18.12.08: BBQ pork loin with roasted butternut squash and red cabbage

Colour me winter: He finally dared to open our treasured bottle o' bbq sauce from The Salt Lick, marinating a pork loin that He roasted and basted with care. Also getting the over treatment was a butternut squash brushed with maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper. A plain salad of mixed contintental leaves peered at the main plate with interest.

SHE SAYS: Oh my, I'd forgotten how this thin, sweetly seasoned sauce can tickle the tastebuds - expertly and with feelin'. Pork was the perfect vehicle, and this configuration tenderly did the sauce proud. Still marvelling at the soft magic of butternut, somehow so much more satisfyng than sweet potato. The red cabbage was divinely tart, as expected, and the whole ensemble made a feast for the eyes.

HE SAYS: I was tempted to get a couple of racks of ribs at the store instead of the loin. I'm glad I decided not to as this came out so, so good and although the ribs may have been more authentic (in a Texas cookout styley) they probably would've yielded less meat and more fussing about. I slow-cooked the pork for about 2.5hrs, letting it get all buttery in texture. The butternut squash was cooked with just a drizzle of maple syrup so wasn't overpoweringly shweet. This meal is definitely a late entry for meal o' the year, probably not winning against this one, though.

23.10.08: The Salt Lick, Austin, TX

Her BBQ Combo Plate: ribs, smoked sausage, potato salad, coleslaw and baked bnz.
His: ditto, but with beef brisket (not pictured)

We took a sundown drive thru Hill Country and swerved sharply into The Salt Lick, which all two of you may remember from His trip a month ago. Smoke, sauce and the subtleties of pork rule the roost here, y'all, where chicken is considered a side dish.

HE SAYS: Part of the charm of The Salt Lick is the drive, so it was a shame that the sun had already set as we drove up and down the magnificent rolling hills. The GPS also had a little trouble finding the exact address, so it was a good thing I'd done the journey only a month previous.

When we got there, parked, sat down, and ordered, all was forgotten as a behemoth of meaty treats once again got my mouth a-watering. I chose the variety platter, and in the course of only about half an hour (start to finish) managed to wolf down giant BBQ ribs, brisket, and succulent sausage before my stomach could tell how much I had consumed. Understandably, I was stuffed to the rafters, and at this point feel like I no longer have to eat another thing on this trip - I'm set.

Accompaniments: pickles, regular and chipotle BBQ sauces, superfluous white bread

SHE SAYS: Got 'The Plate' of ribs and sausage, slathered in a thin sweet sauce that had a tinge of five-spice - much more to my liking than the vinegary Memphis style o' stuff, or the think ketchupy sludge of supermarket offerings. Oh my, was this smokey pile o' meat good!

For interplay of smoke and sweet, these ribs can't be beat. Only Houston's Danish-style babybacks score higher for tenderness. The sausage was a tip-o-the-tongue delight - you just don't get even reg'lar smoked sausage in London, and this was no ordinary stuffed skin: subtle, no spice or herb, just the fine-tuned smokey savour.

Potato salad and bnz were not commentworthy, clearly just for show. But the coleslaw was a nice surprise: light and with no vinegar hint, but with a v. un-Texas touch: toasted sesame seeds. Fab little bursts of roastiness over good, clean crunchiness. She approved mightily. Pickle was an excellent palate cleanser, bead was not necessar, and oh! thankfully, the iced tea was plain, not sweet, jsut the referesher you need.

It was, all in all, more restrained than I expected in taste sensations, tho' not at all in portions - all of which adds up to infinitely moreish!

13.09.08: Out to Thai Square, and BBQ part deux

This sign is one sick joke. She was having a nice afternoon in Putney and eventually made her way to the cheery riverside area, where the idea of a cocktail and an early dinner al fresco appealed mightily. Thus ensued Her unusually bad pick of a Thai restaurant.

SHE SAYS: The start was promising, if a bit overpriced: this Crystal Ball cocktail of fresh lycheee, lemongrass, ginger, lemongrass-infused vodka, ginger-infused vodka, demerera sugar, lychee juice and lime juice added a festive feel to the single-diner experience. And it was way yummy: zesty and shockingly cold, its spicy, fragrant flavours tinged with notes of lavendar and rose. But.

A starter of tod mun kao pod, or sweetcorn fritters with chilli dip, gave the first hint of Something Off. The menu bills this dish as 'baby corns sculpted in ball shapes', but this is clearly Niblets-studded hush-puppy territory. It was chewy, bready, and had a distinct taste of shrimp paste (as found in curry paste) - very odd since it was listed as a vegetarian dish. The dip was bog-standard sugary stuff out of a very generic bottle. But She was hungry and hoped for the best from the main course.

Alas, the 'Traditional Thai favourite dish of all time, green papaya salad with marinated grilled chicken', was downright disgusting. She only kept eating out of disbelief. The chicken had that strange tenderness that shouts re-formed dark meat, and was encased in rubbery skin with a sweet thin sauce not doing it any favours.

The strands of green papaya might have proven interesting had they not been drowned in fish sauce and vinegar with a strong garlic flavour - not at all complementary in this case. Chopped green bnz had the virtue of fiber and not being limp.

But strangest of all, I found myself labouriously chewing small bit in the salad mix...they were hard, tiny Stu-wee shrimp! Grossness! I avoided them as best I could. Some lime spritzin' might have pepped things up a bit, but it was underwhelming and overpriced - strike two for Her dining weekend!

HE SAYS: Warning: vegetarians look away now, another tale of a giant feast o' bbq'd meats follows.

In attempt to gain an accurate scientific overview of all things bbq that Austin has to offer I figured it was my duty to check out an example of a finer class of grilled meat dining options available around these parts and compare them to the great down-home rib shack (literally) I experienced only two days ago.

The picture above was taken at another great recommendation, Salt Licks restaurant just outside of Austin. (Thanks, Blair!) Firstly, it's located in a ranch off of a long road surrounded by green rolling hills and fields, an amazing location. As you pull up to the gate you see what seems like the whole of the local police force doing direction and parking duties, literally one officer for every turn it takes to find a parking space, this place is popular it seems (and safe too).

After parking I made my way to the outside but covered waiting, concierge and sorting area where I was vetted by some young Southern belles to make sure I was man enough to step into the old stone brick dining barn where the feasting takes place. I managed to conceal my British accent long enough for them to let me pass and I was duly escorted to a chair at a long table.

Now, the menu was basic, consisting of give or take 3 items: ribs, sausage, beef and combinations of all three plus sides of bnz, potato salad and coleslaw. I cannot lie: this was good eating, my plate was big and was helpfully sub divided, tv dinner style, into areas for meat, coleslaw and salad (a loose term in this instance) - never, never, at your peril should they mix!

The ribs were generous, tender and the sauce very moreish; shweet, spicy and sticky, just the way it should be. The potato salad was like hash browns pressed together, that simple and (obviously) that tasty. The coleslaw was not that spesh and the beans just okay but who cares about the sides with this much great meat. The sausage was juicy and spiced enough to add interest but the beef was my favourite part, again, tender, juicy and grilled to perfection, I wish i had ordered a whole plate of the stuff.

The service was swift and very friendly, and once I was finished I enjoyed some good ole fashioned people watching. Looking around I spied a lot of large portions and even larger hairdos along with big belt buckles and cowboy boots. Just about half an hour out of Austin but a world away, I got in my car and drove back full, content and assured of my manhood.

11.09.08: Faux pho part deux, and Willie's BBQ

Play it again, ma'am: She took the easy option after a somewhat aggravating day and heated up some of Tuesday's shrimpy broth with rice noodles, then tarted up the leftover salad with some more leaves and eggy avo - not to mention the wasabi-lime dressing in its cute li'l lunchbag bottle, originally a tiny soy sauce container that came with some packged sushi. Don't you wish you had one?

SHE SAYS: Good enough, but this was not the kind of soup that improves in the fridge. It wasn't any worse either, just remarkably, exactly the same: light, in need of copious spritzes of fish sauce, and filling. I'd like it a lot if I had a cold, b/c it's so innocuous but with just enough floral/grassy lime-leaf flavour to make it mildly interesting. The avo was particularly good tonite, and with slicks of wasabi-lime it was a treat of smooth near-decadence.

HE SAYS: Went off the beaten path and got me some ribs at Willie's bbq joint here in Austin, A tiny little down home place I found at the bottom of this link. I felt a little intimidated to take any actual food shots (this shot taken in the safety of my car) but the grub was great; the meat on the ribs was falling apart tender with little fat and smothered in a spicy, not too shweet sauce.

This was not the most healthy dining option, especially compared to Hers (then again, I only got the half rack) but oo-weee, it was fine dining. The ice-cream scoop of potato-mustard salad with sliced pickles and smokey baked beans had me salivating before I proceeded to devour everything in my path, including the two slices of plastic "sealed for freshness" bunny bread (which did incredible mopping up duties), and not forgetting dem crackers. All washed down with a glass bottle of A&W. Burrrp.

07.09.08: Fine Burger takeaway

After completing a family errand at His mum's place, We happily anticipated a dinner treat from Fine Burger Co. Above: She ordered the Greek lamb burger, which arrived with a wedge of feta and scoops of a rather white hummus, while His BBQ burger (below) presented a neat stack of tomato, red onion, and the eponymous sauce. Hand-cut chips for Him and some chopped salad for Both sealed the deal.


HE SAYS: I think I enjoyed mine a little more then She liked hers but it still wasn't "fine" by anyone's standards. The bun was droopy and the sauce was excessive; if you like your burgers on the damp side then this is the place to get 'em. Truth be told, I was more then a tad bit hungry and so my critical eye was half-closed but managed to open up for the fries, which were not bad: hot, crunchy, salty and not soggy. I barely even remember eating the salad it was that good.

SHE SAYS: It's very rare that I can unequivocally diss an entire meal, but the day has arrived. My burger was drowning in suspiciously mayonnaisey hummus, and the wedge of crumbly salt they were calling feta didn't help. But it was the burger itself that was downright disgusting: it was pinky, barely warm, and densely damp. I like pinky lamb if it's nice and hot, but this was like eating the cushiony part of a Band-aid after you've sweated through it a bit. Really. The salad was nothing to speak of, with a bland, thin 'ranch' dressing coating a few rocket leaves, radishes, cucumber chunks, and chilled-to-transparency tomato slices. Ick. Yeh, I ate what was on my plate - hungry, and didn't want to be rude - but the ironically named Fine Burger doesn't even rate basic linkage.