The Homecoming

Last week, as Tourist Tree and I were traveling in Texas, we were stopped at an intersection just slightly past the Austin airport to make way for a procession.

We did not know what it was but after seeing about 30 police motorcycles leading the way, a hearse, several private cars and a van followed by about 75 Patriot Guard Riders with the Stars and Strips flying from their motorcycles, we had a suspicion that the procession was for a fallen service member.

 

As we were given the go-ahead to proceed with the traffic, we were only a few cars behind the end of the official procession traveling south on TX 185. We were behind it for miles. Along the way, we saw opposing traffic stopped and pulled over to the side of the road as a sign of respect. We saw an elderly gentleman standing by his truck with his wife with his hand saluting the procession. We saw small groups of people come out of their workplaces or homes to stand by the road with flags in their hands.
 
 

The procession turned off from the main street into
Lockhart which was also our destination that day.

At the Funeral home in Lockhart

We learned that it was the homecoming of a fallen Marine. Cpl Cody R. Stanley of Rosanky, TX, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1St Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, CA. He was killed by an IED while on a dismounted patrol supporting combat operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on October 28th. He was 21 years old.

The procession was escorting his remains from Austin Airport to the funeral home in Lockhart. The funeral was to be held the day after.

Members of the Patriot Guard and the police escort observed the solemn transfer of the remains of Cpl. Stanley at the funeral home carried out by the Marine escort detail.

 

Both Tourist Tree and I felt privileged to have accidentally run into the procession and to have the opportunity to be part of his escort home. We are grateful for Cpl. Stanley’s sacrifice. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, and the servicemen who are still over there protecting us. A special Bravo Zulu also go to the Patriot Guards for their service. We have seen pictures on the web, we have read about it in newspapers, we have seen the video on Youtube. It never touches you so much until you have witnessed such an event in person. We were honored to have such opportunity. Welcome home, Cpl Stanley. Semper-Fi! Rest in peace.

Cpl. Cody R. Stenley, USMC

Traveling the Texas Barbeque Trail Pt. 5

Black’s BBQ, Lockhart.

Black’s sits on the other side of the town center, just a few short minutes walk from Smitty’s. Although close in proximity, these two BBQ are much different in experience.

A long cafeteria style counter greeted us as we walked through the door. We picked up a tray, walked past the salad bar along the counter, and headed straight to the meats. There is no reason to touch anything at the salad bar at a place famous for its BBQ. Everything is done in one place; no smoke house, no separate counter to get the pickles and cheese, no separate line to pay for the meal.

Black’s offers beef ribs that the previous several places which we visited did not. These ribs did not disappoint us. The meat was tender as butter. It was full of beef flavors, well seasoned and was extremely satisfying.

The brisket was tender and very nice as well but I didn’t think it was as stand out as some of the others I have had during this trip. The same could be said about the ribs. There was nothing wrong with them but they weren’t wowing me. Plus, the meat was a bit on the firm side which didn’t make it easy to fall of the bone.

The sausage consisted of the more coarse textured meat and was quite good. It was very similar to those I has tasted in Luling and it was very juicy. I found that the skin was a bit tough for my taste. I like sausage casing that snaps open easily with a good bite.

Unlike Smitty’s, Black’s has a sauce which tastes on the sweeter, molasses side with plenty of evidence of tomato and a slight spicy kick. I also liked the cole slaw and the jalapeno cornbread a lot. The cole slaw was nicely balanced with the vegetables carrying a nice crispy. The small flicks of jalapeno in the cornbread brought a small spicy stimulus amidst the sweet sugary bread that gave a different departure yet complimenting taste to the BBQ flavor.

Given the time and geographic constraints, I was only able to taste a few of the many places that made Texas BBQ famous.


The Silverado Smoke House in Corpus Christi was a surprise find. I was expecting a somewhat monotonous mass-market experience based on my several restaurant meals in this mecca of chain-food. I walked away impressed and satisfied (May be the self-serve soft-serve ice cream machine had bribed my opinion?). However, the king of the Texas BBQ was no doubt in the Hill Country. Those were some of the most unique experiences I ever have. Each place that I visited was unique in its own way and had outstanding items that were matchless.

Of the three that I have visited in the Hill Country, City Market, Smitty’s, and Black’s; all are located in small towns that look deserted with non-descript store fronts that anybody could walk by without knowing what’s inside; except Black’s which has large sign to direct tourists to it’s place. If I have to choose, I would have to pick the City Market and Smitty’s over the other. In terms of the quality of the BBQ, the authenticity of the experience, these are the big boys!

(I would really like to forget my whole experience at The County Line!)

Smitty's in Lockhart

Traveling the Texas Barbeque Trail Pt. 4

Smitty’s Market, Lockhart.

Located at the former Kreus market site which had been selling BBQ since the turn of the century, Smitty’s has been considered as one of the top 5 BBQ places in the US.

Letf: The price sign is stained from years of the smoke in the smoke house.

Right: Customers lined up inside the smoke house for some of the best BBQ in the country.

Left: The L-shape smoke pit along two sides of the wall in the large room is fueled by hard wood burning at both ends.

Right: The wall is caked with layers of soot from years and years of use.


 
Right: Barbeque goodness!

The M.O. for buying BBQ meat at Smitty’s is the same as the others; line up; tell the guy with the knife how much meat you want; you pay by the weight at the end of the line; then carry the meat in butcher’s paper over to the dining room; get the drinks, condiments, etc.; and eat. Just don’t ask for sauce. Smitty’s does not believe in BBQ sauce!

The prime rib was absolutely delicious! I love the coating on the outside, a burnt combination of good seasoning rub, smoking, tender meat, and…fat. This was the first time I had smoked prime rib and it would definitely not going to be the last. It was different yet it was so good. This definitely was not your prime rib from a steakhouse.

The brisket had excellent flavors. It was a bit drier than those I had so far (I asked for extra moist), bit still plenty tender and moist.

We were greeted with mouth full of sweet tenderness when we bit into the ribs. Unlike the other meats, the ribs had a sweet glaze on the outside which in a certain degree helped to keep the moisture inside and the meat tender. The meat was melting in my fingers as I was pulling it off the bone. These were one of the most moist and tender ribs I ever had.

Biting into the sausage was like biting into a juice bomb. After getting through the crunchy casing with a clear snap, the juice oozed out of the skin like a floating stream. The meat was less coarse than those I have tasted during this trip yet it was so delicious with the juice/grease sloshing in my mouth.

If you had squeezed me after this meal, grease would have come out.

Traveling the Texas Barbeque Trail Pt. 3

City Market, Luling.

We went from farm team to the major league when we entering the Hill Country where the BBQ is never considered as anything with less than total seriousness. Because of pollution considerations, most smoke houses remain out in the country away from the city where the pitmasters can practice their craft without any restrictions.

We started with the City Market in the blink-you-will-miss-it town of Luling. There didn’t seem to be anybody around (we were waiting for the tumble weed to come through the main street) until we entered through the door for City Market.

The dining area is just a no-frill bare room with tables and chairs arranged cafeteria style. The smokehouse for this place is in a completely enclosed separate room at the back of the dining area. We ordered our meats inside the smokehouse at the counter where everything is carved to order and cost by the weight. .

We paid for the meats in the smokehouse. Everything is put on butcher paper and I was shown the proper way to carry it out back to the dining room.

Pork ribs, moist brisket, sausage.

All other business is conducted over the counter at the other end of the dining room. Drinks, utensils, sauces, etc. are handled here. We did not take the offer for slices of white bread in the smokehouse but a local at the counter insisted that we should have cheese with our meats. Never dismiss good advice from a local. Along with a small block of cheese, we also picked up some very nice sweet pickles and dill pickles for cutting the grease from the meat.

We spent no time digging into the meats. The brisket was moist, tender, and with just the right amount of fat on it. We took the advice to “eat it with the cheese…” as the local said to us. We had no idea what the cheese was but it was very yellow.

There was a nice crispy crust on the ribs with a well balanced flavor of spice and slight sweetness. Under the crust was some extremely moist and tender meat with a delicious smoky pink ring just underneath the surface.

The sauce was more yellowish in color than the traditional. It had a honey mustard hint with a slight touch of molasses but luckily it did not have that super sweet taste.

  

The meat came off the bone cleanly with just a slight pull.

This sausage was awesome! The juice from the meat just exploded in the mouth as soon as you bit through the excellent crispy skin. We loved the meat which had that mouth filling coarse texture of a typical Texas sausage.

  

Didn’t take us that long to polish off our lunch!
 

 

Luling is also famous for the annual watermelon thump in the summer. It even has its own watermelon seed spitting “Splitway”. If you really want to know, the current record is 68 feet 9 1/8 inches.

 

Traveling the Texas Barbeque Trail Pt. 2

The County Line, The River Walk, San Antonio.

The County Line has multiple locations in the area. I am no fan of places that prepare their meat somewhere else. If I don’t see a smoking smoker on-site, I don’t want it. However, it was past 3:00PM after our visit to the Alamo and The County Line did look more attractive than the Hard Rock Café next door for lunch.

I ordered the appetizer size mixed platter which came with a beef rib, a few pork ribs, some pieces of brisket, a small link of sausage, and lots of sauce.

The beef rib was a bit lacking in meatiness. The dismal amount of meat on the bone was as tender as a soft plastic ball. It made a great chew toy for any small animal. The pork rib was …OK. It was a bit on the dry side and lacking in moisture. Same for the brisket which was also too dry for me. On the other hand, the sausage was surprisingly good. Its crunchy skin encased some nicely done meat and was quite good in taste. The sauce on the plate was tangy. It could use a bit of sweetness and much less in quantity on the plate. There was so much sauce on the plate that it was drowning all the flavors in the meat. Unfortunate! For the record, I gave up on the meal after a few bites on each meat.

The chicken did not fare any better than the other meats with its dryness and blandness except it wasn’t drowning in sauce. The sauce, however, was plenty in the overly creamy cole slaw which suffered from a sogginess issue due to too much…sauce.

Yes, it was a mistake going to a chain restaurant in a tourist area. There wasn’t much evidence of care in the preparation of our meal. However, the portions were big and plenty. For those seeking a taste of Texas with an appetite to match, it would be a good place to go between stops on the tour bus route.

Traveling the Texas Barbeque Trail Pt. 1

Texans do not take their barbeque lightly. When it comes to smoked meat, it is all serious business.

Silverado Smoke House, Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi is a mecca of chain restaurants, but among this sea of culinary mediocrity, there are some gastronomic highlights.

The Silverado Smoke House is an independent family-owned business with a single outlet just off a major highway.

Everything is served cafeteria style. You pick the meat(s), then the sides, pay the cashier, grab the tray and go to the table.

The menu carries an extensive array of meats; beef ribs, St. Louis style pork ribs, brisket, sausage, chicken, chopped BBQ, chicken salad, pork loin, turkey, and ham. It also has Frito pies, and salads (What’s the point of going to a smoke house for salad?).

As a man of modesty, I chose one beef rib, a few pieces of pork ribs, and a little moist brisket for dinner.

The beef rib was like butter. The meat was soft, tender, and just melted in the mouth. It did not have too much of a smoky taste. Some may consider that bland; I call that not over-seasoned with the dry rub.

  

With a nice pink smoke ring around the meat, the pork rib was juicy and off-the-bone tender. The BBQ sauce was a bit on the sweeter side with a strong accent of molasses. It could use a bit of a kick in spice and some tanginess.

The moist brisket was…moist! The fat had given it so much moisture and tenderness that the entire piece was just a joy to eat. Ordering brisket moist is the only way to go for me.

The okra stew was delicious. It had just the right amount of spiciness, sweetness and seasoning.

The cole slaw (top edge of the picture) had a nice crunchiness and just the right amount of balance with sweetness and sourness. It served perfectly as a mouth cleanser for in-between bites.

These two side vegetables were my healthy option for this meal.

I also filled up a few dishes with salsa and peppers from the condiment bar across the dining room.

The salsa consisted of onions, tomatoes, radishes, and a few herbs. It had a nice crunchy bite to it. The peppers were wonderful; Jalapeño, California Green, Cherry…, I love pickled peppers!

I washed everything down with the sweet tea. It was just the perfect thing to calm down the spices in the food.

All the meats were very good. I found them standing up on their own quite well without the sauce. Eating the meats without the sauce allowed me to experience the subtle taste in them. My favorite was the beef ribs. It was just so incredibly tender and full of flavor.

No meal is complete without dessert. Next to the self-serve soda machine sat a soft-serve ice cream machine. It was included as part of the meal and of course, it’s self-serve. It did take me several tries to make a perfect cone, but the more I practiced, the more I got to eat. Yes, I ate several mini-cones and I also made myself an ice cream float. Burp!

I absolutely enjoyed my meal at Silverado. For a town better known for chain restaurant dining along the main highway, this was a good find. For everything that I had eaten, it only cost me $20.00!

 

Stella Pizza Part Deux

A few weeks after my initial visit with my friend, L, I returned to Stella with the pizza loving Tourist Tree to try more pies.

We started with the broccoli rabe with garlic and ricotta salata. The broccoli rabe was a bit on the soft side but was better than the one I had during the last visit. We enjoyed the shaved cheese on top except the top portion of the dish was not warm.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Vongole. Clams, Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta, Mozzarella.


The first thing I noticed with the pizza was the burnt blisters on the pie. It got me excited thinking the crust could be very crispy from the high heat in the wood burning oven, or…it was overcooked to a crisp.

My first bit did not disappoint me. The crust was as crisp as a cracker and answered my biting into it with a definite crackling sound. I much enjoyed the texture and favor combination of the crust, the sweetness, saltiness, and gooeyness of the cheese, the saltiness and chewiness of the clams, and the taste of the pancetta that was sprinkled on top. I thought there would be more broccoli rabe on the pizza but it took an eagle’s eyes to spot those finely chopped greens sprinkled sparsely among the other toppings.

Tourist Tree did not like the pie as much as I did. She thought the clam was too salty from the brine. My initial excitement over the pie was slightly dampened by my second slice with the crust not being as crispy and firm as my first slice. An examination of the remaining pizza revealed that the crust did not have an even crispiness throughout the pie. Some parts of it were firm and crisp, others were not.

 
 
 
 

San Daniele. Smoked Mozzarella, Prosciutto, Baby Arugula


The first thing we noticed when the pie was delivered to us was the size of the pie. The rim of the pie was much thicker and rounder than our other pie. There was also much less blistering on the surface. The appearance also confirmed my suspicion that the crust was not crispy. The pizza was nicely topped with plenty of prosciutto but it seemed that it had gone for a swim in the salt bath before ending up on our pizza. I understand that Starr prides himself on using high quality ingredients but this prosciutto seemed to have fallen off a Sysco truck and landed on the pizza counter.

After two trips a fortnight apart, 3 plates of appetizers, 4 pies plus a few odd slices; it is evidence that this restaurant is still on a learning curve after just a little over 2 weeks in business. It was interesting to see that the pies coming out of the oven could be so different. Yes, they were all hand made and cooked individually in a wood burning oven which takes skill to maintain a constant temperature. I do not expect them to maintain exact consistency but I do expect them to be like brothers and sisters with similar characteristics, not a tribe with people from all over the village. I did notice that they were tossing far less pies in the trash this time. Maybe a few more should have been tossed.