The Salt Lick

Happy 4th of July! So when I think of 4th of July I think of backyard grilling and barbecue. My favorite barbecue restaurant in the entire world (yes, the world) is The Salt Lick located in Driftwood, Texas, a little bit outside of Austin. The Salt Lick is a Texas tradition that opened in 1967 using family recipes from the 1800s.
Now anyone who has lived in Texas for more than a day has a favorite BBQ spot. And each of these spots absolutely has something to contribute to the BBQ conversation. But what I love about The Salt Lick is not only is the food wonderful, but the whole place has such a fun, wonderful party vibe.

But let's start with the food. There is an a la carte menu at The Salt Lick, but you would be crazy to not order the all-you-can-eat platters, known there as family style. These platters include the famous beef brisket, pork ribs and smoked sausage. My favorite is the sausage and it is absolutely unbelievable. For sides, you can have potato salad that is seriously the best potato salad I have ever had. It is more like cold potatoes au gratin than the sad potato salad you usually think of. The family style also comes with baked beans, cole slaw, pickles, onion and bread.

But if you do want to order off the menu, you can order platters or sandwiches with the above meats or smoked turkey. They also have fantastic homemade Southern desserts, but honestly who has the room?

All of the meats at The Salt Lick is cooked on a huge pit, smoker contraption. It is pretty crazy. All of the meats also come with absolutely addictive sauce. There is no tomato in the sauce, but lots of sugar to make it both sweet and savory.

Now besides the fantastic food, The Salt Lick just has the best atmosphere. It is a huge wooden barn with many different rooms. You can eat inside or outside, but you are always eating on these huge wooden picnic tables. Very fun and casual.

But let's talk about the fact that The Salt Lick is BYOB. What this means is that folks go in huge parties and bring with them coolers and even kegs. It is beer central. The atmosphere is so party that even if you don't bring your own beer, I am sure you can find someone to hook you up.

Since The Salt Lick is so close to Austin, it is always packed with UT students, which definitely adds to the party atmosphere. I definitely spent many an afternoon there when I was in college.

TIP: The Salt Lick is cash only, so make sure to bring plenty of cash!

Whether or not you are a huge BBQ fan, I would highly recommend a trip to The Salt Lick. It will make for a fantastic day and I promise you will love the food.

The Salt Lick

18300 FM 1826
Driftwood, TX 78619

Restaurant: 512-858-4959

saltlick@saltlickbbq.com

www.saltlickbbq.com

A University of Texas at Austin Football Game

So, last week began college football season (and all the men of America rejoiced)! During college football season, I am always nostalgic about college and the great city of Austin, Texas. While there are many amazing things to see and do in Austin (many of which I will cover in upcoming posts), I wanted to focus now on college football because attending a University of Texas football game is an experience that should not be missed.

First of all, the Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium is awesome. It is huge and loud and really just personifies the State of Texas. The stadium opened in 1924, but has obviously undergone numerous renovations. It now seats over 100,000 people and trust me, it is always packed. It is smack dab in the middle of campus, so people stream in from all over the campus and the city (and, let's be honest, the state) to attend the games.

And the games are SO MUCH FUN (even when the Longhorns lose). There is a great mixture of students, alumni and "townies." Everyone is dressed up in their best burnt orange and cowboy hats. And everyone is psyched about the game. There is definitely a good bit of tailgating that goes on, but for Longhorn fans the game is really the main event.

UT also has a ton of great traditions associated with its football games. Bevo, the mascot, happens to be a true Texas longhorn and is escorted onto the field by the Silver Spurs, a student organization. Though Bevo really does not do much, he is always there to represent the school. Every once in a while he makes a "mess" on the other teams' sideline, but that is just good fun. There is also Smokey the Cannon, a (you guessed it) cannon which is shot every time Texas scores any points. Smokey is handled by the Texas Cowboys, another student organization. Yet another student organization brings out a Texas flag that covers the entire field during pre-game. Supposedly, this is the World's Largest Texas flag. The most important tradition throughout the game, though, is flashing your "hook 'em horns" pretty much every 5 minutes.   

So the big question is, how do I purchase a ticket? Your best bet may be through StubHub or another reputable ticket agent if there is not much time before the game. The more official way is through TexasBoxOffice.com. However, if you want these tickets you do have to buy them way in advance.

TIP: Before game day, stop on Guadalupe Street -- the "Drag" -- and buy some Texas garb. Not only will you fit in but wearing burnt orange will get you in the spirit as well. Plus you will have a great souvenir to remember your trip (once you wash out the beer of course). Be aware though that the games are usually quite hot, so keep this in mind when packing. This may not be the best day to try out your new wool pants.

I think that attending a University of Texas at Austin football game is a great way to spend a day (or evening) in Austin. I also think this recommendation not only applies to UT -- attending a Michigan game in Ann Arbor, an LSU game in Baton Rouge or a Notre Dame game in South Bend, Indiana would probably provide you the same unique experience. But, since I am a Texas Ex, I am recommending Texas!

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!!

Darell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium
2100 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78712
(512) 471-4602
http://www.texassports.com/