For more than 30 years, holy smoke has wafted from ancient black pits in front of this rickety, low-slung hall next door to the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The provender that emerges from the glowing embers (mostly oak, with a little hickory and pecan mixed in) has funded congregational
Three-plus years ago, Adrian Handsborough converted the neighborhood convenience store his mom, Virgie, ran for 35 years and began cooking over oak and pecan in two small barrels. His brisket, only a tad fatty, smokes for ten to fourteen hours; we could cut ours with a plastic fork. Well-seasoned pork
The deer-processing guidelines and Future Farmers of America trophies make one thing clear: Vincek’s loves meat. The brisket, pork ribs, and sausage verified the impression. In a sense, so did the irrelevant, too-sweet sauce. Arrive before noon for homemade bread and kolaches. Stay late for conversation with the regulars.
This converted gas station, its service bays occupied by two portable cast-iron pits, immediately filled our tanks with pecan-smoked brisket and tender pepper-crusted pork ribs. The fresh coleslaw made up for a tomatoey sauce better suited to pasta. We ignored the five chain-link-enclosed picnic tables and ate by the car—whose
The secret? “Love,” says Louis McMillan, the owner of this six-table outpost in this tiny town, just west of Victoria. Corny, sure, but that love—along with sixteen-plus hours over an oak-pecan-mesquite mix—turns out moist, tender brisket and fat little baby back ribs that are nicely charred on the outside and
Twenty minutes after opening, the wood-paneled dining room was already filling up with patrons. The hickory-smoked ribs were so good we ate everything that wasn’t bone . . . and kept the bones for marrow-sucking. Sides vary daily, but don’t miss the crisp coleslaw mixed with just enough mayonnaise and
Last night I drove to Houston to attend an event at the old alma mater. The Baker Institute hosted a screening of the HBO film “Recount,” starring Kevin Spacey and Laura Dern, which premiers Sunday night. The film tells the story of the battle for Florida’s 25 electoral votes in the
Northeast Texas may be populated with more pine trees than people, but at three in the afternoon, this small shack, located about a quarter mile off Main Street, was brimming with locals ordering the hickory-smoked brisket, served in a broth of beef juices and savory barbecue sauce. The crackly crust
The moment we entered the smoke-filled patio and beheld the meats-a-plenty (brisket, chicken, pork ribs, pork chops, sausage, sirloin, turkey breast, and venison sausage), we knew we were in business. The pitman was patient as we made our exacting selections, then—plop, joy: the tenderest of briskets, the thickest of pork
Owner Jim Mann and his jovial staff served us fatty brisket, pork ribs, and pulled pork that offered a surplus of smokiness and juice. (The salty sauce worked well with the loin.) Jim’s wife, Sallie, makes sides from Southern family recipes. Her black-eyed peas, lima beans, and cornbread perfectly accompanied
Octogenarian Vencil Mares has been perfecting his skills on the brick pit since 1948. We’d heard about his chicken, but the day we visited, the pork ribs were the highlight, with brisket not far behind. Mares’s trick is wrapping the meat in butcher paper and smoking it over post oak
The buzz in Washington is all about the memo Representative Tom Davis (R-Virginia) sent to the House GOP leadership about the party’s gloomy prospects in the fall elections. Rumors are rampant that Davis, a former chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee who is retiring from Congress, will soon replace current
The bearer is none other than Karl Rove, writing Thursday in the Wall Street Journal under the headline, “The GOP Must Stand for Something,” about the Democratic victory in Mississippi’s first congressional district, which I excerpt below: [T]he GOP can’t take “safe” seats for granted when Democrats run conservatives who
Those who keep up with the legal and political issues involving same-sex marriages will recall that several years ago San Francisco city and county officials issued some 4,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Challenges to these actions eventually reached the California Supreme Court,
I have not seen the opinion, just a press release that says, “… [T]he California Supreme Court has ruled that existing state statute barring same-sex couples from marriage is a violation of the California Constitution because it discriminates based on sexual orientation and sex and violates the fundamental
These images from the New York Times web site are amazing. (From May 14, Dining.)
Three items to report today: * Republicans lost their third special election to fill a vacant GOP seat, this one in Mississippi. Conservative Democrat Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis, by 54% to 46%, in Mississippi’s first congressional district, which covers all of the Tennessee border counties and much of
This is what I keep hearing from well connected folks in Houston: White will go wherever Kay Bailey Hutchison doesn’t. If she runs for governor, he runs for the Senate (in a special election to complete Hutchison’s term); if she stays in the Senate, he runs for governor. Makes sense
Attorney General Abbott’s opinion killing the proposed needle exchange pilot program for Bexar County could have gone either way. This would never have become an issue had not Bexar County DA Susan Reed announced that she would prosecute participants in the program for violating the Texas Controlled Substances
Howell Raines, the defrocked NY Times editor, writes in portfolio.com about “the poisoned symbiosis between old politics and old media” in which media types lament hardball politics while at the same time secretly admiring its most extreme practitioners, like Karl Rove, who is a major character in the piece. Raines
Maybe this should be a daily feature. Hardly a day goes by that the leading national political web sites don’t have gloomy news for R’s: * Elizabeth Dole, whose North Carolina Senate seat was thought to be safe, now appears to be in a tight, or at least tightening race
I overlooked a press release from Senator Dan Patrick in April that is worth a comment. Patrick hailed the Florida House of Representatives for passing a bill that would require abortion providers to perform an ultrasound procedure prior to performing an abortion. He had proposed similar legislation in the 2007
Another scandal: NY Republican congressman Vito Fossella has admitted an affair that included fathering a child out of wedlock (this on top of a drunk-driving accident) and is under pressure to resign. This was considered a safe Republican seat; now CQ (Congressional Quarterly) rates it as “no clear favorite.” A
Ideological opposition to tax increases is standing in the way of getting transportation in this state on a sound financial basis. Several commenters to my recent post, “Delisi Appears to Rule Out Gasoline Tax Increase,” dismiss the likelihood of an increase in the gasoline tax. What people are missing is
I confess that I seldom vote in local elections. The main reason for this is that I can’t stand the Austin city council. Not just this particular city council, but I mean every city council I can recall. They are lifestyle nuts. The restriping of Shoal Creek Boulevard for bike
Deirdre Delisi, the new chair of the Texas Transportation Commission, has an op-ed piece in today’s Statesman in which she writes about her new job. It could pass for one of the late Ric Williamson’s speeches: Our transportation infrastructure is quickly becoming overwhelmed … a thousand people move
If you have been watching the cable networks tonight, you know that Lake County, Indiana, holds the key to the Indiana Democratic primary. Lake County includes the city of Gary, a place that is the poster child for the Rust Belt. Its population has fallen with the fortunes of the
Cornyn 47% Noriega 43% Rasmussen Reports released this poll on Monday morning. After the numbers, the next line was, “It’s time to add United States Senator John Cornyn to the list of potentially vulnerable Republican incumbents in Election 2008.” Can this poll be on the money? My first reaction was
Delisi Appointment maintains Status Quo at TxDOT Sunset Advisory Commission Vice Chair says he is a “NO” vote on Delisi The following commentary about Governor Perry’s appointment of Deirdre Delisi as chair of the Texas Transportation Commission was just received from Senator Glenn Hegar’s office. The e-mail describes the piece
The Texas Supreme Court has ruled on a longstanding case involving homebuilder Bob Perry. Do you think the court (a) ruled for Bob Perry (b) ruled against Bob Perry (c) that this is a stupid question because we all know the answer? Here is the release from Texas Watch. I
A Democratic operative who is in touch with the Obama campaign explains their strategy this way: Obama has the lead. Clinton can’t overtake him in pledged delegates. All they want to do is hold the lead until the convention and win the nomination without angering Clinton’s supporters, so that they
The retiring Williamson County state representative was released on $1,000 bond after his arrest last night. Williamson County is notoriously tough on violators of any sort, especially DUI, and the ensuing trial could imperil a future appointment to the Texas Highway Commission, for which Krusee is widely believed
The best thing about this box of chocolates? No calories. Ever. Why? Because these bonbons and truffles from Hulet are made of glass. Check them out. The pictures are amazing.
From Bolla, Dallas
From Bolla, Dallas
In The Big Sort, the Austin political blogger and Pulitzer finalist addresses America’s tendency to segment itself into tiny, like-minded groups (a phenomenon he calls clustering).How did the “big sort” notion come to be, and what does it signify?[Sociologist] Robert Cushing and I began exploring why some places
Sam Gwynne and the Texas land commissioner in Big Bend.
Born and raised in Austin, Daigle has helped pour champagne, choose flowers, taste cake, and pick color schemes for more than one hundred brides. Her family owns and runs a wedding and event facility in Austin.I’ve been working at Barr Mansion since they would let me. I started when I
About 120 years ago, two boys from Trapps Springs (now Garner) were caught in a forbidden pastime: playing cards. Their parents burned the offending deck and whipped the disobedient youngsters, but this led William Thomas and Walter Earl to find a loophole in the rules. “In those days Baptists considered
Sweet Leaf Tea’s founder on starting a business.
Three cheers for Sportswriter High.
Three cheers for Sportswriter High.
Chapter Five of “Twin Wells.”
“If someone can show me a way that we’re going to attend to the needs of kids without finding out where they are, without diagnosing the problem, I’m all ears. But it’s not possible.”
With so great a host of believers around Matt and Kari Baker, it is tragic that no one saw the serious pain Kari felt or tried to seek professional help for her [“The Valley of the Shadow of Death,” March 2008]. It’s also tragic that Matt and Kari’s two
Dallas
Together with Colin Brooks, they make up the triumvirate of songwriters who front Austin’s Band of Heathens. What began as a loose collaboration of jam buddies has led to two live releases, Best New Band honors at the 2007 Austin Music Awards, and finally, a self-titled debut studio album.How
Houston’s most famous teenage killer is trying to reclaim her life and move on.
Bienvenidos a Farmers Branch, the headline-worthy Dallas suburb where the biggest hard-liner on illegal immigration could soon be known as Mr. Mayor.
Art, like politics, is polarizing by nature. Although there are plenty of universally likable artists—Monet and his water lilies come to mind—the vast majority tend to elicit diametrically opposed reactions. John Alexander is one such example: You either love his stark, emotionally charged landscapes or you hate them. You
