Monday, April 19, 2010
BBQ Dinner Party, April 16, 2010
I had a whole lotta of meat overnighted from Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas for a BBQ dinner party on Friday. I originally wanted to order from Smitty's (see below), but they would not answer their phone. Kreuz is part of the same family as Smitty's, and their food was basically the same when we sampled it while in Texas. I ordered 3 lbs. of brisket, which was outstanding, three racks of ribs, which everyone claimed to be the best they had ever eaten, and a couple of dozen sausage, which everyone again claimed as excellent. Thanks to Steve and Vicky for offering their residence, to Joyce and Laura for their cole slaw, to Penelope and Dan for the jalapeno corn bread, and to Betty for the apple pie. This was a dinner party for the ages! I also include a few photos of the Nicole's backyard, recently vastly updated and improved by Steve's craftsmanship. And a special thanks to Joyce for remembering that a toothpick photo was in order. And I truly mean that.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tuesday Morning, Last Day, Awesome Tacos
The Laredo Taqueria is located in a less-than-desirable neighborhood, as Steve pointed out as we followed our Garmin GPS' directions to what the Houston Press awarded as the best breakfast tacos. These barbacoa tacos were far and away the best beef tacos we ate on our trip. Savory is an understatement.
Opening Day, Astros vs, Giants, Baseball Season
Steve and I stayed at a hotel about a half-mile from Minute Maid Park, the home field stadium of the Houston Astros. As baseball fans, we were psyched to not only experience a new ballpark,, but to witness an opening day in which Tim Lincecum, winner of the past two Cy Young Awards, was pitching. The ballpark was beautiful.
Kreuz Market
Steve and I stopped by Kreuz's Market (pronounced krites) after Smitty's. While I initially thought it to be somewhat touristy, I learned to appreciate the fact that years of experience went into designing this restaurant so that hundreds of people could enjoy heavenly BBQ. Kreuz is the result of a family split among siblings with Smitty's market. The food is basically the same. Steve and I loved the brisket and sausage, but did not have room to sample the pork ribs.
Monday, April 5, 2010
I Have Been to the Mountaintop!
I have traveled tousands of miles. I have done countless hours of research. I have scoured the internet, cable television, and cookbooks. I have found it. BBQ will never be the same to me again. Smitty's is where napkins hope to come and die at the greased-soaked hands of those who are experiencing BBQ bliss. The brisket was without peer. The sausage the best of our Texas roadtript. And the pork ribs, which I did not plan to order until an angel disguised as a patron suggested I try some ribs because they were the best he ever had, the pork were absolutely the best ribs I have ever eaten. EVER! The ends were so carmelized that I thought it was candy. The fat and tender meat were unctuous, succulent, heavenly - I could go on and on. See the photos and envy me.
Smitty' Market
I was truly becoming excited the closer and closer we were to Smitty's. Here I was, about to enter the Land of Smoke and Meat.Downtown Lockhart
In 1999, the Texas State Legislature voted to name Lockhart the BBQ Capital of Texas. Four of the best and oldest BBQ joints are in this tiny town: Smitty's, Kreuz, Black's, and Chisholm Trail. We were here to visit Smitty's and Kreuz.
Feliz Cumpleanos!
Throughout this roadtrip Steve has been telling various food vendors that I am a film producer or a journalist to see how they would react to the man with the camera. Knowing that Steve di not understand Spanish, I told our waiter, "Mi amigo, es su cimpleanos." (My friend, it is his birthday - of course it was not) He nodded. I later had to confirm with the waiter that "Es ses dollares para cumpleanos musica." (Is it six dollars for the birthday somg by the guitarists?) Again, he nodded. So did I. When Steve inquired, I merely said I was asking about dessert. A minute later a troop of servers and two guitarists are singing him "Happy Birthday!" and serving him some cake. He did not know what was going on. I was laughing so hard that the photos are not that good. We will remember this one for a long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)