We had the pleasure of visiting Daughter at college recently and took in a football game while there. Her Texas Longhorns were playing Hubby’s Sam Houston Bearkats – not necessarily an even matchup obviously, but a common occurrence nonetheless for smaller schools to play larger ones and receive a hefty monetary payout, in addition to giving the student athletes an opportunity to play in a setting they might not otherwise experience.
Going to the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium located on the campus of the University of Texas was a bucket list item for Hubby. Though I’d been several times back in the days of the venerated Southwest Conference to see my Baylor Bears take on the ‘Horns, this was his first trip to DKR. And it didn’t disappoint him … well, other than the outcome of the game in which UT beat Sam 55-0. I know … ouch.
My out-of-shape self had just about succumbed to heat stroke by the time we reached our nosebleed seats in the upper deck. However, once I caught my breath and got my heart rate back to normal, I realized that the seats allowed us an absolutely beautiful panoramic vista from which to take in the festivities.
As September was Hispanic Heritage Month, we were treated to a lovely performance of “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” among other selections, by a mariachi band and dance troupe. The University of Texas Longhorn Band, also known as the Showband of the Southwest, presented a stellar program. I’ve always been impressed with the UT band and I think it may be the largest marching band I’ve ever seen.
While I’d hoped to get a glimpse of Matthew McConaughey – one of UT’s famous alums who’s often on the sidelines, that didn’t occur. However, we did get to see the actor Glen Powell, one of the university’s other famous former students. That was neat – especially for the ladies. One of the most exciting parts of the evening, however, was the incredible drone show put on toward the end of the game. It was like nothing we’d ever seen before. Very impressive.
In the days leading up to our visit, Daughter informed us that it had “been a really long time” since she’d had a good steak. That was her only request for the visit … well, that and a grocery-shopping trip to restock her fridge and cupboard.
We had reservations at ALC Steaks (stands for Austin Land & Cattle) located at 1205 N. Lamar Blvd. Open since 1993, it is advertised as the Capitol city’s only independent, family-owned steakhouse. We were pleased with everything about it, from the unpretentious atmosphere to the stellar service to the delicious food and drink. I started with a delicious wedge salad topped with blue cheese crumbles, herb-tossed tomatoes, double-smoked bacon and blue cheese dressing.
Daughter and I each ordered the 12-ounce ribeye and Hubby went for the 16-ounce ribeye. She selected bacon mac and cheese for her side, while Hubby chose fried Brussel sprouts with a Dijon and balsamic glaze and I opted for green chile creamed corn. For dessert, we asked for three forks and shared a slice of the ALC Vanilla Cheesecake with an Oreo cookie crust, topped with mixed berries. Every bite of the entire meal was delightful.
Daughter’s not usually much of a barbecue girl (much to her daddy’s chagrin), so when she suggested Black’s Barbecue at 3110 Guadalupe for lunch one day, she didn’t have to say it twice. We were more than ready.
Known as Texas’ oldest barbecue joint owned by the same family, The Original Black’s Barbecue opened its doors in 1932 in Lockhart, Texas as a meat market. It wasn’t until second generation pitmaster Edgar Black Jr. came along that it was turned into a full-fledged restaurant. Today, there are locations in Lockhart, Austin, New Braunfels and San Marcos, with five generations of Blacks serving guests from around the world. Third-generation pitmaster Kent Black still slow-smokes barbecue the way his grandfather did in 1932. A simple rub, locally-sourced post oak wood, and patience are the secret.
We opted for family style, ordering a pound of beef brisket and a pound of pork spare ribs to share. Each of us selected our own side. Hubby went with Norma Jean’s Beans, Daughter selected mac & cheese (no surprise there) and I opted for garlic butter green beans. It was all delicious and I’m already hankering to go back for more.
Before we left to return home, I suggested a trip to Amy’s Ice Creams for a little treat. A privately-owned chain of ice cream shops in Texas with headquarters in Austin, the Austin Chronicle describes Amy’s as a “quintessentially Austin institution” which “dominates the local ice cream scene.” Though it all began with Amy’s famous Mexican Vanilla ice cream, she now serves over 350 constantly-rotating flavors.
Walking in, I was shocked to see they offer a jalapeño popper, something you know is near and dear to me that I just wrote about three weeks ago. Of course I had to have a sample and I didn’t know what to expect. It was basically a cheesecake ice cream mixed with roasted jalapenos, lime juice and house candied bacon. Surprisingly, I found it too hot. It was very intriguing, but I couldn’t imagine eating an entire big scoop of it. Hearing me comment on how hot it was, the kind young lady behind the counter quickly handed me a sample of strawberry to cool down my palate. We each enjoyed several samples before making our selections. Daughter chose a scoop of strawberry topped with coconut, Hubby chose a scoop of dark chocolate topped with chopped pecans and I went with a scoop of dark chocolate with chopped almonds. Coffee ice cream is my usual go-to, but I’m a sucker for dark chocolate and had never had dark chocolate ice cream before so I had to try it. It was delicious.
If you have the opportunity to go to Amy’s Ice Creams, I highly recommend it. She has 14 locations in the Austin area, one in San Antonio and one in Houston.
