Tremor

Also, Prause's in La Grange !!!!

Biggers is now Meyer's. Southside is certainly still open. They moved from their downtown location to 290 quite a few years ago.

A place I forgot to mention on the other thread is Peterek's . I found this place last year on the advice of a friend. Out in the country east of Belton. Don't know how long they've been there, but it's a small place that puts out some great meat. They make a great hot link, along with weiners, jerky, summer sausage, etc. (Just clicked on my own link to test, and right up front, it says they've been there since 1958. Guess I should pay more attention.)

Oh, I think most folks 'round these parts know what a smoke ring is. I don't know anyone who really gives much of a d*mn how deep it is, though.

And, they LOOK even worse.

Well, my first suggestion is to get in your car and drive up to Elgin for a sausage-tasting! You should be able to find Southside Meat Market and Meyer's at the HEB's in Houston. The trouble with the the packaged versions is that they just don't taste as good as getting it at the restaurants. Around here we can get fresh (uncooked) Southside sausage in the grocery stores, but I don't know if that's the case in Houston. As far as I know, the Crosstown sausage is only available at the restaurant. My favorite sausages, however, are the ones in Lockhart from Kreuz or Smitty's. You can mail order from Kreuz. http://www.kreuzmarket.com/ There's another one that should be available at Houston HEB's; V&V. It's good. Chappell Hill Sausage is also good. http://www.chsausage.com/ Have you tried Luling City Market there in Houston? Or, Central Market may have some of their own that might come close??? Frankly, I may be way off base, because when you were a kid in Houston, I was a kid in Missouri. So, all my suggestions are speculations. Hope it helps, though.

fifi, what you're describing sounds an awful lot like what is available in Elgin. The Southside "hot guts", as you know, are the most famous. I've preferred the Meyer's version for years, specifically the beef sausage. (No fennel in that.) Crosstown makes a version of the original Southside sausage that I think tastes a lot better. You also may be thinking of the east TX "hot links" that are mainly attributed to Pittsburg (TX). They are prevalent through east central TX. I may be able to give you a source if you can tell me if I'm wrong or right about my assumptions.

Excellent advice. I can't get away to drive over there, but I made a big order to the French Market company that showed up last week. They are still getting back on their feet, but it was good to taste it again. (I like the "City Roast" that I haven't found here in Austin.) http://www.frenchmarketcoffee.com/ Personally, I would rather see the city rebuilt by the locals. I doubt that selfish, short-sighted politicians in Washington, DC (no matter which party affiliation) can direct the rebuilding and have the city maintain its "flavor".

I moved to Austin near the end of 1980 from Springfield, MO (born and raised). My first visit to Louie Mueller's was early in 1981. Fred Fontaine was the pitmaster then. He developed the "sauce" they serve. He called it "gravy". (BTW, it's NOT the same as it was.) When you walked up to the counter, Fred would grab a tray. lay some butcher paper on it, then lay down a "burnt end" of brisket for you to sample. The conversation with me was ALWAYS: Tremor: "Half pound of brisket." Fred: "Lean or juicy?" Tremor: "Juicy" Fred: "Ya want gravy?" Tremor: "Yes" Thus started my meal of brisket and "gravy", along with the 4 pieces of white bread and pickles and onions that Fred added to the tray. Bobby still tries to do that, and I appreciate the effort, but it just ain't ever gonna be the same.

I once asked Tim Thomas (former sushi chef at Origami) where he would buy fish for sushi if he had to buy locally. He replied without hesitation, "Central Market".

Thanks. I haven't tried the graham crackers, and I will. Just a soon as I can find a parking space at the new Plus store...

Well, THAT certainly explains a lot! Sweet potato pie is a good'n, but pumpkin and pecan pies have always been the holiday staples in my family. I don't remember ever having a Thanksgiving cake... phlawless, are you looking for things other than pies and cakes??

I always liked the debris, though, and I thought the Ferdi was a good sandwich. From what I've been reading (various sources), the city is returning slower than I thought it would. I'm glad for what is coming back, but overall, it's rather depressing. I hope the people there feel differently. Thanks, Brad, for the report.

Thanks, fifi. I thought at first that they were probably the same, but I was also confused by the side-by-side display at the new HEB Plus here. I've been buying the Dr. Kracker flatbreads for about a year (first found them at Wheatsville), but a couple of weeks ago I saw in the 1431 store that the CM brand had apparently replaced the DK, so I tried the Sesame Cheese ones. I didn't really like them. Anyway, just curious...

LonghornGal, I noticed a couple of weeks ago that there is a Dr. Kracker -like cracker offered under the Central Market label. Do you know if these are manufactured by Dr. Kracker for the CM brand, or is CM "making their own"?

Just off the top of my head, besides the peaches you mentioned, the obvious superior produce at the markets would be tomatoes. However, the local blueberries, blackberries, and pecans are far above what's available in a store. The key, as I mentioned above, is IN SEASON. Even when the actual taste may be similar (squash is squash), at the farmers markets you are getting produce that has most likely been picked the day before, vs. something that was picked weeks ago and shipped cross-country. Plus, you're not going to find a whole lot of carrots in August, but they are even that much better when you can get them in the spring. The fact that our markets may be much smaller than in other cities is meaningless. Appreciate what is here. We have a LOT of farms in the area that offer fresh food raised with organic methods. I don't give a d*mn what they do in Baltimore. Apples? For the most part, apples don't do that well in this climate. However, there's a guy that sometimes sells at the Austin Farmers Market (4th & Guadalupe). If he's there, his apples are great. If not, stick with Central Market. I buy Braeburn, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp there, and I can't imagine autumn without them. Nothing wrong with buying what you can't get locally. I'm just speaking against this attitude that "things are better elsewhere". So what? If you think things are better elsewhere, then move there. As for things being more expensive (as in Boggy Creek Farm), yes, that is often the case. However, I would MUCH rather pay more to have fresh healthy food and SUPPORT THE LOCAL FARMERS than to have my money going to a huge farm in California. As things become more viable for our local people, prices will come down. It's been that way since the beginning of commerce... Our local farmers can't make it if we all stick our noses in the air and say, "I can get better produce in Baltimore." Here's a website that has some info on many of our local farms (you'll need to search for the Austin area). http://www.localharvest.org/ The aformentioned Boggy Creek Farm is one of my favorites. Carol and Larry are great people, and they provide a real service to our area (besides the excellent produce). http://www.boggycreekfarm.com/ I buy eggs and milk (and sometimes chicken) from these people (website is out of date, but they are current). http://www.foodyoucantrust.com/ Their eggs are supposed to be available soon at Whole Foods. Currently, I drive out to their farm. Another source for eggs and chicken (and other meats) is Alexander Family Farm. You may see them at Sunset Valley or Austin Farmers' markets, but their eggs are also available at Wheatsville Co-op. I buy beef from Betsy Ross Farm. Her beef is also available at any area People's Pharmacy. http://www.rossfarm.com/ Those are just a few of my favorites. Lots more out there.

I see that eGullet is continuing its tradition of ignorance and arrogance. The local produce is unsurpassed while it's IN SEASON. I buy eggs, milk, cheese, veggies, fruits, beef, lamb chicken; ALL locally raised organic and grass-fed. Visit some of the MANY farmers' markets in the area, as well as local farms, and you could totally live off what's available. One of the reasons that I would hesitate to move from this area is that it would be difficult to find such a cornucopia of locally-raised food. Some of you people need to get your noses out of the air and/or pull your heads out of your asses.

Well, that's real good news. Thanks, Kent. However, these sources of mine are usually really reliable, so now I'm more confused than ever!

Kent, I've had two people tell me recently that John Mueller's has closed. The second person said that there's a sign saying that it will soon be opening as "JB's BBQ" (or something like that). The phone number is disconnected, so I called Information (hoping he had just moved). I got a woman who told me, "No, we're not John Mueller's, but we've been getting lots of calls recently." I asked his father, Bobby Mueller, what had happened. Bobby said that as far as he knew, John was still open, but "I can't keep track of the boy." (I get the distinct impression they have NOT patched things up.) I have not heard one word about this, however, on any media. I'm confused. Do you know the scoop on this?

You got it!

Yes they do, as a matter of fact. Try a wheat this time of year, over ice with lemon (yeah, yeah, I know-but it's damn good and extremely refreshing). They make good beers due to the formerly-used expertise of a certain Mr. Mayhaw Man. The lemon advice; I TOTALLY agree with. Lemon and wheat beer are a perfect match. (Learned this on frequent trips to Seattle.) On ICE???? NO!!!!

In Round Rock, there's a little place on 79 named "Balderas Tamale Factory". Excellent tamales made fresh every day.

Incredibly funny story! Geaux Mayhaw! Looking forward to part deux...

I had planned on taking your advice and getting a calzone at Rounders this weekend, but had a change of plans and didn't make it there. (BTW - I wasn't positive if you meant try a calzone at Rounders or at Reales, so my plans are to try one at both! )

That's precisely what Mr. Moehring called it; "egg shade". As for the "liquid egg product", I figured they had no choice but to use something like that, considering the number of donuts produced each day. Years ago, you would see egg shells dropped on the ground around the dumpster, but that was before they branched out. I just thought it was funny when I saw the boxes...