I've written before about the charming Badu City Park in Llano, its proximity to downtown and to good barbecue. The park has been a favorite stopping place of ours since we discovered it about 6 years ago, and it's gone through major renovations since then. Unfortunately - VERY unfortunately - the park was wiped out recently by flooding along the Llano River. There might have been space at another RV park outside of town, but it isn't as close and has never looked inviting to us. We decided to skip Llano altogether, and lamented the missed opportunity for barbecue and my favorite Llano kitchen/hardware store.
That left us with a dilemma: how and where were we to get good 'cue while in Texas? We asked the park rangers. "There are two in town," they said. "Mesquite Pit is good, but expensive. Natty Flat Smokehouse gets mixed reviews from folks who visit there. Geno's Mesquite BBQ used to be a ways out of town, but that's closed and he's a food truck now. We don't know how you find him." When we went into town in search of auto parts, we got much the same story - with an emphatic nod to Mesquite Pit from one woman, who recommended the chicken fried steak and the armadillo eggs. We ran our various errands, picked up wine and beer, then headed for Mesquite Pit.
Too bad it was too early (for us) for margaritas.
We ordered our takeout meal, then I admired the interior while my darling admired the weather outside. We could have waited at the bar, but - well, it was too early for either of us and we still needed to drive back to camp.
Besides, the decor was fun.
There were a lot of antique farm and kitchen tools. Does anyone know what this is? The waitress didn't. I couldn't read the printing on the side of the box, but thought I might be seeing the word "churn". A recognizable butter churn stood next to it.
Our food came. We'd ordered a pound each of brisket and pork ribs, and an appetizer of armadillo eggs. I'd restrained myself with great effort and had not added fried green tomatoes to the order. We packed it into insulated bags and took it home until dinner time. (I squirmed at the plastic clamshells and styrofoam - Cooper's packs everything in foil, or cardboard - but the clamshells can be reused. If I can find space for them.)
The brisket looks dry but wasn't. The ribs had just the right toothsomeness. The barbecue sauce was some of the best we've ever had. I find most BBQ sauces to be syrupy and too sweet (he likes them sweeter than I do). This has a tart vinegary note that we both liked.
Check out the condiment tray, which was included for free:
The onions are sweet and the pickles are tart; the pickled peppers have a nice heat but don't pack a grab-your-beer wallop.
The armadillo eggs were fun: jalapenos stuffed with cheese and brisket, then breaded and fried. I think I liked them better without the sauce, which was too sweet for my taste. They had a pleasant heat.
We're still working on the condiments, and got 3 meals out of the rest. Not bad for 34 bucks.
