My sister Susan, her husband Paul (the couple on the left) and friends Ron and Kris (You may recall Ron is the guy who sent us the crazy food pictures from China) took a drive today.
They all live up in Minnesota, a retirement place for SNL writers. Anywhoo, during their drive, the decided to stop into a BBQ place - yes, all the way up in Minnesota, called John Hardy's Bar-B-Q.
Susan tells me, "Thought you'd like some of the food pics for your TX friends who make their way up to the northland."
And apparently, she was pretty excited about the menu - they offer okra. Not like what we have here for kids, all fried-up, but actual cooked okra without any breading to cover the taste of the, well, the okra. Look at that turkey! Far healthier than anything I've had since last Thanksgiving.
She also says, "Okra and black eyed peas, if you can imagine. By the way, we planted okra in our Blue Cross garden again this year, and I learned from Mom to pick it early before it gets tough. Send recipes if you have them - we deliver recipes to the food shelf with any of our non-MN-traditional crops."
She was hoping that the smoked turkey they enjoyed wasn't one of the ones that frequent Steve's (my nephew) bird/pheasant/squirrel/rabbit/vole/turkey feeder in the back yard. Look at those chips. Do you suppose they are regular Lay's or some specialty cooked right there in John Hardy's? I think they are called "Jo jos". Susan says they are also used in Minnesota hot dish recipes. The pork there looks pretty good too.
Really, other than the okra, it all looks might tasty!
We finally got off our butts and made the short trip down to North St'Mary's and East Mulberry, so we could dig in to some outstanding "old school backyard BBQ". I guess when literally dozens of different people tell me I need to eat someplace, I should pay attention a lot sooner.
Fair warning: Put on your eatin' pants and come hungry; you are in for a Tasty Treat! Augies Barbed Wire Smoke House is my new favorite place for BBQ.
From the minute we pulled into the parking lot, we were already enjoying the atmosphere. I just like the look of the place mixed in between some office complexes and the Brackenridge Park area. You'd think it would stick out like a sore thumb, but really, it's a perfect fit for the area.
From the minute we stepped inside, we were greeted by staff who made taking the order more of a friendly conversation than a visit to a restaurant. I'm usually pretty discrete about taking pictures of the places I eat - you never want someone to think you are collecting evidence for a finger in the chili type lawsuit, but the guy taking the order seemed pretty comfortable with our curiosity about Augies.
He even suggested I snap a picture of the coveted 1st Place Trophy of the 2008 Final Four BBQ Cook Off. There's only one 1st Place.
Augies is pretty small on the inside with limited seating - that is a drawback for visiting at about 1PM, because my wife wouldn't even consider sitting outside, but we did find a seat with a great view of Brackenridge.
I like a place with lots to look at and Augie's has it.
We were eager to try as much as we could and not have to be rolled out on a gurney, so we both got two meat, two side plates and got a bunch of different stuff to taste from.
My wife got the chicken and pulled pork, and for sides, mac 'n cheese and the honey baked beans. I recall once yammering on about how good the chicken at McBee's in Hondo was (and it is good), but if you like chicken at all, you will simply love Augie's. You do not require the sauce on this chicken, but it certainly won't ruin it if you use it.
Get ready, because the pulled pork is even better than the chicken. If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'; grits an't groceries, eggs ain't poultry, and Mona Lisa was a man! I'd take a bath in it. I don't think pulled pork is a regular menu item at most local BBQ places (or I guess I'm not used to seeing it), but friends, at least, at very minimum get the pulled pork. The honey baked beans were good and so was the mac 'n cheese - very cheesey and good.
I went with the brisket and sausage (regular, not jalapeno) and for sides I had the green beans and potato salad. First, potato salad is a mandatory side with any BBQ. This was good and creamy, and both my wife and I agreed that it was right up there with the best we have had. 
The green beans are my department (my wife is not a fan). I use the Bill Miller's recipe for green beans as my standard. I simply love them. Augies has gone above and beyond to serve up some well seasoned, excellently cooked green beans. And I appreciate that in any restaurant. I even got my wife to try them.
The sausage was standard, good quality and very tasty, but honestly, it has to be tough to be the sausage link when you share a plate with awesome brisket. I now get why everyone was telling us to try Augie's. A lot of folks are turned off by any fat whatsoever on the meat, and our server asked if I'd like to have all the fat removed. Not on your life! Call me unhealthy, but I love the taste. But thanks for asking. And thanks for the extra pickles and onions. Pure Heaven!
Okay, for those of you wanting to try it out - and I highly recommend it - you should know a few things. As mentioned earlier, the seating on a hot day could be an issue. Every year several days before Easter, people flock to Brackenridge Park and stake out picnic tables to make sure they can get one for their entire family. People have been known to put yellow crime scene tape up, chain ice chests to tables and do all sorts of things to save a table. Apparently, this is acceptable just across the street from Brackenridge Park, too.
Just as we sat down, a couple took over fully one fourth of the dining area by placing a purse on one table, a beer on another, a pair of glasses on another table, then the two sat at different tables to save enough seats for their party of about eight or ten, who in the end, didn't show up until we were done. In other words, the people holding all these tables hostage didn't even order their food (though they did have a beer) during the entire time we ate. I'm sorry, but that is a foul. Either everyone shows up at once, or you take one table and hope for the best.
The only other issue I had was that the iced tea does not come with free refills. Granted, I would probably go through a bucket by myself if it was free so they have to watch out for people like me, but still, c'mon.
The outdoor beer garden is probably a real hoot in the late afternoon and evenings. Even in the heat of the day, it wasn't really that bad - they have fans running and there are plenty of sunshades. 
They have a big screen and apparently on the weekends show movies or sports events.
Bottom line: If you even think you might like BBQ, you simply must go down to Augies Barbed Wire Smoke House. While you are there, why not slip by the newly remodled Japenese Tea Gardens, located right next door, or the Witte Museum just a block or two away.
A co-worker asked me last week if I had ever heard of the Rib House. Ever heard of it? I love the Rib House, I just hadn't been there in quite some time, even though my wife taunts me with tales of good eats every time her and her mom stop by for some of their famous ribs. The idea was in my head and by Friday, it was a done deal, we had to get over to the Rib House so I could get some of their catfish.
I know that sounds odd, but having never tried the catfish before, I had this big plan to get some!
This restaurant is located just north of what is now Port San Antonio, formerly Kelly AFB, on Old Highway 90. If for some reason you look at the Google Map and it has the place located in Castroville, just ignore it. The address is 757 Old Hiway 90 just west of 36th Street. If you can't see or feel a big C-5 flying over head, you aren't there.
So we get there right at opening and commence to inspect the menu. I have to confess, I had this sudden unsettling idea that if I had the catfish, I was missing the entire point of going to the Rib House. I mean, they don't call it the Catfish House, right? And this is why I have problems at restaurants. Too many options is a recipe for disaster.
There were three of us in our group and after serving us our tea, it was time to actually place the food orders. I opted to go last hoping that in the remaining few seconds, I could make my mind focus on the benifits of catfish over ribs.
The first guy ordered the two meat lunch - beef ribs and pork ribs and for sides, yams and fried okra.
The second guy went with the brisket (which I have had many times before - delicious) and green beans and Cole slaw.
It was suddenly go time for me. I had the sides down for sure. I was going with the green beans and potato salad. As soon as I was about to say catfish, my mind made some sort of left turn at Albuquerque and my mouth announced, "two meats, beef and pork", all on its own. As the guy left, I almost felt like I was having an out of body experience because I really had catfish on my mind. Really.
But I was not disappointed at all. First, I am a huge fan of Bill Millers green beans. I love them and would eat them daily. The green beans at the Rib House do not have the same pica-factor (they aren't spicy hot), but they have a great home made flavor that I truly enjoy. Order them and you will agree. The potato salad is good - I wouldn't turn it away and I surely licked my plate clean. The ribs are simply to die for and I don't mean maybe. I like the beef and the pork. One of our group said that he liked the beef a little more than the pork but followed that with, "It was like the difference between an A and an A+". Hard to go wrong with that.
No offense to the fine people at Tony Roma's (I haven't been in years), but the Rib House puts them to shame. Shame, as in give me back the hundreds and hundreds of dollars I spent there over the years thinking I was eating "The Best".
Now, before you gather up the entire family reunion or want to take your seventy nearest neighbors over for a little feast, you have to understand that there are some limitations. First, there is no parking to speak of. Second, the restaurant itself is not very big. I don't know how many they can hold, but it can't be more than 30 at a time. Having said that though, you can get it to go.
But if you have a small group of 4 to 10, I'd say they would be able to hook you up, just get there early.
So as soon as I got back to work, I whined over and over to my friends that I should have gotten the catfish. I'm guessing there is going to be another trip in the near future.
Bottom line: Tasty Treats. If you even think you like ribs and you don't try this place, you are missing out. Say Howdy to Miss Taylor - she'll be there waiting for you.
They all live up in Minnesota, a retirement place for SNL writers. Anywhoo, during their drive, the decided to stop into a BBQ place - yes, all the way up in Minnesota, called John Hardy's Bar-B-Q.
Susan tells me, "Thought you'd like some of the food pics for your TX friends who make their way up to the northland."
And apparently, she was pretty excited about the menu - they offer okra. Not like what we have here for kids, all fried-up, but actual cooked okra without any breading to cover the taste of the, well, the okra. Look at that turkey! Far healthier than anything I've had since last Thanksgiving. 
She was hoping that the smoked turkey they enjoyed wasn't one of the ones that frequent Steve's (my nephew) bird/pheasant/squirrel/rabbit/vole/turkey feeder in the back yard. Look at those chips. Do you suppose they are regular Lay's or some specialty cooked right there in John Hardy's? I think they are called "Jo jos". Susan says they are also used in Minnesota hot dish recipes. The pork there looks pretty good too. 
