I'm in Austin for a conference and I want to have dinner with some good friends, Sofia and Klevis (pronounced kl-EH-vis, not KLEE-vis. He is too polite to correct you, unless you make it sound like "Clitoris" because then he will rip off your arms. He just got out of jail last month for that so trust me). They suggest going to Salt Lick, an Austin institution where many people have dined on their BBQ. You had me at meat so I happily agree.
So they pick me up from the hotel and then we start driving...and driving...now there are no lights and one lane roads. I'm going through my memory banks just praying that I didn't mispronounce Klevis' name in front of him. No I think I'm good there...
I'm still worried that they are gonna hack up my body and stuff it in the trunk when we finally arrive at this place. To say that it is sprawling is...an understatement. Buildings and parking lots are scattered haphazardly to accommodate the ever-growing fan base. Somehow, it works although it looks like it was designed by Houston DOT (sorry I couldn't help myself. 4th largest city in the world and we can't even get mass transit? WTF?? Divert that "improve 45/610/59" wasted cash and build me a REAL metro system!)
As we are walking to the door, they tell me that they normally order the "Family Style" plate, which is all you can eat meat and when you are done you can take the rest home. Seriously? Seriously?? SERIOUSLY??? I can have ALL the meat I want...then when my arteries are properly stuffed then I can take it home to dine later? Holy smoked beef I can't wait to get in now. I resist the temptation to run to the front door and walk with the rest of my party inside.
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Wow that is a beautiful pit. Meat is there...non stop. I want to cry. The seats are...well they are BBQ-glazed picnic benches. I am looking for a vacancy sign so I can move in, but instead we find a seat near the back.
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Wow there it is. Family style. Sofia and I both order that, but Klevis orders something else. It wasn't all you can eat meat so I didn't care enough to pay attention. I'm impressed that she is gonna go full-power meat with me, but then she mentions something about side orders so I start dreaming of ribs and brisket hanging from my mouth and lose focus. They are good peoples so I need to start being engaged in this conversation, which is actually pretty easy. Not only because they are awesome, but the whole restaurant has that kind of comfortable vibe to it. No one rushing around or pressuring you to eat and run. I can see why this place is popular and I haven't even been served food.
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Wow. I'm getting hungry again just looking at that pic. I have a beautiful mix of ribs, sausage, brisket, and burnt ends on a simple but beautiful white dish.
The brisket is as tender as it looks. A perfect line of pink in the middle shows me that they have Masters working that pit. My favorite of all was the sausage. Bite-sized and packed with so much flavor you get a twinge of sadness when they are gone from the plate. I liked the ribs the least. Not that they weren't good too, but they were not as eater-friendly as everything else. They also have 2 different kinds of BBQ sauce: original and spicy. The spicy isn't very good in my opinion, but the original is amazing. I must buy a bottle when we leave.
After Sofia and I have our plate refilled 4 times, we finally are full. Since I am the visitor I get to keep the to-go box (SCORE!) and I buy 2 bottles of sauce as we leave. I am happy and approaching a meat coma. This place is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. The atmosphere was great, the people working there were nice and knew their stuff, and the food was incredible. Here is their information so go as soon as you have the chance:
3600 Presidential Blvd Austin, TX 78719-2363 - (512) 530-2917
As always, I love hearing from you, so keep posting comments!! Also, in case you did not know I now have a weekly column that reviews Houston Latin Foods. Check it out and become a subscriber! And I'm not just saying that because I get paid more for more subscribers (hint, hint). The website is http://www.examiner.com/latino-food-in-houston/donald-becker so check it out too!!![]()
So they pick me up from the hotel and then we start driving...and driving...now there are no lights and one lane roads. I'm going through my memory banks just praying that I didn't mispronounce Klevis' name in front of him. No I think I'm good there...
I'm still worried that they are gonna hack up my body and stuff it in the trunk when we finally arrive at this place. To say that it is sprawling is...an understatement. Buildings and parking lots are scattered haphazardly to accommodate the ever-growing fan base. Somehow, it works although it looks like it was designed by Houston DOT (sorry I couldn't help myself. 4th largest city in the world and we can't even get mass transit? WTF?? Divert that "improve 45/610/59" wasted cash and build me a REAL metro system!)
As we are walking to the door, they tell me that they normally order the "Family Style" plate, which is all you can eat meat and when you are done you can take the rest home. Seriously? Seriously?? SERIOUSLY??? I can have ALL the meat I want...then when my arteries are properly stuffed then I can take it home to dine later? Holy smoked beef I can't wait to get in now. I resist the temptation to run to the front door and walk with the rest of my party inside.
Wow there it is. Family style. Sofia and I both order that, but Klevis orders something else. It wasn't all you can eat meat so I didn't care enough to pay attention. I'm impressed that she is gonna go full-power meat with me, but then she mentions something about side orders so I start dreaming of ribs and brisket hanging from my mouth and lose focus. They are good peoples so I need to start being engaged in this conversation, which is actually pretty easy. Not only because they are awesome, but the whole restaurant has that kind of comfortable vibe to it. No one rushing around or pressuring you to eat and run. I can see why this place is popular and I haven't even been served food.
Wow. I'm getting hungry again just looking at that pic. I have a beautiful mix of ribs, sausage, brisket, and burnt ends on a simple but beautiful white dish.
The brisket is as tender as it looks. A perfect line of pink in the middle shows me that they have Masters working that pit. My favorite of all was the sausage. Bite-sized and packed with so much flavor you get a twinge of sadness when they are gone from the plate. I liked the ribs the least. Not that they weren't good too, but they were not as eater-friendly as everything else. They also have 2 different kinds of BBQ sauce: original and spicy. The spicy isn't very good in my opinion, but the original is amazing. I must buy a bottle when we leave.
After Sofia and I have our plate refilled 4 times, we finally are full. Since I am the visitor I get to keep the to-go box (SCORE!) and I buy 2 bottles of sauce as we leave. I am happy and approaching a meat coma. This place is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. The atmosphere was great, the people working there were nice and knew their stuff, and the food was incredible. Here is their information so go as soon as you have the chance:
3600 Presidential Blvd Austin, TX 78719-2363 - (512) 530-2917
As always, I love hearing from you, so keep posting comments!! Also, in case you did not know I now have a weekly column that reviews Houston Latin Foods. Check it out and become a subscriber! And I'm not just saying that because I get paid more for more subscribers (hint, hint). The website is http://www.examiner.com/latino-food-in-houston/donald-becker so check it out too!!
