I’m Back!

 Did you miss me?  Lol!  It’s been a busy month.  Doctor’s appointments, church stuff, but the best part was the trip to Austin. TX with Susan!  

Her oldest son Evan got married Friday night to a lovely girl, Katie.  It was a beautiful ceremony, beautiful setting at a resort/golf club, and a fun reception.  

Being the professional barbecue judge, I was looking forward to rating Texas “Q”. I’m used to, and prefer, Memphis style barbecue.  But I’m open minded and wanted to check it out.  And since it was Memphis in May weekend, my mind was on barbecue!  

The rehearsal dinner was at a place called County Line Barbecue. We had a sampling of everything on the menu, served family style. Brisket, chicken, ribs, both pork and beef, turkey, and sausage.  I liked their pork ribs and sausage.  The brisket and turkey had good flavor but were a little dry.  The chicken was okay, nothing special. I did not like the beef ribs. I know barbecue has a “bark” on the outside that gives it flavor, but this was burned.  Way overdone, dry and tough.  Overall I’d give them a 7.5/10.  

Saturday we had lunch at The Salt Lick, one of the most famous barbecue joints in Texas.  I got brisket and sausage, Susan got turkey and pork ribs.  We shared so we could sample it all.  I have to say, the meat was much better, both quality and preparation.  The brisket was moist and tender with a good smoky taste.  The turkey was the same.  Very tender and juicy with a great flavor.  Same with the ribs.  The only place I’d say County Line had them beat was the sausage.  County Line’s sausage was a little better.  Overall I gave them a 8.5/10. 

Susan and I always eat well when we travel. We find local places, rather than chains   We had pho and Asian noodles with pork at a Vietnamese restaurant.  We had delicious sandwiches and salads at a small bistro near the hotel   We had burgers and milkshakes at a local burger chain.  The burger was really good, but the milkshake was off the charts good!   Best milkshake I’ve ever had!  Saturday night we found a little microbrewery that served food. We weren’t terribly hungry so we shared an appetizer charcuterie and had some really good craft beer. We did have the obligatory Whataburger on the way home!  I think it’s a law that you have to have a Whataburger at least once when you go to Texas!  

We also did a lot of “prowling “!  Susan lived in Austin for 12 years in the early 2000’s and there were some places she wanted to go.  A huge used book store where she bought a big bag of books for her grandsons.   A large Goodwill thrift store in an upscale area that had some very nice things.  Naturally we went to IKEA!  I couldn’t do the whole store. The battery in my portable oxygen concentrator was down to 10% so I had to go to the car and charge it.  It was interesting to see all the stuff they had.  And the one place I wanted to go, HEB!  I’ve heard of HEB supermarkets for years and I have to say it lived up to the hype!  So many different things that we don’t have.  We bought some different peppers, some spices she can’t find here, and I got some Texas sausages that a friend had recommended.  That’s what I’m having for dinner tonight!  

Austin is a nice city. Like most larger cities these days, the traffic, construction, and congestion were terrible.   It was nice, but I’m perfectly content right here in Cayuga!  


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