Austin In February

CTMike

Finally making the pilgrimage and could use some tips on places to go and see, besides the obligatory stop at Franklin’s. Non-bbq related recommendations are also appreciated. 

We will have 4 full days to explore. 

TIA

TechsasJim

@CTMike

will you have a vehicle and if so how far out would you venture to go for a day?   I only ask bc of the non-bbq aspect.    There are great day trips you can combine bbq, historic sites, breweries, etc but could take the better part of a day.  

Also Austin in February can be a weather crap shoot.   Anywhere from amazing blue bird skies/temps to iced over roads.   But that can clearly be assessed closer to D Day.  

caliking

The Austin crew should be rolling in with great all kinds of recs... bbq, non-bbq etc. 

Some  recs ( may not be  up to date,  but places I've enjoyed):
- Loro
- Valentina's for the Real Deal Holyfield
- Micklethwaite (maybe)
-  Burnt Bean in Seguin. About an hour from Austin, but you could swing by New Braunfels or Fredericksburg, and make a day trip out of it. 

CTMike

TechsasJim said:

@CTMike

will you have a vehicle and if so how far out would you venture to go for a day?   I only ask bc of the non-bbq aspect.    There are great day trips you can combine bbq, historic sites, breweries, etc but could take the better part of a day.  

Also Austin in February can be a weather crap shoot.   Anywhere from amazing blue bird skies/temps to iced over roads.   But that can clearly be assessed closer to D Day.  

We will have a vehicle and more than willing to drive 4 - 6 hours round trip. 

Foghorn

If you enjoy wine tasting, I would submit that SOME of the tasting rooms near Fredericksburg are up there with good vineyards in Napa/Sonoma.  They are about 1 hr 45 minutes from downtown Austin.  If you plan to go there, let us know and several of us that have been up and down that stretch of 290 can tell you which ones to hit.  80% of them are probably not worth the stop.

CTMike

Foghorn said:

If you enjoy wine tasting, I would submit that SOME of the tasting rooms near Fredericksburg are up there with good vineyards in Napa/Sonoma.  They are about 1 hr 45 minutes from downtown Austin.  If you plan to go there, let us know and several of us that have been up and down that stretch of 290 can tell you which ones to hit.  80% of them are probably not worth the stop.

Thanks, SWMBO doesn’t drink and I drink wine occasionally. If there is a top-notch tasting room near one of the must stop BBQ joints then I am all in. 

caliking

Forgot to mention Eaker's in Fredericksburg. BBQ with Korean flavors in the mix. @The Cen-Tex Smoker raves about them. 

Foghorn

CTMike said:

Foghorn said:

If you enjoy wine tasting, I would submit that SOME of the tasting rooms near Fredericksburg are up there with good vineyards in Napa/Sonoma.  They are about 1 hr 45 minutes from downtown Austin.  If you plan to go there, let us know and several of us that have been up and down that stretch of 290 can tell you which ones to hit.  80% of them are probably not worth the stop.

Thanks, SWMBO doesn’t drink and I drink wine occasionally. If there is a top-notch tasting room near one of the must stop BBQ joints then I am all in. 

With that being the case I think you have 2 good options:

1) Go to the original Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood and hit Driftwood Vineyard while you are there.  Salt Lick is good BBQ and a unique experience.  It has a 5 acre parking lot in the middle of nowhere and has a "If you build it they will come" vibe that is cool.  I first learned of Driftwood Vineyard about 10 years ago at a wine festival with over 500 vineyards represented and their wine was the best I tasted.  We were members for a while and their wine is still good but I think there is some better wine in the area (see below).

2) Get @The Cen-Tex Smoker to set you up with a tasting at Calais Vineyard and then go to Eaker BBQ in Fredericksburg as suggested by Caliking.  I've never been able to get a reservation at Calais on a weekend because they are small and book out weeks in advance - so Centex has to make a call and get them to open early or whatever so we can visit.  On a weekday in February it may not be a problem, but he and "The Fabulous Janell" (she really is fabulous) are great company even if you don't need them to get you in...  I'd call this "Plan A".  Driftwood could be "Plan B" and the two are NOT mutually exclusive.  

lousubcap

I am on with Eaker's later this month.  Below is a summary of two brisket power dense benders I have enjoyed over the past few years:

"In the interest of spreading my limited experience with chasing brisket in Central Texas I will offer the following:
First my summary from a power dense trip in June 2019:
9 different brisket venues (Franklin's twice-and talked with the Pope) and I have decided on two simple categories; Bark taste and Texture/Goodness (my subjective term for all other than texture).  (1 is top of my list).
Bark: (remember I like pepper...) 1-Salt Lick (cayenne for the win); 2-Valentinas;  3 Louie Mueller; 4 Franklin; 5 Mickelwait; 6 Snow's and Truth (tie); 8 Smittys; 10+ (intentional downgrade) City Meat Market.
Texture/Goodness: 1 Franklins; 3 (intentional drop below 2) Valentinas; 4 Louie Mueller; 5 Truth; 6 Mickelwait; 7 Snow's; 8 Salt Lick; 9 Smittys; 10+ (by design) City Meat Market.  
Obviously the reason Snow's is rated as the best BBQ is not their brisket:  I talked with Tootsie and the brisketeer (Clayton).  They get grass fed lean briskets well-trimmed around 7 lbs before cooking.  As soon as they get to the friggin jiggle (there it is again...) they wrap them in foil and then hold til serving.  The brisket comes straight from the foil to you and is pretty bland flavor-wise but tender (would not go so far as pot-roast).
Truth:  Talked with the founder for a bit before they opened (rub is S&P-not to the level of salt like Franklin) and start with 12-14 lb grain fed briskets.  Cook til they get the bark they want then butcher paper until the jiggle.  Then held around 145 til serving (same process as Franklin).  
One thing that really stood out was that the quality of meat going in was a huge driver in the outcome even at the "pro" level.  Some things you just cannot finesse.
Of course in the lines at Snow's and Truth it was predominantly local so I was given lots of other suggestions for great Q including what to order besides brisket as many places specialize in other meats.   Next time  "
And a quick assessment from the latest completed brisket-wise bender on Saturday: (This was December 2021)
First let me say that all the brisket I had was great texture wise, so the assessment is purely personal.  You cannot go wrong with any (save one-see below) , and the more the better meat coma! 
Intersteller at the top (ranked #2 in the state), talked with the pit master and their pepper forward rub is great. 
Brisket-wise I would place Burnt Bean second (another pit master conversation)  Their rub and finish has a definite abodo flavor that was unique. #4 in the state. 
Overall #2 however was LeRoy and Lewis but for the beef cheeks.  Bark and rub were exceptional. #5 overall in the rankings.
Louie Mueller's in Taylor is #4.  Great brisket, great bark and flavor.  Got around a minute or so with Wayne Mueller.
#5 was Franklin- the brisket was incredible (as always) but I am not a fan of the higher salt content of the rub.  ( Did get around 3 minutes with the Pope).
#7 (intentional drop) Micklethwait-brisket was almost an order of magnitude below the others but if you go, get the jalapeno cheese grits.  Worth it.
Separate comment: Valentina's Tex-Mex is the only place that does not open at 11 AM.  Opens at 7:30 AM and the Real Deal Holyfield breakfast tortilla with an over easy egg, slice of bacon and slice of great brisket is about the best breakfast food going.  (Ask for the breakfast menu).  Spent some time with the pit master.
Valentina's cook on mesquite, all other post oak.  
Definitely worth the road trip.  FWIW-"

Pro tip-make sure you check the days/hours when open as most (if not all in the Austin area) are closed on Monday and Tuesday.

I will grab a few brisket fixes in a couple of weeks but the driver is the F1 GP in Austin.  Thus a limited brisket window.

It is definitely worth the trip and in my case several times-

Edit to add Loro in Austin as that is the only place where I have had brisket eaten with chopsticks...  Aaron Franklin and Tyson Cole, of Uchi are the owners/creators.  Always packed and access is a challenge.