Just a quick barbecue-related anecdote from the holidays.
I had the fun of traveling to cover the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas in Houston and the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on the last weekend of 2012. I intended to make this a little tour of Texas and enjoy some of the dining features those towns have to offer. Alas, in the process of claiming press credentials, making sure I arrived at press boxes on time and filing stories late at night, I didn't have as much time for restaurant adventures as I thought (unless you count Taco Cabana and room service).
But my friends Jon and Kristen Davis made sure I didn't totally strike out. The Davises spent Christmas on the west side of San Antonio, so I called them when I left out of Houston to see what they would be doing around 1 p.m. when I reached the outskirts of San Antonio. They told me to meet them at Texas Pride Barbecue in Adkins, Texas.
The feature we enjoyed most at Texas Pride was the family-style ordering, which allowed us to pick three meats and four sides for one low price. It was especially one low price for me, since the Davises grabbed the check — thanks, friends.
Anyway, we consumed lean sliced brisket, sausage and ribs, perhaps the best green beans I've ever tasted (green beans have previously been just a role player in my culinary experience), German potato salad, macaroni and cheese and cheesy potatoes. They also ordered pecan and peach cobbler, though I mostly passed on it. I had to put up some guard against making myself completely lethargic as I still had a football game to report on that evening.
I'm not sure how Texas Monthly establishes its honor roll of Texas barbecue establishments. Many a BBQ joint has been on it through the years, including Texas Pride. I'm not sure how I would weigh one barbecue restaurant over another either. But let me just honorably mention a few that have filled my belly in a satisfying way.
Of coiurse, Vitek's, Tony DeMaria's, etc. around here. Then there's Cooper's in Llano, Angelo's and Railhead in Fort Worth, Smitty's in Lockhart (it's the only one in Lockhart I've hit so far), Salt Lick and County Line in Austin, Schoepf's in Belton, and now Texas Pride in Adkins. This is an incomplete list and one that I'm looking to improve in 2013.
I'm looking at you, Franklin.
