Killen's BBQ

Rolling into Houston during rush hour was indeed a fatal mistake.  Instead of a 3-hour drive, it suddenly became a 4+ hour exercise in frustration on the I-10 and then subsequently the I-45 on our way to the hotel.  We had to take a detour into Walmart to wait out some of the traffic!  Once settled in, we looked over our options for dinner.  In my mind, I wanted to go to the nearby Killen's, but I wasn't sure if anyone was in the mood for anymore BBQ.  My son was game (I love him...), but the 2 females were not.  We ended up going anyways!

My daughter was not in the mood for BBQ at all, so she went for one of the daily features being the the Chicken Fried Chicken.  It consisted of a whole-flattened chicken breast battered and fried.  This dish was mint as the chicken was succulent and juicy while the batter was super crunchy and shattered on contact.  The side of creamy gravy was just the right consistency and provided a subtle richness to the chicken.  On the side, she had green beans (with bacon) and mashed potatoes.  The beans were not overdone (despite the unappetizing hue) while the mash was chunky and not overly buttery.   

For the table (but my son ate most of it), we had the 3-Meat Combo Plate with fatty brisket, pulled pork and pork ribs.  Although different than the other BBQs we've had so far, the brisket at Killen's was good as well.  It was meaty, tender while lightly smoked.  The pulled pork was tender and moist while the ribs were fall-off-the-bone and well-crusted with rub.  On the side, the mac n' cheese was super creamy and buttery.  It was also cheesy and plenty tasty.  We found the baked beans to be syrupy sweet, but tasty as well.

Our last plate consisted of a Beef Rib with a Turkey Sausage Link.  The beef rib was also aggressively coated with rub and plenty smoky.  It wasn't as fatty as the one at Heim, but that did not detract from the juiciness.  Bouncy with a nice snap casing, the turkey sausage was sweet with hits from the jalapeno.  On the side, there was creamed corn and coleslaw.  The creamy corn was sweet and rich while the coleslaw was crunchy with plenty of tang.  Although we still prefer Franklin BBQ over anything else we had tried so far, the stuff at Killen's was good in its own way.  We also liked the reasonable-pricing as well.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Solid sides
- Solid BBQ

The Bad:
- Line can get long (but moves fast)
- To keep the line going, staff rush you a bit (they were nice though)

Cured

As mentioned in the last post, sometimes too much of a good thing may be too much of a good thing. Hence, all the delicious and authentic central-Texas barbecue may have been getting a bit too repetitive. Apparently, this wasn’t true for my son because he can eat meat and only meat every meal. However, the rest of us needed a change of pace. Therefore, we ended up at Cured for lunch. Yes, we stayed with the theme of meat, but not barbecue. Rather, just like its namesake, we feasted on cured meats.

That we did with 6 Selections (for $28.00) consisting of smoked duck ham, chicken liver mousse, catfish mortadella, porchetta di testa and smoked gouda. This came with all the fixin’s including charred flatbread, orange marmalade, 2 types of grainy mustard, blackberries and berry compote. For me, I thought the duck ham was the best being tender and impactful with a smoky saltiness. Surprisingly, the catfish mortadella did not taste murky like I expected. It was still somewhat fishy, but in a pleasant manner. Fatty, sliced thin and full of rich meatiness, the porchetta was buttery delicious. Lastly, the chicken liver mousse was creamy, rich and nicely spiked with brandy.

Since we were devoid of vegetables so far on this trip (to the delight of my son), I made a point in ordering the Kale Salad with black garlic vinaigrette, smoked feta, dried cherries and pumpkin seeds. Turns out that this wasn’t only a great way to get some greens, it was also rather delicious. The earthy tanginess of the vinaigrette was appealing and completely flavored the tender kale. Add in the sweetness of the cherries and smokiness of the crumbly feta, this was more than just a salad. To balance off this healthiness, we got the Pig Cheek Poutine with a fried egg on top. I found the house-cut fries to be nicely potatoey where they were drenched in a salty, but tasty braising liquid. The pig cheek was generous in portion and tender. All of the heaviness was counteracted somewhat by the pickled cauliflower.

To top it all off, we also got the Masa Fried Soft Shell Crab Po’ Boy with remoulade, lettuce and tomatoes. After the first bite, it was clear that this was not as heavy as one would expect. The bread was soft and light while the crab was crunchy, yet not overdone. There was enough remoulade for moisture and some spice.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Cured.  The unique and varied options of cured meat helped the restaurant live up to its namesake.  Too bad I don't live nearby because I would be return over and over again trying out the different meats.

The Good:
- Unique cured meats
- Nice open space in a repurposed bank
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Cooked food that we tried was not bad, but the cured meats is where it is at

Rosario's

When in Texas, specifically San Antonio, it didn't seem right if we skipped eating Tex-Mex.  It's like going to New Orleans and not grabbing a po' boy or two (if you are Mijune, it would be 8 or 9).  Naturally, there are many choices for the aforementioned cuisine, but we needed to find something that would be representative and convenient.  After walking along the River Walk and almost doing some Tex-Mex there, we stuck with the plan and walked a few blocks from our hotel to Rosario's on S. Alamo.

Viv and I ended up with some frozen Margaritas prior to our eats.  She chose the Coco Rita consisting of Rosario's original frozen Margarita with tequila, orange liqueur and sweet ‘n’ sour combined with pina colada.  This was decently smooth with the aromatics normally associated with pina colada.  It wasn't overly sweet, but sweet enough.  I would've liked it to be stronger, but the tequila was definitely there.  For myself, I had La Tuna made with silver tequila and prickly pear cactus juice.  this was a bit stronger and equally sweet.  It went down easy where it was a nice compliment to the Lengua that I had ordered.  I enjoyed the soft, but not mushy slices of tongue which were bathed in a light tomato sauce that was on the saltier side, but as mentioned, was balanced off by the Margarita.

For Viv, she had the Fish Tacos with pan seared tilapia, chipotle mayo, cabbage lime slaw, pickled red onion and avocado.
Frijoles a la charra (pinto beans) was served on the side.  Although they didn't look like much (as you can clearly see in the picture), they ate rather well.  The fish was perfectly-prepared being moist and flaky (as much as Tilapia can be).  With a few drops of hot sauce, there was more than enough impact to make the taco tasty.  My son ended up with the Tacos Nortenos Mix also with frijoles a la charra.  As evidenced in the picture, the tacos were evenly seared and crispy.  Inside, there was a thin layer of refried beans, enough melty Monterey Jack cheese and tender chicken to go around.  Nothing complex, but it did the job on the cheap.

For my daughter, she went for the children's meal and had the Bean & Cheese Chalupa with refried beans and rice.  For this, it was pretty simple as well with a crispy shell topped with refried beans and plenty of melted cheese.  She ate it without complaints, but then again, she can eat refried beans out of a can too...  Whatever the case, Rosario's did the job for a reasonable price.  Not the most amazing food we've ever had, but it was exactly what we needed after too much BBQ (yes, there is such a thing) and steak.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Kid-friendly
- Decent

The Bad:
- Food could be more impactful in terms of flavour

Saltgrass Steakhouse

Normally, I try to avoid touristy restaurants like late-night informercials (unless there isn't anything else to watch...).  However, we ended up at Saltgrass Steakhouse right on the San Antonio River Walk for a few reasons.  First, we needed food since it was already 3:00pm and we were stuck on the Riverwalk.  Second, while we were taking the hotel shuttle to Sea-Tec (on route to Dallas), someone recommended the crab cakes at Saltgrass.  Lastly, it was happy hour and not only could we get a few bites on the cheap, the drinks were equally inexpensive.

We ultimately ordered some of their happy hour specials including the Fried Mushrooms.  Okay, for $4.00, this was an obscene amount of mushrooms.  They were aggressively battered and fried, but when eaten hot, they were crispy with juicy mushrooms inside.  However as they got colder, the batter became mealy and too thick.  I had to resort to peeling it off.  I thought the ranch dip was a good match for the fried mushrooms.  Also on the happy hour menu was the Artichoke and Spinach Dip accompanied by fresh tortilla chips.  This was pretty good with large chunks of artichoke and plenty of not-overdone spinach leaves.  The mix was creamy and cheesy with just the right amount of seasoning.

Okay, we did order the aforementioned Crab Cakes and gawd they were enormous.  These were breaded, pan-fried and topped with even more crab in a buttery sauce. I found them rather loose though and the breading was not as crispy as I would've liked.  In fact, some portions were too soft and rather wet.  Despite this, the filling was mostly crab which was fluffy and mildly-seasoned.  Were they great crab cakes?  No, but they were decent and a good value.  My son didn't get very creative and got the Mini-Corn Dogs with fries.  These little nuggets were hot and crunchy.  Although the fries weren't anything special, they were fried properly being crispy with plenty of potato texture left inside.

We also ordered the Surf & Turf to share which started with a choice of soup. I don't even remember what the other option was, but we went with the Chicken Tortilla Soup.  It was surprisingly good despite not looking that interesting.  The chicken soup was flavourful without being salty while the crunch from the tortilla strips were pleasing.  They didn't soften up too much even though they were sitting in hot broth.  As for the main dish, it was the 10 oz Striploin with grilled shrimp and lemon butter.  It was prepared medium-rare as requested while charred enough on the outside for both aesthetics and caramelization.  The steak ate well being meaty and tender while the buttery shrimp were perfectly prepared.  Despite my reluctance to visit chain restaurants while on vacation (there are more interesting things to eat), Saltgrass did the job and satisfied our expectations at the time.

The Good:
- Great location on the River Walk
- Food ranged from decent to good
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Regular menu is on the pricier side
- Hostess was a bit confused originally seating us at the bar (yes with the kids) for happy hour and insisting that we couldn't sit anywhere else

Lucy's Fried Chicken

Even though most people would not associate good Asian food with Texas, it really does exist.  There is a sizable Vietnamese population in certain cities.  However, we didn't travel down to Texas for pho, so it was not on my to-eat list.  With that being said, we were getting bogged down by the amount of meat we were eating.  Therefore, we attempted to try some ramen as a break from BBQ.  But just like it is everywhere else, there was an excessively long lineup which didn't interest us at all.  So our backup plan was to go back to the well and eat heavy in the form of Lucy's Fried Chicken.

Although the place looked rather roadhouse-like and not particularly kid-friendly, it was completely the opposite.  My son loves Fried Chicken and we got a basket for the table.  This consisted of mixed pieces that included both dark and white meat.  This was some pretty solid fried chicken as the skin was nicely rendered, well-seasoned and crunchy.  Underneath, the meat (including the breast) was moist and tender.  For adults, we tried the Deep Fried Chicken Livers marinated in Lucy's "secret buttermilk blend".  Usually, I find most places cook livers until they are rock hard.  Not here though as the livers were tender and juicy.  The aggressive batter on the outside was crunchy and not overly greasy.  On the side, there was a creamy and lightly spicy chipotle ranch dip.

Viv decided to try the Wood Fire-Grilled Texan Oysters topped with house chorizo, garlic butter, house jalapeno salsa and pumpernickel crumbs.  These were surprisingly good featuring buttery soft oysters that were appealingly briny and sweet.  The combination of chorizo and jalapeno salsa added a noted kick and light tang.  Of course, the garlic butter did its thing with an aromatic punch.  Providing a textural contrast, the pumpernickel crumbs were crunchy and stood up to the moisture.  Since I knew my daughter would've wanted to sample the West Texas Red Chili, I got a bowl even though we had more than enough food.  Consisting of ground beef only (as authentic chili should be), it was hearty and rich.  There was a low-rumbling heat that was smoky and flavourful (without being salty).

For her main, my daughter was brave enough to order the Fried Chicken Spaghetti.  Topped with a piece of fried chicken, the whole thing was actually a casserole consisting of spaghetti and chicken in a creamy cheese sauce topped with melted cheddar.  Naturally, this was rich and heavy.  It was a bit goopy as the spaghetti had absorbed most of the moisture and had become overly soft.  There was the mildest amount of spice to go with the ample cheesiness.  For no apparent reason other than I love French Fries, I got a basket for the table.  These hand-cut fries were pretty good, being lightly crispy and possessing plenty of potato goodness inside.  They were tossed in mildly spicy seasoning salt.

Lastly, my son really wanted a side of Mac n' Cheese despite the amount of food we already had on the table.  It was a good choice though where the noodles were still firm while completely coated in a lightly sharp cheesy sauce.  I would've liked to see a bit more salt, but the mac was not devoid of flavour either.  So Lucy's wasn't our first choice of eats, nor was it even actually on our original list of restaurants.  However, it was a bit different and the fried chicken was solid.

The Good:
- It doesn't look it, but it is kid-friendly
- Good fried chicken
- Other proteins we had were done right

The Bad:
- Well, not that it is a surprise, but food is heavy
- The spaghetti was meh

Franklin Barbecue

For many, Franklin Barbecue represents the holy grail of smoked brisket.  Sure, there are those who would say many other places do just as good of a job, if not better.  I've done my research and if we just stuck with Austin, there is La BBQ, Black's and Micklethwait Craft Meats.  Now, if we open it up to the entirety of Texas, there is Snow's, Corkscrew and so on...  But we were getting BBQ'd out and had to limit our intake to one in Austin, so we chose the media darling (as seen on TV and the movie Chef) in Franklin.  In fact, I had pre-ordered 5 lbs of meat and sides so that I wouldn't need to line up.  We took the short drive back to our hotel to enjoy the feast. 

Heck, I dug straight into the Beef Brisket first since this is what I've been waiting for.  Oh man, this definitely lived up to the hype and accolades.  I'm sure many would point out their personal favourites, but for me, this was every bit as good as I have dreamed of.  It was smoky enough without being overwhelming while the bark was flavorful.  The meat itself was super moist and fatty without being mushy.  It retained the meatiness of brisket.  The same could be said about the Pork Side Ribs.  They were also juicy with tender meat that melted in our mouths (except for the lean portion).  It was mildly smoky with a tasty peppery spice rub on the outside.

Unlike the ones from Pecan Lodge and Heim, we found the Pulled Pork at Franklin to be really good.  It was moist and tender where we needed very little sauce (if all).  It was also mildly smoky and spiced.  The BBQ sauce was necessary not for moisture, but for overall flavor.  We weren't fans of the Smoked Turkey Breast since it was predictably dry and at parts, chewy.  There probably was no way around this due to the lack of fat.  However, it probably would've helped if they had sliced this thinly.  We found this not smoky enough for our tastes and generally lacking in flavor.  It was fine on  the edges as the spice rub was good, but other than that, we had to douse it with BBQ sauce for moisture and flavor.  

Although the Smoked Sausage was fairly tasty due to the fatty and juicy meat, the casing was too chewy for our tastes.  It was hard to get through, even with a knife.  As with the other meats, it was also appealingly smoky.  The whole thing also included a loaf of white bread, onions, pickles and 2 types of BBQ sauces (one was peppery and sweet while the other was much more smoky and rich).  We added beans, potato salad and coleslaw that were all okay, but nothing special.  For dessert, we had a small Bourbon Banana Cream Pie which was pretty good.  The crumbly, yet firm crust was buttery and held together.  In the middle, the filling was creamy and dense being just sweet enough and aromatic.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the brisket, ribs and pulled pork, yet not as enthused about the turkey and sausages.  Despite what people might say, I still think if you are ever in Austin, it is worth checking out Franklin.

The Good:
- Dat brisket
- Equally good ribs and pulled pork
- Pre-order eliminates waiting for hours

The Bad:
- Turkey and sausages were meh
- If you must eat in, the lineup is generally ridiculously long

Odd Duck

After 2 back-to-back BBQ lunches to start our vacation in Texas, we were a little meated out.  To top it off, we had dinner at Knife Steakhouse the first night and continued to eat more meat at Lonesome Dove the next.  Hence, we really didn't eat lunch, giving way to kolaches at Czech Stop.  For dinner, we wanted to go for something completely different.  Even though we had the Chinese food urges, we refrained and decided to head to Odd Duck (on recommendation from Melody).  Their take on farm-to-table cuisine sports some interesting menu items.

We arrived in time for happy hour and proceeded to order some of the specials including the Pretzel filled with shiitake chorizo and accompanied by masa mustard.  This was pretty tasty with the unmistakeable pungent earthiness of shiitake combined with some spice.  The pretzel itself was chewy and nicely spiced with fennel, caraway and sesame seeds.  Finally, the mustard had a nice tang that helped brighten things up.  Next, we had the Redfish Ceviche with tiger's milk, beets, olives, sweet potato curry and yam chips.  The cumin from the curry really stood out and created aromatics to the dish.  It was complimented nicely by the sweet and slightly tart beets (and the juices).  I thought the fish was a little lost in this, but we didn't mind as the flavors were impactful.

One of my favorite items was the Muffaletta Pizza featuring house-made mortadella, olives, capers, brussel sprouts, onion and pistachio.  Crispy and slightly chewy, the thin crust held up to the wealth of toppings.  I particularly found the meaty mortadella to be almost sausage-like.  It was complimented well by the tangy and salty olives and capers as well as the nuttiness from the pistachio.  Although a fairly simple dish, the Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes were intensely tasty and delicious.  They were caramelized to the point where the natural sugars were completely activated with depth and smokiness.  It was served with whipped cajeta which made for an added layer of smoky sweetness while the pecan pork fat crumble afforded crunchy aromatics.

Yet another seemingly simple dish in the Roasted Beets resulted in layers of flavor that were pronounced.   The beets themselves were tender with a bite being slightly earthy, but more tangy and sweet.  Graced with a black bean mole that was thick and slightly spicy, there was also notes of chocolate and peppers.  Combined with the residual beet juices, there was a great mix of sweet, tangy, spicy and umaminess.  Adding crunch and just overall awesomeness, the fried cheese curds were a real treat.   I found the Sunny Duck Egg with smoked duck, sweet potato tots, giardiniera and creamy buffalo sauce to be a bit hit and miss.  The perfectly prepared egg was runny with tender egg whites, but the duck was a bit chewy.  Loved the tanginess of the giardiniera as it helped lighten the dish.

Our last plate consisted of the Grilled Whole Jerk Quail with green tomato, toum and spiced cashew.  Sporting nicely rendered and charred skin, the quail itself was well-seasoned and spiced.  However, the brine was a little aggressive where the quail was rather salty.  I thought the garlicky toum to be a good compliment to the quail as well as the tangy green tomato.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Odd Duck due to the creative and composed dishes.  Sure, some dishes had some hiccups, but they were not the norm.

The Good:
- Interesting and creative dishes
- Nice casual vibe
- Down-to-earth service

The Bad:
- Not sure about the mandatory valet parking
- Need to order lots to be full