Every time someone in my vicinity starts to wax poetic about the virtues of barbecue from some Southern state (reader's note: this means "The South" and not Texas), these eyes of mine reflexively roll.

If you're standing close enough to me at one of these times, you might be able to hear me utter some combination of words under my breath. No need for specifics. You have an imagination. This is because I am a Texan and my grandfather is a cattle rancher and, therefore, when it comes to the core of a barbecue plate, I prefer good old Texas beef brisket.

I celebrated Super Bowl Sunday in Austin and have actually frequented our state's capital quite a bit lately. That's nothing new. In any given year, all totaled, I spend about 3 weeks in Austin. I don't know all the hot spots and I would never claim to be hip enough to call myself an Austinite.

But I've been around a bit.

We received a tweet on Friday alerting us to an accident that occurred at Cold Stone Creamery.

The tweet claimed that someone had driven their automobile into the Cold Stone store and that the store would not be reopening. So I drove past Cold Stone on Saturday morning and found it closed with part of the store boarded up.

However, a sign posted in the window indicated that Cold Stone will only be temporarily closed and that it will be reopening as soon as the damage can be repaired. The sign merely stated that the closing was due to an "accident," but made no mention of whether or not a car was driven through the side of the store.

I enjoyed dinner one night this week at Lone Star Tavern.

If you're jones-ing for a good steak, whether it's a sirloin, ribeye, filet or chicken fried, at an easy price, definitely think about Lone Star Tavern this weekend. It's quality, inexpensive fare in a chilled-out, country setting.

It also made me consider definitions of eateries. What is a tavern and how is it different from a saloon? How is a bistro different from a cafe? How do I know if I'm in a deli?

Yesterday, I promised an update with the full Cafe Homestead farm-to-table menu along with the price for the dinner that will be served Feb. 11. I thought you would like to see the menu for yourself rather than have me try to describe the highlights. For the record, the thing that jumps off to me — other than the slow-roasted prime rib, obviously — is the ginger-scented carrot bisque.

The cost is $48, the dinner will begin at 6:30 that evening and reservations are required. It will very likely fill up, so call or email — 254-754-9604 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. — the sooner the better for the best chance of getting a table.

Here's the menu:

If you're planning your February calendar or if you just want to have at least one over-the-top spectacular meal as something to look forward to or both, give strong consideration to Cafe Homestead's farm to table dinner on Feb. 11.

Cafe Homestead began its farm-to-table series in August of last year and featured things like a Mediterranean style dinner, a Mexican style dinner, a ribeye dinner and Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. It's a fantastic, multiple-course dining experience that is definitely worth the price of admission.

Another month is pretty much in the books and so it's time for another installment of "The Month In Reviews."

Just a reminder, when we get to 1,000 reviews we're going to give away the latest version of the iPad to one of you reviewers. Every review counts as an entry and we still need about 300 before we get there. So there's time, but still, write some reviews this month.

Here's the Top 10 from January:

It's Super Bowl week. Very soon, it will be Super Bowl Sunday and I bet plenty of people will be scrambling on Sunday afternoon to throw together last-minute Super Bowl parties.

And therefore, there will be a rush on the grocery stores in town at about 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon for Super Bowl party fare. It will be crowded and unpleasant, but it will be Super Bowl Sunday, so everyone will be in kind of a festive mood, so there won't be any fights.

But you don't have to follow that path, friends. I'm going to make a suggestion right now that could revolutionize your Super Bowl party.

Cory and I kicked off the WacoFork work week by enjoying breakfast at The Coffee Shop in McGregor, which leads me to believe it's going to be a good week.

Obviously, we don't think of food as just being fuel. We think about dining and how we can do that well. But eating is also, ultimately, the thing that fuels the body. To that end, a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs (doused with salsa) and coffee seem like jet fuel to me. I feel like that breakfast alone is going to make me unstoppable for the rest of the week. (Reader's note: I am not a nutritionalist).

I love hummus. I could and have eaten hummus and crackers for dinner. And now I know how to make it, though I will need to buy a food processor if I want to make it at home. Perhaps I'll just make regular trips to Crav at Gourment Gallery to get my hummus fix.

On Thursday, Crav chef Juanita Barrientos walked me through making hummus from edamame. As a bonus, we also made kale salad with avocado dressing and topped with red onions and toasted almonds. There's a good chance my lunch was better — and healthier — than yours.