Not too long after our trip to Jamaica, DJ had to go to Austin for work. We figured we'd make a foodie trip out of it since chances are slim we'd ever have reason to go there again with a free room. We wanted to make the most of the 3 days, so pretty much all we did was eat. Truth be told, we are still recovering from a no holds barred BBQ binge!
DJ did a lot of research before we left and found that Lambert's Downtown Barbecue had great reviews for their BBQ.
Pretty much the moment we landed and dropped our bags, we headed over there for lunch.
The meal was kicked off with yummy jalapeno corn muffins. These alone would make a great meal!
Then we had to decide what to feast on. You can opt for a one-, two-, or three-meat platter.
Being The Meat Man (and wanting to make the most of our first BBQ meal), DJ went straight for a three-meat: brisket, ribs, and chicken. The waitress's eyebrows raised in impressed surprise, which is when we realized that maybe the three-meat platters were not meant to be eaten by just one person.
Initially it seemed like an enormous amount of food, but no meat platter is safe in the presence of our favorite carnivore. Victory goes to DJ on this one.
All the phenomenal reviews of Lambert's are warranted. We agreed it was the best BBQ we've ever had. We also agreed that we were stuffed beyond compare. But when the waitress brought over a dessert menu, DJ felt it only fair to look at it. After all, as good bloggers we have to report back on all aspects of the food offered at a restaurant. We did it for you, really.
We wound up ordering the fried cherry pie thinking that we'd each try a bite and surrender. But that pie was so amazingly good that after the first bite neither of us could stop eating it. It got to a point where our spoons were dueling in the bowl to get the best pieces.
We left feeling more stuffed than turkeys on Thanksgiving and vowing we'd never eat again. But a few hours later, Brandon arrived and was hungry. So - you guessed it - we brought him back to Lambert's. When you find food that good you want to share it.
Not to worry though - we were good. DJ didn't eat anything, and Mel just got a salad to add some element of health to the day. (Even their salads are delectable!)
Brandon ordered sides of broccoli and Brussels sprouts with his meal, which we sampled. The Brussels sprouts were the best any of us had ever had. Mel was tempted to ask for the recipe until we realized that their secret was roasting the greens with huge chunks of butter and bacon. Great for flavor, but definitely not something we'd want to add to our regular diet. Chances are all the nutritional benefits of the sprouts were totally negated by the cooking process. But a great splurge for sure!
That evening we wandered around and checked out the Austin night life. It was a quiet Sunday night, but it was still cool to see the general landscape of the downtown area. A lot of the bars feature rooftop seating, which is surely awesome on a hot Texas night. But for some reason it was very chilly while we were there, so jackets were a must.
The next day while DJ was at the Austin office, Mel wandered the downtown area for a bit. Due to the chill, it wasn't super comfortable to walk around for long. It's also not a city with a lot of hustle and bustle, so just walking around without a destination didn't prove to be very entertaining. But after a great Tex-Mex lunch near the hotel,
she did check out the Texas State Capitol Building...
and visit the historic Driskill Hotel (rumored to have a haunted room!) for tea and scones.
In the evening, we headed out with the Conde co-workers for a decadent dinner at Eddie V's Prime Seafood. The place was a bit dark, so pictures couldn't capture the beauty of the meal. But needless to say, the table was covered with every indulgent dish known to man: huge cuts of meat, flaky filets of fish, creamy seafood bisque, sinful truffle macaroni and cheese, vegetables buttered beyond recognition, and artful desserts that were devoured within minutes. A meal so rich, DJ woke up with meat sweats and Mel (for the second day in a row) vowed she would never eat again.
And yet... and yet... the next day before we headed to the airport, we decided to get lunch with everyone from Conde. Since we had raved so much about Lambert's, that's exactly where we wound up. For the third time in a 72-hour period. We're pretty sure the hostess laughed while seating us.
Mel tried to keep it light with a chicken salad sandwich, but the copious amounts of mayo (and yes, a side order of mac 'n cheese - don't judge) made it anything but "light."
DJ was still recovering from the meat sweats, but he didn't want to waste his last meal of the trip. So he got the three-meat platter again - this time all brisket - and vowed that he'd save most of it for the plane ride. And yet... and yet... he ate all of it. Mel looked over at his plate at the start of the meal and it was piled high with delicious meat. She looked over again 10 minutes later, and it was all gone. Meat Man strikes again!
It took our systems about a week (maybe more) to recover from the Austin binge. Mel couldn't look at meat for days, and still gets a bit queasy when the word "brisket" is uttered. But, dare we say it, it was worth every bite. How often do we get down to Texas for serious BBQ?! We doubt we'll be headed back there very soon, so we're glad we made the most of it.
Keep on keepin' it weird, Austin. Keep it weird... and BBQ.
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