’t have much of an appetite for so early in the morning.  My breakfast consisted of two side orders, roasted garlic grits ($1.75) and fried green tomatoes ($2.95).

The grits were creamy and rich with piquant garlic flavor.  However, as you can see from the photo, the grits were so creamy that they felt overprocessed.  I like a little grittiness in my grits.

Four words: soggy batter, no good.

A fellow diner ordered banana nut French toast from the special brunch menu.

An interesting (and delicious, I’m told) spin on classic French toast made with banana nut bread.  With its share of hits and misses, West Egg Cafe is working a charming concept with a charming interior in a soon-to-be charming part of Atlanta.  Certain plates, however, could use charming transformations.

After breakfast, the group hit up two of Atlanta’s tourist essentials, World of Coca Cola and the CNN Studio Tour.  Before I even entered the front door of World of Coca Cola, the unnaturally peppy non-region and non-genre specific music blasting over the ticketing area rubbed me the wrong way.  Maybe it was just too early in the morning for cranky Donna, but I didn’t understand the purpose of paying money to spend time in a building that is essentially one giant advertisement for Coca Cola products.  Sure, the vintage Coke memorabilia was neat, but mostly, it was like an amusement park without the fun rides.  I know, I should be less harsh because it’s mostly a kiddie trap (I mean, destination).  The theme of the World of Coca Cola seems to be: Forget the addictive caffeine and the sugar content, Coke brings you refreshment, happiness, and creates wonderful memories.  For cynical me, the propaganda was a little early 1990’s R. J. Reynolds in rhetoric.  However, my crankiness eased up a bit when we hit the World of Coca Cola foodie highlight, Taste it!

Taste it! offers 70 different Coca Cola products from around the world for your tasting pleasure.  If it’s fizzy drinks you’re into, then you’ve hit the jackpot.  Grab a dixie cup and let the drinking begin.  Not exactly international food at its finest, the soft drinks do reflect regional taste preferences around the world.  The Asian products have much lower sugar content, the Latin American products have a strong focus on fruit flavors, and the bitter Beverly from Italy will shock most American tastebuds.  Tourists beware, sample all the stations and the carbonation fun will lead to many potty breaks throughout the day.

Next up was an informative and educational tour of the CNN studios, a couple of blocks from World of Coca Cola. 

 

If you’ve ever been curious about the behind the scenes production of one the world’s leading news networks, I would highly recommend the tour.  The tour guides don’t dumb down the information too much as most visitors are adults.  Information presented is concise and the hour passes quickly, unless of course, you’ve just consumed half a gallon of carbonation at World of Coca Cola, then it feels like an eternity until the tour guide allows for a bathroom break. 

Feeling accomplished that we had knocked out two of Atlanta’s top tourist musts in one morning, it was time for nourishment at Taste of Atlanta.  Every city in DFW seems to have its own Taste of event, yet none are popular with the foodie community.  The primary reason for public indifference is the lack of true regional restaurants represented at these events.  The annual Taste of Dallas in the West End, for example, has only 30 some restaurants represented, and TGI Friday’s and CiCi’s are included on that list.  I’m sorry, but there’s nothing Dallas about a national chain pizza buffet.  The best of the DFW Taste festivals is probably Taste Addison, which has 50 some restaurants represented (still guilty of having Pizza Inn and the likes on the list).  Still, very few (arguably none) of the top fine dining Dallas restaurants participate in these festivals and the existing vendor offerings are hardly ever exciting.

Taste of Atlanta offers booths from 70 of Atlanta’s top restaurants (not a single pizza buffet on the list, but the presence of Johnny Rockets is a bit of a red flag) for visitors to sample from.  Whereas I always leave Taste of Addison feeling a little robbed, the $25 admission to Taste of Atlanta (includes 10 taste coupons per ticket) allowed the group to sample exciting offerings like balsamic braised short rib from Sun Dial, brownie cheesecake from Metrotainment Bakery, southern specials like collard greens (one of the most memorable bites from this trip) and macaroni and cheese from OK Cafe, rat toes (baked jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and wrapped with crispy bacon) from Six Feet Under, fried cod balls (can’t remember the actual name of the dish) from Mitra, crab meat/chick pea salad from Haven, duck breast and deviled eggs from The Feed Store, tuna tartare with ponzu sauce from Strip, hummus and gyro from Mediterranean Grill, hickory smoked pork chops and Pinot Noir mashed potatoes from Sambuca, pan fried calamari with hot cherry peppers from The Capital Grille, and pulled pork sandwich from LowCountry BBQ Outpost.

Is my lunch smiling at me?  I’m certainly smiling back as he was delicious.

Another highlight of Taste of Atlanta was the Rocco DiSpirito book signing where he promoted his latest book, Rocco’s Real-Life Recipes, as opposed to his reality TV life recipes?  I haven’t tried out any of the book’s recipes yet.  When I do, I will get you the scoop on whether Mr. TV Star Chef is truly keeping it real.

Taste of Atlanta left us stuffed and in awe of Atlanta’s restaurant scene.  To balance out the calorie intake and expenditure equation, we followed Taste of Atlanta with a 1.3 mile trek up Stone Mountain, about 20 miles from downtown Atlanta.  The peak, at 1683 feet above sea level, offers views of a 60 mile radius around the mountain, including the distant city scape of Atlanta.  The park also offers a skyride lift to those who want to enjoy the views but skip the footwork.  Personally, I think the scenery is more breathtaking if you hike (or maybe it’s because you’re out of breath by the time you’ve reached the top).  Here’s a shot from the peak of the mountain down the skyride cables.

After the hike, we enjoyed a 45 minute laser light show (with fireworks!) projected onto the side of the mountain with the Confederate Memorial Carving honoring Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson.  It’s like a less impressive version of Mount Rushmore.

The laser light show itself was kiddie oriented, but I did enjoy the irony of 4th of July themed show with its patriotic music accompanying lasers highlighting the Confederate generals.

Sweaty and starved, we drove back into Atlanta and stopped at The Varsity (61 North Ave, Atlanta) for a snack.  Sitting on a lot of over two acres and having the capacity to hold 600 cars, the downtown location of The Varsity is the world’s largest drive-in.  Our now-Atlanta-resident friend had warned us about the The Varsity’s food having White Castle/Krystal Burger Sliders’ Syndrome (that is, it’ll slide right through ya), so I played it safe and ordered a Varsity Orange and onion rings.

The Varsity Orange is basically an orange creamsicle in beverage form, what’s not to like?  The onion rings, on the other hand, offered little to like.  Though the puffy batter was pleasant, I simply couldn’t get past how greasy and oversalted they were.  I’m not a health nut and I eat plenty of deep fried goodness on a regular basis, but nothing can justify this grease pool left behind by 6 small onion rings.

Add grease induced nausea to the already exhausted and sweaty group, some freshening up was in order.  A round of showers and clean clothes revamped our spirits as we headed out to Manuel’s Tavern (601 N Highland Ave, Atlanta) for a round of brews.

Named by New York Magazine as Atlanta’s quintessential neighborhood bar, Manuel’s “do as you like” atmosphere provided a much welcomed change of pace from the busy, rushed day.  Manuel’s offers a decent beer selection (20 on tap and 30 more bottled selections) and a crowd to match, serving as a watering hole for people from every walk of life.  At the main bar, a group of yuppies are celebrating (a promotion, perhaps?).  Over in the larger room to the left, eyes of families with 2.3 kids, bikers in leather gear, and spikey haired, tattooed rock star types are all affixed to the TVs broadcasting the World Series.  Rumor has it that President Jimmy Carter used to drop by with the secret service in tow.  No former President sightings for this group, but I was content with my pint of Terrapin India Brown Ale, a rich, dark brew from Athens, Georgia.  We were even more ecstatic to find out that Manuel’s kitchen stayed open late as none of us dared to eat much at The Varsity.  Craving a midnight snack to go with my brew, I ordered the Loaded Dogzilla ($6.95).

Something about the combination of the late hour and the enthusiastic cheers for the Cleveland Indians gave me the audacity to attempt this 1/3 pound all beef hot dog covered in chili, cheese, saurkraut, onion, relish, and cole slaw, an amalgamation of several regional hot dog variations.  I ate without reservation or care.  It was late, I was starved, and a baseball game was on TV.  Loaded monster hot dog + a pint of brew + hangry Donna = great ending to a long day.  I’ll worry about regaining any ladylike mannerisms in the morning.

Tired as we were, we wanted to make the most of our less-than-48-hour stay in Atlanta.  However, the post-Manuel’s Tavern attempt to sneak a peek of midtown Atlanta night life (for the hour or so before the bars closed for the night) was an utter failure, as every club in town seemed to be hosting some famous rapper or R&B artist and the lines to get in were impossibly long.  As it turned out, it was BET Awards weekend and we didn’t get the memo.

As a complete contrast to our first day in Atlanta, the second day called for nothing more than a relaxing brunch at Canoe (4199 Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta) to celebrate the belated birthday of our now-Atlanta-resident friend before the mid-afternoon flight back to Dallas.  Canoe, under direction of Atlanta native Executive Chef Carvel Grant Gould, is a casual upscale eatery tucked away along the banks of the Chattahoochee River.  On a fair weathered Sunday, I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting than Canoe’s patio for brunch.

  For brunch, we started with a small basket of fresh baked pastries ($6.25).

Mini poppy seed chocolate muffins, pastries with various fillings (strawberry, pineapple, and cream cheese), and a cinnamon bear claw. 

For my entree, I chose the oak roasted chicken ($15.95).

Had I realized the portion would be so large for brunch, I probably would’ve opted for a lighter option.  However, the chicken was moist and tender with a understated smokiness (perhaps a little too understated for my preference) and the green beans snappy crisp and fresh.  The highlight of this dish was actually the buttery Anson Mill grits swimming in a balsamic sauce with the baby shiitake mushrooms.  I would’ve been happy eating just that for brunch.

Some other dishes around the table:

Peeky toe crab and celery root scramble ($15.50)

Flaky crab meat atop scrambled eggs and roasted tomato hollandaise, yummy.

Smoked salmon eggs benedict ($13.50)

The riverside plate ($14.95)

A classic breakfast combo of applewood smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and French toast done with top notch ingredients.

Wild mushroom, bacon, and goat cheese quiche ($13.50)

The waiter overheard us talking about the birthday occasion, and low and behold, a birthday surprise for the birthday boy after the entrees were cleared from the table.

It was a simple chocolate mousse concoction, but a much appreciated gesture.  It’s nice to see this kind of attention to detail in service, particularly when no one was expecting it.

In less than 48 hours in Atlanta, I had developed foodie’s envy.  The statistics show Dallas and Atlanta as comparable cities on every measure, but the fervor for food in this Georgia business city is staggering and contagious.  As much as I love the Dallas dining scene, I can’t help but wish that we had a little more of that mass food fanaticism. 

Labor Day Weekend in The Hill Country September 29, 2007

As exciting as far away destinations can be, one of my favorite places remains just a few short hours south on IH 35.  With abundant shopping (Has that monstrosity in San Marcos been named “The Mother of All Outlet Malls” yet?), fantastic scenery (What screams Texas summer more than a float or kayak trip down the Guadalupe?), a happening live music scene in Austin, legendary BBQ in Lockhart and Luling, and boutique Texas wineries scattered throughout the windy dirt county roads, a trip to the Hill Country is a treat for my inner fashionista, small town girl, music lover, foodie, and wino.  I don’t think you can ask for more out of a weekend getaway.  Ok, maybe a little less traffic on IH 35.

This Labor Day mini-reunion with two of my favorite Texas girls started with a Saturday brunch at Eastside Cafe (2113 Manor Rd, Austin), one of those quaint little eateries that just screams Austin.  The cafe is in an old house sitting on an acre of land, where an herb and vegetable garden produces the seasonal goods used by the restaurant.  Adjacent to the restaurant is a small shop called Pitchforks and Tablespoons, selling gardening tools, plants, cooking utensils, cookbooks, herbs, and spices.  I actually received one of the Eastside cookbooks as a gift and have prepared wonderful dishes (including this one) from its recipes.

Dining with two other fresh veggie fiends, Eastside Cafe couldn’t have been a better choice.  For brunch, I chose the smoked salmon and shrimp salad ($12.25).

Smoked salmon and shrimp cakes atop a bed of mixed greens with a lemon remoulade dressing.  The dish was simple and delightful, a very basic contrast between the rich texture of the salmon and shrimp cakes and the bed of crisp greens.  The dressing was light but also creamy.  My minor complaint is that the seafood cakes could have been a little less salty.

Eating brunch at Eastside Cafe makes you feel like you’re temporarily stepping into the life of an authentic Austinite.  With cute yuppie families dressed in Austin chic (Birkenstock and Anthropologie mixed with a little couture), waitstaff that jumped directly out of a Weezer music video, and eclectic furnishings inside a beautifully restored mid-century cottage, Eastside cafe is quirky, organic, fresh, hippie-chic, Austin cool.

You can’t have a girls’ reunion without some quality shopping time.  In the afternoon, we headed out to that massive block of concrete and pavement amidst the otherwise picturesque hill country highway scenery known as the Prime Outlets at San Marcos, which was ranked last year by The View as the third best place to shop in the world (behind destinations in New York and Dubai, that’s not too shabby).  It was a cool day for early September in Texas, and we managed to walk the entire perimeter of the huge outlet mall.  By the time we walked back to the car, arms loaded with shopping bags, we had worked up quite the appetite for dinner at Malaga Tapas and Wine Bar (208 West 4th St, Austin).

Malaga is conveniently located for a pre-bar hop dinner in downtown Austin.  The interior is a seductively candle-lit, long and narrow space with limited table seating.  The bar, however, runs the entire length of the restaurant and provides a surprising allowance of bar seating.  On this Saturday night, Malaga was crowded and loud, and the tall ceilings of the industrial style space didn’t help the noise level.  We were quoted an hour wait for a table for three (bar seating is first come first serve).  What other options do you have without reservations in downtown Austin at 8:00pm on a Saturday night?  We waited at the bar and ordered wine to help pass the time.  A glass of 2003 Oriel Setena Terra Alta (a Grenache, Cab, Syrah, Tempranillo, and Merlot blend from Spain) did the trick.

Luckily, we were seated after waiting a little over 30 minutes.  We had been browsing the menu (teasing our appetites) while waiting at the bar and knew exactly what to order upon seating.  Onto the tapas!  I apologize for the poor quality of photography due to the extremely dim environment of the restaurant.

First up, Empanadas Salamanca:

Filled with spinach, mushroom, and Mahon cheese with a side of spicy tomato sauce, these empanadas are baked and not deep fried like Mexican street food.  I found the empanadas a little dry by themselves, but quite delightful with the spicy dipping sauce.  The subtly fiery tomato sauce brought out the peppery notes in my grenache and left a lovely lingering aftertaste.

Queso de Cabra Frita con Miel:

Breaded and fried goat cheese balls drizzled with honey served with a sweet onion relish and crostini.  This was by far the group’s favorite dish of the night.  What’s better than goat cheese?  Deep fried goat cheese with a thin, light batter glazed with honey accented by just the slightest bit of pungency from the onion relish.  Let’s just say the three of us put up a good fight for that last goat cheese ball.

Ravioli Madrileno:

Smoked chicken ravioli smothered in spicy marinara sauce and cheese.  This was another dish that hit a great note with my wine, just a solid ravioli dish that fit the description on the menu to a tee.

Esparagos con Cazuela:

Asparagus in a garlic sauce.  It’s nothing fancy but we needed a simple veggie plate after the other three rich plates.

Lastly, the Almond Chocolate Mousse for dessert:

We split a glass of Harveys Bristol Creme (a cream sherry) to go with our nutty dessert, a fantastic ending to our interactive and entertaining meal.

My share of the split check (dinner, wine, dessert, and sherry) with tax and tip was $26, very reasonable for a casual but upscale atmosphere in downtown Austin.

We divided our post dinner time bar hopping on 6th Street and in the Warehouse District (trendier and more upscale than 6th Street, caters to a slightly older crowd, perfect if you’re tired of puking collegiate drunks), and ended the night close to where we started.  Sipping on cocktails (mojito for me!) at Saba Blue Water Cafe (212 West 4th St, Austin), we played voyeurs through the large windows overlooking the concert crowd at Cedar Street next door.  But alas, it was time for bed, the river awaits in the morning.

Ok, I meant afternoon.  We slept in on Sunday morning and after sluggish attempts at primping to hide our hangovers, finally made it to brunch at Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill (303 Red River St, Austin) by 1:00pm.  Should it still be called brunch?

Moonshine serves a buffet brunch on Sundays from 10:00am to 2:30pm (which we barely caught after a 30 minute wait) for $14.95 per person.  With a huge spread of southwestern and Texan dishes, it was the perfect hangover cure.  Some favorite items included the orange-cranberry muffin, grilled jalapeno breakfast sausage, green chile cheese grits, corn-flaked fried chicken tenders, sweet potato casserole, and the white chocolate bread pudding with raisins and bourbon sauce.

The hill country received its fair share of rain this year, and the ever popular Guadalupe River was limited to guided kayaking trips due to high flow.  Simply wanting a relaxing float on tubes, we headed to the Comal River instead.  The Comal is a short river with fewer rapids than the Guadalupe, but there is one man-made chute to make your ride a little more exciting.  The high flow made the float a quick trip this year, which was a good thing because it started drizzling near the end of our float and we were all covered in goose bumps.

On the drive back to Austin, I couldn’t resist but request that we look for dinner in the BBQ capital of the Texas (and therefore the world), Lockhart.  On a Sunday evening, two of the three BBQ greats were closed (Smitty’s and Kreuz), which made our dinner destination Black’s BBQ (215 N. Main St, Lockhart) an easy choice.  Co-owned by Norma and Edgar Black, this is the oldest family-owned BBQ restaurant in Texas (since 1932).  Out of the three Lockhart legends, I had previously only been to Smitty’s, which is a meat-focused place with some of the best ribs I’ve ever had (brisket and sausage weren’t too shabby, either).  Black’s, on the other hand, has an above average selection of side items for a BBQ joint, which might explain their willingness to provide utensils (trust me, utensils aren’t popular in these places), even if they are plastic.  Unlike Smitty’s, where you walk down the smokey hallway sharing the same air as the smoke pits, the majority of the smoke pits at Black’s are separated by a wall with glass windows.  We ordered a few slices of brisket, a sausage link, a couple of ribs, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, and green beans to share.

Ribs are not Black’s strong suit.  As you can see from the photo, they were dry and tough, though well seasoned.  Brisket was tender and smokey, but a little fattier than I prefer.  Sausage was excellent, crisp casing and coarse smokey interior.  Judging by the meats alone, I would say that Smitty’s outranks Black’s in all three categories, and both restaurants (except for Black’s ribs) are leaps and bounds ahead of the BBQ in the DFW area.  The sides at Black’s are quite decent.  I was particularly surprised by the excellent onion flavor in the green beans.

We ended the meal with some peach cobbler a la mode, meaning I got a single serving size Blue Bell vanilla ice cream cup to top my peach cobbler.  Dinner was under $30 for all three of us, quite a bargain considering I’ve paid more for much worse BBQ on many occasions.

Full and satisfied, we were more than ready for a hot shower back in Austin.  Comfy pajamas and a bottle of cheap but good Australian Cab/Shiraz blend meant a night of catching up, silly and serious.  Being in a male dominated career field and living with my better half, I live in a testosterone driven world.  I can’t express how much I appreciate sharing time with girls who are ambitious, career driven, maintain a creative domestic flare, and are always chic and elegant when it’s time for a night out on the town.  We want to be classic mid-heel leather pumps at work, trendy embellished suede flats at home, and tempting patent peep toe D’orsays at a soiree.  That’s not too much to ask for, is it?

Monday called for an early departure as I was anticipating traffic on IH 35 to Dallas (and later my anticipations were confirmed), but not before lunch at Hyde Park Bar & Grill (4206 Duval St., Austin) in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood.  Hyde Park Bar & Grill has an Austin vibe with its quaint neighborhood feel, but is more traditional than hippie with modern but conservative decor.  Since one the girls left Austin earlier that morning, the two of us who remained decided to split an entree to cut a few calories after a whole weekend of feasting. 

Half of the Dijon Artichoke Chicken entree ($11.95 for the whole entree):

The kitchen was accommodating enough to split the entree onto two plates for us (hence the half dinner roll).  As you can see from the photo, the half portion was still sufficiently sized.  A creamy Dijon sauce topped the juicy grilled chicken breast and artichoke hearts.  It was the perfect comfort food ending to a weekend of adventures.  The sides, green chile mashed potatoes and corn and edamame succotash, fell along the same lines of comforting and yummy.  This is the kind of Sunday night dinner I would want to prepare at home.

We also ordered a side of oven roasted carrots ($2.95) to share:

I never realized caramelized carrots can taste so much like sweet potatoes!  These were tender but maintained just a bit of crunch in the center. 

Lunch marked the end of my mini Labor Day vacay in Austin.  I hugged my fellow foodie friend goodbye knowing that by this time next year, she’ll likely no longer be an Austin resident.  Maybe we’ll find another destination for our annual girls’ trip, but I honestly can’t imagine anywhere else more perfect than the Texas Hill Country.