jsmeeker

Thanks for the general tips. I was thinking Inidan would be a pretty decent selection, but I don't know much about Indian places around here. Not that there aren't any. But I am not too familair with them. As far as western cuisine goes (I personally lean to the west), Italian came to mind too. My guest is pretty easy going, which is good. Last time I had dinner with her, she had a few fish courses.

I'm pulling for Alex too, matter what Winn or Wynn did to him. Enjoyed my opportunity cooking "with" him during one of the Uncork'd events last year.

I need some suggestions for a restaurant in Dallas that don't treat vegetarians as an after thought. But I'm not looking for a "vegetarian restaurant". I mean, I gotta eat there too!! I wish York Street was still around. I think that might have been a good pick. I don't think I am limited by type of cuisine, though. So, open to lots of suggestions!

Dunno. I wasn't paying close attention as he made it further down the bar. Since I've never had it before, I don't know what it is supposed to taste like.

Wear some Crocs, too.

Out drinking last night and had an "Intro to Aperol". I had never had Aperol before, but had seen reference to it here in the forums and I am pretty sure I have spied in in local liquor stores. Here is the description from the menu "Aperol, Dry Gin, Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, House Made Simple Syrup, Angostura Bitters" I found it to be a little sweet. But maybe that was just due to the ratio used by the bartender. Still, I like the general flavor profile. Tweaking it should be pretty easy (back off on the simple). Also, I am liking the sounds of the other drinks suggested in this topic. I need to get some.

Sure Victor Tango's on Henderson.

I was introduced to this drink last night during a VERY rare weekday night out of drinking while NOT on vacation. The good thing about this outing was I was with a bunch of cocktail nerds like myself at a bar that does a pretty decent job of catering to us. Anyway.. I was considering a drink and chatting with others. I wanted something bourbon based. Earlier, I had shared my fondness for Campari. So, they suggested a Boulevardier. It was made with Bourbon, Campari, and Sweet Vertmouth. Poking around a little suggests that it can be made with Rye, though my drinking companions suggested the drink made with rye had a different name. Also, I am not exactly sure on the ratios. I thought they had said "equal parts" since it was "like a Negroni, but with gin" In any case, I thought it was tasty. And now I have another way to use Campari.

I like the look of your glaze. The glaze in the book photo looks like mayo.

Waiting when you have a reservation is whole thing on it's own. That really stinks. Though my initial thoughts here in this topic were waiting when you didn't have a reservation Places that don't take them, mostly.

There certainly a lot of factors that come into play that may make people wait. Frequently, it's done to accommodate someone else or for the so called "greater good" of the larger group.

Good questions! I like duck. One of my regular grocery stores used to have boneless duck breast available pretty regularly. Now, I don't ever see it. But I can buy a whole frozen duck. I've been thinking of buying a whole one to get not only duck breast, but also to get some legs. Rick Bayless did a show where he made duck carnitas using legs. Essentially, it was duck confit, but instead of doing it in duck fat, he did it in lard. I could make that. Use the breasts for pan saute/roast. then use the caracass for something. Duck stock was an obvious choice, but I didn't think over rendering fat out of the body.

Three hour waits for Houston's is exactly the sort of thing I am wondering about. Pesonally, I think Houston's is pretty good. It's much better than Olive Garden. But three hours? And only to order a cheeseburger? Houston's may not be as commons as the OG, but if you live in an area that has them, then there are plenty of times you can get in with minimal to no wait. I think there is a distinct difference in waiting for a place that is common and easily acessible versus something not to commmon or really remote and not so easy to access.

This brings up a good companion discussion. Does a line or wait usually equal something thing good? I haven't been to Japan, but in the USA, it's certainly a mixed bag. People will wait for a long time to be seated at Olive Garden. But it's really pretty poor. On the flip side, you may wait a long time for BBQ or a pizza and be rewarded with something spectacular. Are chains more likely to not be worth a long? I'll say "yes". Maybe not because the food is always terrible, but more because of their ubiquity. Watch Cheesecake Factory? You *can* get it without a long wait. Of course, non big chains are certainly not immune to not delivering on hype and long waits/lines.

I wish I was going to be able to make it out there this year. But I won't. Maybe in 2012. But I am eager to read your write ups on it, David.

Speaking of orders and take out and what not... How much yield can you get out of using small pieces of meat like a short rib? Do you thing you might try it with a larger cut. Like a brisket some day, to see how it compares?

What kinds of cocktails are you making with that? I've always wondered about it, but never have tried it. When I want something with ginger in it, I whip up a batch of a ginger simple syrup.

Hi Kaszeta, Welcome to the eGullet Society. I'm glad you joined our ranks to share your experiences with Central Texas BBQ. It's always good to get perspectives from other people. We all have things we like and don't like. And we don't always agree on what is good or not so good. Of course, frequently we do. And I know we all agreed Franklin was the champ this trip.

What have you gotten yourself into, Chris?

I don't have the book on order, but I am really excited for everyone who is getting their copy.

We went twice because not everyone in the group was able to make it there on Friday due to their travel logisitics and schedules. The veterans of this group that have done BBQ runs before have found that City Market in Luling has been conistently solid across all three meats on every visit. After the early morning run to Snows, then a quick trip to Giddings, it was clear we could make the hour and a half trek Luling to get some lunch at peak time. It was worth it because overall, it was best that day, too. Snows brisket was really good. But the ribs were not good at all. The sausage wasn't so hot, either. Honeslty, we were kinda dissappointed with it, given the hype and the long drive very early in the AM to get there. Still, we were glad we gave it a try. City Meat Market in Giddings was OK. Brisket chewy. Sausage decent. Much better than Snows. My understanding is that Snows gets sausage from there. So, clearly, there were smoking issues with it up the road in Lexington. Franklin was really that good. Even after all the meat we packed away the two days prior, it was quite obivous to everyone that it reigned supreme.

Slabs? No. Have not tried it. Have not heard of it until now. I'll have to look into it. What is on your itinerary? Here is where I went over the weekend. Friday Louie Mueller (Taylor) City Market (Luling) Luling Barbecue (Luling) Kreuz Market (Lockhart) Satruday Snow's (Lexington) City Meat Market (Giddings) City Market (Luling) Sunday Franklin Barbecue (Austin)

I am very much lookling forward to your tweets.

I don't have much experience it with myself, to be honest. Is it "over done"? Done by many people who don't know what they are doing and do it poorly? Maybe that Marcel guy from "Top Chef" ruined it for everyone? I dunno.

Out of curiosity, which one? To me, Las Vegas is a good place to see "line culture" since there are so many dining establishments in close proximity. You;ll see people lined up for the buffet, while just around the corner, there is another place that serves good food and has no line. Or you'll see people queued up at a place that takes no reservations while there are easily obtainable resos at numerous other places in the same hotel.