Pig and pool.

Way back when, back before we went to Maine, back before the Olympics, my friend Jeremy (and his friend Chris) threw himself a 30th birthday party. This wasn't just any birthday party, though - this one featured two whole roast pigs. And a pool. And rose in Solo cups.

I know.

Chris and Jeremy hired Redbones, a Somerville, Massachusetts-based barbecue joint, to come cook overnight so that the rest of us could enjoy pig come the morning. A pretty excellent idea paired with a pretty kickass execution. After all, who doesn't love barbecue? (Answer? Vegetarians. Luckily, there were some top-notch sides, too. I ate my weight in coleslaw and cornbread.)

And watermelon.

 The party was held at Chris' parents' place in Lewisboro, a teeny little hamlet just north of New Canaan. The house was lovely, and the lawn and garden were just stunning. Best of all? There was a pool! After lunch, I headed down that way to cool down...

And to enjoy some serious amounts of rose.

I was not alone.

And, for dessert, a final pig. This one was veggie-friendly, though.

A not-so-short list.

Earlier today, I found out that a friend of a friend is headed for Austin and in need of some recommendations for the eating and the drinking and such. I've been itching to do a "My Favorite Austin Stuff" post for a while now (You can see all my Austin posts right here.), and so I'm glad to have the kick in the butt. Shall we begin at the beginning? (By which, of course, I mean breakfast tacos.)

Breakfast Tacos
Taco Deli
Austin is easily the breakfast taco capital of the world, and everyone has an opinion. My favorites can be had at Taco Deli, where the Jess Special and Vaquero are tops. My friend Louisa is especially fond of the Otto, and you can't go wrong by combining the chorizo with the Mexican mashed potatoes for one perfect, indulgent start to your morning.

Torchy's
Special mention to The Dirty Sanchez at Torchy's (pictured above), which is my other favorite Austin egg-based taco, though the rest of their menu - save the queso - pales in comparison.

Other Breakfasty Stuff
Magnolia
Go here. Order the migas and a side of sausage. Or the cornmeal pancakes with chocolate chips. (But, actually, just order the migas - and make sure they're of the Spicy Love butter variety.)

24Diner
Actually, 24Diner is open, well, 24 hours, and serves all meals. I'm partial to their breakfast, though, where I typically order the hash - veggie or non-. Their veggie burger is delicious, too, especially when topped with a fried egg. (Notice a theme?)

Elizabeth Street Café
They serve lunch and dinner here, too - and Louisa assures me that the banh mi rock - but I've only been for breakfast. The menu has French pastries and savory Vietnamese specialties (the sticky rice with ginger sausage is heavenly), and the coffee is out of this world.

Lunch and Dinner
Uchi
Uchi is possibly my favorite place on Earth to eat right now, for reals. It can be hard to get into, so be prepared to wait for a table. (If you're lucky, you'll wait next to Elijah Wood, like we did last time. And then Dominic Monaghan showed up. Really.) I can't tell you enough times to order at least one piece of the scallop sushi - and the foie gras ngiri isn't to be missed. Sounds odd; tastes amazing.

Uchiko
Uchiko is Uchi's younger sibling, but is just as awesome. They have sushi on the menu here, too, but they feature what they call Japanese farmhouse cooking - things like grilled shishito peppers, crispy brussels sprouts and eggplant tempura. (All of which must be ordered.)

Madam Mam's
Some of the best Thai food I've had, hands down. They particularly excel at grilled meats, so order anything that comes from, well, the grill. Especially if it's served with pickles, lettuce or any kind of sauce. And the special beef curry is to die.


Justine's
Justine's is at the center of the East Austin explosion, and for good reason. It's a tiny little bungalow with as many tables inside as out, and the food is classic French brasserie - but with good, American-style cocktails alongside. I love the steak, the ratatouille, and the salade de crevettes, with butter lettuce, snap peas, and shrimp, all tossed with a creamy tarragon dressing.


La Condesa
Make sure you order the chicken salad. (The other food is great, too, but the chicken salad is magic.)

Barbecue
Franklin Barbecue
I don't really have anything to say, other than 1) you must go, and 2) get there crazy early, like 10:45 early.

Coffee, Booze, Movies, Ice Cream & Massages
Alamo Drafthouse
When I try to explain how awesome the Alamo is, people never have the reaction I want. So, you should probably just go and see what all the fuss is about. The beer is great, the food is terrible for you and delicious, and you get to watch a movie to boot. Try to go to a special show, like a Sunday brunch musical, or a Princess Bride quote-along. Oh, yes.

Jo's
They have a few spots around the city, and all feature the Turbo, which is possibly the only frozen coffee drink worth having, ever. It's insane. (When they showed up at the SXSW convention center concession stands this year, I nearly cried with joy.)

Amy's Ice Creams
Amy's is like Cold Stone - all the mix-ins, but with good ice cream, the kind that doesn't coat your mouth with that nasty sticky crud. It's delicious. And the hot fudge is insane. It's worth getting a cup of it on the side.

Midnight Cowboy
This Sixth Street cocktail bar used to be a rub-and-tug joint up until very recently - this winter, to be exact. It's since been power-washed and turned into a teeny, very dark spot for interesting booze. I didn't love all the cocktails, but it's worth a visit just for the atmosphere. Also, you could always just order a Manhattan - I'm sure it would be beautifully made. (You need a reservation, which you can take care of online.)

Milk & Honey
Consistently the best massages of my life. Truly. And way cheaper than comparable treatments in New York. Make a booking if you can squeeze it in; you won't be sorry.

In which I finally get it.

As is clear from many an earlier post, I love barbecue. My visits to Austin have never failed to include some example of the form, and for that, I am grateful. But it was only on my most recent visit that I've finally come to understand the obsession with barbecued brisket.

The brisket at Franklin Barbecue (widely believed to be the best in Texas, and therefore the world - this being Texas and all) helped me see the light. It's unbelievably tender, and the spicy crust is actually spicy and crusty. Unlike so many other briskets, the meat chunks off, as opposed to coming apart in anemic strings. It was, for me, a revelation.

And for those of you who insist your barbecue come with something tasty alongside (I am among your number, to be sure.), I should say: get a double order of the coleslaw. It's creamy and light. The barbecue sauces served alongside (one vinegary, one molasses-y, one coffee-y) are marvelous, as are the all-you-can-take vats of pickles and onions.

A visit to Franklin's is a time commitment, and occasionally a gamble. We waited in line for an hour, and they ran out of food by 1 PM. But it's well worth the effort. You will be rewarded with the best brisket of your life, and with some pretty darn tasty sausage, too.

Remember The Salt Lick?

My favorite Austin barbecue? From this post? Well, we went back.

And this time, we brought beer.

Required eating, part two.

Nick's brother Reggie and Reggie's girlfriend Rhi came to visit Austin for a few days after Christmas. This, of course, meant that we had to go back for more barbecue. This time, we headed out to the Salt Lick, a slightly more down-home spot (imagine picnic tables, communal seating and no booze) than the County Line. We hadn't known about the whole no-booze thing, so it was a good thing we were seated quickly. Who needs beer when you have barbecue?

The Salt Lick is seriously old-school Texas about its barbecue. Brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, smoked sausage and chicken (which, really, seems a concession) are the only things on the menu, unless you count pickles, onions and white bread. Oh, and pie. For dessert.

I decided to order the brisket and sausage, and Louisa ordered a plate of beef ribs. We swapped some sausage and brisket for a rib somewhere in there, and I was happy we did. Because, at the Salt Lick, the ribs are totally the way to go. The sausage is tasty, the brisket is fine. But the ribs? Are awesome.

This is due, in large part, to the perfect pairing of their barbecue sauce with said ribs. The Salt Lick's sauce is sweet, salty and smoky in equal measure, and has a fabulous texture (not too thin, not too thick) to boot. (You can buy it on the internet, peeps. So get to it.) I could have eaten that stuff alone, just on the bread, but it would have been a crime not to enjoy it with the meaty, Flinstone-esque ribs.

Did I mention the ribs? Get the ribs.

Required eating.

When in Texas, and in Austin in particular, one must eat barbecue. It's required. (They might let you off the hook if you plead vegetarianism, but I doubt it.) And so, one night not long after my arrival in Austin, our herd of nine people headed out to dinner at The County Line, one of Austin's myriad barbecue joints.

The location we went to is on the river, and in the warmer seasons (basically anytime but in the depths of winter) you can sit outside on the deck, or motor your boat right up to the place. The restaurant is massive and filled with memorabilia, lights and, well, stuff. It hangs from every rafter and fills every corner. It's awesome.

Also awesome? The honey wheat bread served with honey-touched butter. I thought I might die from happiness at its sweet, yeasty, chewy goodness. It had a firm crumb and a lovely, slightly crisp crust. And the slices were easily an inch thick. Heaven in a loaf.

And then, of course, we have the main event: beef ribs. County Line's sauce is sweet and tangy, with a hint of smoke thrown in for kick. The ribs are massive; I barely made it through one and a half of them before tiring and giving up the ghost, and I looked positively prehistoric while doing so. (Obviously, the leftovers came home with us.) All in all, it was a pretty badass eating experience - but it paled a bit in comparison to our trip to the Salt Lick a few days later.

More to come, my pets. Till then, may you have coleslaw days and barbecue dreams.

Fatty cue-iness, in photos.

Last month, my mom, Jeremy, Miriam, Jason, Abby and I headed to Fatty 'Cue in Williamsburg for some seriously good Asian-inflected barbecue. What follows is a photo tribute to the meal, mostly because I had a few too many cocktails to be much of a raconteur.

Enjoy, kiddos.










Fatty 'Cue
91 South 6th Street (Near Berry)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

The first annual pork belly-off, part two: Louisa.

Louisa's vision for her piece of pork belly (the one that wasn't being made strictly for professional reasons) was a barbecue-esque one. Pork belly glazed with a maple-bourbon sauce, served atop a lemony, minty coleslaw.

She braised the pork belly while her glaze (maple syrup, bourbon, cider vinegar) reduced on the stove. When it was time to sear the belly, she glazed the top with the sauce - which promptly hardened to a soft, toffee-like consistency. Not exactly what she was going for, but man, was it good.

The slaw, crunchy and fresh, cut through the rich, sweet glaze and the meaty pork belly. In future incarnations, Louisa plans to thin out the glaze a bit, maybe with milk or a little butter - any suggestions?