June 2008
Table of Contents
Features
BBQ08Eighteen hungry reviewers. 14,773 miles driven/flown. 341 joints visited. Countless bites of brisket, sausage, chicken, pork, white bread, potato salad, and slaw—and vats of sauce—ingested. There are only fifty slots on our quinquennial list of the best places to eat barbecue in Texas. Only five of those got high honors. And only one (you’ll never guess which one in a million years) is the best of the best. Plus:Drive-Thru BBQAssistant editor David Courtney drove 1,500 miles, ate in his car, and drank lots of Topo Chico in his quest for great barbecue. Where There’s SmokeThe case of the mystery brisket. Smokin’ JointsOur quintessential review of the top fifty barbecue joints in Texas (one of which you’ve probably never heard of). The Risk PremiumMost American consumers understand that the invasion of Iraq has contributed to the skyrocketing price of oil. But there’s another reason why we’re paying so much per barrel and gallon: The countries where crude is available in abundance are increasingly dangerous places to operate. Russell Spell, of Conroe, can tell you firsthand. |
The Man Who Wasn’t ThereEvery family has its myths. Some are intended to reveal, and some are intended to conceal, and sometimes the intentions can get confused. The problem with myth, however, is that it can overpower history. That’s what happened in the case of my father, who died when I was four. Only when I finally learned the truth about him could I come to appreciate him as a real person. Plus:My Father’s SonBecause I was so young when my father died, almost everything that I learned about him was transmitted through myth—by my mother, by his relatives in New Orleans, by his friends in Galveston. In death, he became a figure that was larger than life. Desperate HousewivesIn this excerpt from writer-at-large Sarah Bird’s new novel, How Perfect Is That, the realities of life in early twenty-first century Austin become all-too-clear to a defrocked socialite. Plus:The Other WomanEvan Smith talks with Sarah Bird about her new novel, How Perfect Is That, which chronicles the downfall of an Austin (one-time) socialite. |
Columns
Gary CartwrightThe Kitchen Is ClosedForty years ago, Pete Dominguez and his Mexican restaurants were the toast of Dallas. Now he’s alone, broke, and nearly forgotten. |
Michael EnnisEnd of The RoadDuring all but two of the past twenty years, someone named Bush had led our nation or led our state. Now we’re moving on. Sarah BirdThis Year’s ModelHey, captains of industry: If Dr. Evil can have a Mini Me, why can’t the rest of us? |
Reporter
Texas Monthly TalksHerb Kelleher |
The Filter
Pat’s PickDough Pizzeria Napoletana |
Miscellany
Roar of the CrowdKidding AroundContributorsTeam BBQ, Todd Sanders, and Mimi Swartz. |
Editor’s LetterIt’s Pat |
Web Exclusives
Multimedia
Hill’s CountryThe state director of Clinton’s presidential campaign Garry Mauro on how Obama can win over Hillary 's supporters. |
