Culinary Tour of Austin, Continued

Friday night we dined at Malaga's, a trendy downtown dining establishment that was once located close to Beth and Billy but moved to a larger location a few blocks away. Their specialty is tapas. That means whatever you order is brought on a tiered stand and placed in the middle of the table for all to sample. Right up our alley! I mean, if they didn't do it for us, we'd simply pass the plates around. One of the appetizer specialties was especially memorable: fried goat cheese with carmelized onions served with toast points. I wish I had the menu, so I could describe each and every dish. It was all wonderful! The chef came to the table and visited like an old friend. Ordinary for Beth and Billy; extraordinary for yours truly. He told Beth about several new summer creations she should try next time: one was a watermelon salad creation and another a fried avocado appetizer.

First on the agenda, for Saturday, was Lockhart, Texas, about thirty miles southeast of Austin and Home of the World's Best BBQ. It was Billy's plan for us to sample several. BBQ from Kreuz's Market, Smitty's Market, and maybe, even Black's. Footnote: Kreuz's is actually of "offshoot" of Smitty's due to a family feud.

We started at Kreuz's. Orders are taken where the meat is cooked, open fires are burning on both sides of the room. Hot doesn't even begin to cover it. You order by the pound, and the meat is wrapped in butcher paper. Kreuz's claim to fame is NO SAUCE and NO FORKS. They use a dry rub on their ribs and briskets and don't offer any sauces. We also tried plain and jalapeno sausage with sides of beans, german potato salad, and pepper jack cheese. FAVORITES: Ribs and jalapeno sausage. Ribs had a great flavor due to their special dry rub, and the meat's texture and tenderness was just right.

On to Smitty's which is located in "downtown" Lockhart. Downtown features a square with a gorgeous old county courthouse. Smitty's is in its original old building on the town square. Cooking is, again, taking place right out in the open and is, if possible, hotter than it was at Kreuz's. To be fair, we tried their ribs, brisket, and sausage. They used a sweet sauce on their ribs but didn't offer any sauce to the customers either. FAVORITE: Brisket. One bite was all it took. Hands down the best of the day. Melt in your mouth tender.

We walked a little afterward. Who wouldn't? Took a few pictures and wandered down to the Mexican bakery. Wayne wanted to explore. He and Billy had a sample of the colorful Mexican sweets, and we moved on. Black's was next on the agenda, but, by then, we just couldn't do it justice. It was last on the list, so we cried uncle and returned to the city.

Beth and I drove out to the Domain, an upscale shopping destination a little north of Austin. We did a little exploring and window shopping. Beth found a couple of things on sale in Banana Republic, and I got a much needed hit of caffeine from Starbucks. Iced coffee considering that it was 102 degrees.

We returned to the loft, had a snack, watched a movie, and nearly blew off dinner. But, nay, we did not. Texas Monthly had featured the Top 50 burgers in Texas, and one of them was just down the street at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel's restaurant, the Roaring Fork. So, at ten o'clock at night, we're ordering food again. Beth and I share a Big Ass Burger to determine if it should, indeed, be on the 50 Best list. And, yes, it was delicious. It was huge (hence, "Big Ass"), topped with smoked bacon and served with chipotle mayonnaise on the side. I would definitely rank it in the top ten and would love to sample its competition!

My goodness. It's a good thing you can walk to many of the best dining establishments in Austin. The walk may not burn off all the calories, but at least you can sleep at night. And dream of what could possible top what you've already experienced.

Max's Wine Dive

We had decided en route that we would eat a late supper with Beth and Billy when we arrived in Austin. We made it in record time! Right at 11 1/2 hours. Whew! Anyway, we held off and arrived starving.

Max's Wine Dive is located in an old elevator warehouse. It's busy and noisy, serving dinner later than most in the downtown Austin area. I can't tell you the last time I waited until 11 p.m. for dinner, but it was worth the wait.

Late night or not, we ordered big. Hey. Go big or go home. We started with ribs and fries as appetizers. The ribs come with two sauces worthy of dragging the fries through in addition to their own special ketchup with a kick.

For the main course, I knew I would order the fried chicken. Their claim to fame: "Fried chicken and champagne?...why the hell not?" And, yes, I did have champagne, Prosecco, to be exact. The fried chicken comes with mashed potatoes and greens that are sweet and tender. Plus there's a raspberry dipping sauce. Yum! Everyone at the table ordered something different, and there was much sharing and tasting.

The staff is friendly and welcoming without hovering, and we even had the opportunity to meet and talk with the culinary artists behind the fabulous food that we sampled throughout the night, ending with coffee and Apple Brown Betty.

Austin is famous for great food. This is super-special! Everything is was purported to be. I can see why it's one of Beth and Billy's favorites. Hours later, I'm still full but reliving the experience.

Authors are people too

Every now and then I get an urge to explore websites here and there. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I had stumbled on a new author--Robyn Carr. I decided to Google her and found her website. Well, one thing led to another, and I sent her a friendly comment about her books. Well, I got a real-live, personal response. Just wanted to say that I was impressed. I was going to continue to look for her new releases, but that little bit of effort on her part will definitely cause me to remember her. Smart lady. (Good books, too, by the way.)

Little adventures

This summer has given us a little taste of what's to come.

We've been to Richmond to Audra and Joey's house. Moved furniture, boxes, a flippin' elliptical machine; painted walls and furniture; assisted in electrical repair work; weeded and "whacked" in the yard; and started getting ready for Hayes' arrival. We did save a little time to explore and to see Transformers II. Joey MADE me watch the first Transformers. Thought I'd fall asleep but ended up liking it and laughing throughout. T-II was not so much funny as intense. Wayne insists that we'll own T-II so he can pick up on all the one-liners.

We've made a couple of short trips to Georgia to watch Jackson play ball. He's had a "ball" living with his host family and making new friends. Jackson and Anthony Woods both lived with the Nicholls. A little daunting for them, I'm sure--at least at first, if you're not used to teenaged boys. But I think they'll be missed. Plus, as a result of a couple of new friends, he'll be playing for UIW in San Antonio next year. Go, Cardinals!

We're headed to Austin this weekend for a much needed visit with Beth & Billy (and, of course, Gussie). Already planning where to eat. Thinking of visiting Austin just makes my mouth water! I'm anxious to try Max's Wine Dive, and I understand that we're eating at Kreuz Market in Lockhart on Saturday. I'm so excited! And no trip would be complete without going to Whole Foods' "mother ship."

Alabama in July

I'm "teaching" tennis during Summer II. I have a good class--friendly, easy-going students. Every morning when we arrive at the courts around 8:15 and chat while waiting for everyone to show up, the first topic is the weather. Needless to say, it's HOT! I mean Africa hot! Not a breath of air.

The funny thing is, there's not one in the class (including me) who can claim this as their first summer in Alabama. Yet, it seems to come as a surprise that it's hot in mid-July in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

I guess it's eternal optimism that would have us hope that we could at least get past 8:30 A.M. before breaking a sweat. But, alas, that's not to be.

People news

Did you know that Channing Tatum (Wetumpka, Alabama, native) from Step Up married co-star Jenna Dewan?

Have you seen a photo of him from the GQ spread after he worked out to get ready for the new GI Joe movie. Oh, my.

May have to see that movie. Goodness gracious. Is it hot in here?

What's in a name?

In case you missed it, the Tuscaloosa News ran a huge spread on "unique, quirky and just plan silly" high school and college mascots. You may be familiar with some of them. All make you wonder "WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?"

TOP FIVE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MASCOTS:
1. Watersmeet High School (Michigan) NIMRODS (They actually started using this nickname in 1904, when you could make reference to the Bible. Nimrod was "a mighty hunter before the Lord.")

2.Poca High School (West Virginia) DOTS (Needs no explanation.)

3. Tuetopolis High School (Illinois) WOODEN SHOES (To recognize an old Tuetopolis pioneer who carved wooden shoes for a living.)

4. Mars Area High School (Pennsylvania) FIGHTING PLANETS (Again. Needs no explanation.)

5. Yuma High School (Arizona) CRIMINALS ( (In 1910, YHS was moved to an abondoned prison where it was located for 3 years.)

TOP FIVE COLLEGE MASCOTS:
1. California-Santa Cruz BANANA SLUGS (bright yellow, slimy, shell-less mollusk found in the campus' redwood forest)

2. Virginia Tech HOKIES ("Hokie" is a word that has been around at least since 1842 and was a word people used to express excitedment like "hooray" or "yeah" or "rah.")

3. University of Idaho VANDALS (took nickname, in early 1900s, from sports writers' descriptions of their basketball play--they "vandalized their opponents.")

4. California-Irvine ANTEATERS (Chosen in 1965, in a student election.)

5. University of Akron ZIPS (1936--originally ZIPPERS after a rubber overshoe called the "Zipper Boot")