Mark another one off the list... and get me to a cardiologist, Stat!
I have been wanting to try Good Time Charlie's for years but just never made it for whatever reason, and since we were in the area anyway, decided to pop-in for a quick dinner.
I liked the place as soon as we walked in, what with the well worn look of a diner that hasn't been made over by consultants every few years. Lots of stuff on walls (a requirement for me to be able to eat, for inexplicable reasons), but nothing that was distracting. We weren't sure how the place worked so we sort of stood in the door way for a minute or so and finally my wife grabbed a few menus and we found a table.
Right away, I was pleased that the waitstaff was made up of normal, non-uniformed folks with pleasant attitudes and fast! No sooner had we sat down and our waitress was taking our drink order. I also observed that the waitresses helped one another out with filling water and tea glasses, and removing plates. Everyone seemed to have a good flow to running the place, and I like that efficiency.
We noticed a group of ladies seated across the room from us, mostly wearing purple outfits and all festooned with fancy red hats. I later asked one of the ladies what the deal was, and it turns out they are a bunch of gals who like to meet to wear hats and eat. Sounds like a plan, but I don't have any red hats, and I'm not fifty. I do have the eating part down.
Anyway, to get started, we ordered what is called Nuts and Bolts. Let me save you the dictionary search. Onion rings, fried mushrooms and fried zucchini served with delicious Ranch dressing and the same gravy you put on chicken fried steak. Served piping hot directly from the vat of grease, you just know it can't be good for you. The onions rings were good, the mushrooms were good, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fried zucchini when dipped in Ranch. If you want to go for just a snack, order up a pitcher of draft beer, get the Nuts and Bolts and you'll be set. Oh, and get something for your date.
The menu is loaded with options - chicken fried steak, catfish, burgers, salads and more, but we were trying to eat light, especially given the platter of heart disease we started with.
My wife decided to order the chicken fingers and split them with me, let me have the green beans and then she would have some of my entree. Starting with the green beans; don't waste your time. There was no taste to them at all, and I left most of them sitting on the plate. So much for anything healthy coming from dinner. The potatoes were okay and the chicken fingers were simply, non-remarkable. Nothing special about them - though certainly a generous portion.
When I saw the Bacon Cheese Franks on the menu, I was visualizing two hot dogs - in hot dog buns, maybe wrapped in bacon or covered in bacon bits, then covered in cheese. I was totally not expecting it to be served on a hamburger bun. But never the less, it looked pretty darn good. I liked that they are able to dress it like a regular bacon cheese burger - just hot dogs for meat.
Okay, not a good idea. My wife and I agreed that, aside from the goodness of the bacon and the fixin's, the fried hot dog taste just didn't work for us. Oh sure, we ate it...
Overall, I think Good Time Charlie's has a great atmosphere, excellent waitstaff and I'm sure we could have easily tried any of the different menu items and been totally thrilled with the place. But for this time around, we just wanted to get out and maybe go jog a few miles in hopes of putting off the inevitable triple bypass. I mean, it really is good home cooking - assuming mom is a fry chef at a truck stop.
On the other hand, Rod Stewart eats there, so we could be wrong.
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.
I have been wanting to try Good Time Charlie's for years but just never made it for whatever reason, and since we were in the area anyway, decided to pop-in for a quick dinner.
I liked the place as soon as we walked in, what with the well worn look of a diner that hasn't been made over by consultants every few years. Lots of stuff on walls (a requirement for me to be able to eat, for inexplicable reasons), but nothing that was distracting. We weren't sure how the place worked so we sort of stood in the door way for a minute or so and finally my wife grabbed a few menus and we found a table.
We noticed a group of ladies seated across the room from us, mostly wearing purple outfits and all festooned with fancy red hats. I later asked one of the ladies what the deal was, and it turns out they are a bunch of gals who like to meet to wear hats and eat. Sounds like a plan, but I don't have any red hats, and I'm not fifty. I do have the eating part down.
Anyway, to get started, we ordered what is called Nuts and Bolts. Let me save you the dictionary search. Onion rings, fried mushrooms and fried zucchini served with delicious Ranch dressing and the same gravy you put on chicken fried steak. Served piping hot directly from the vat of grease, you just know it can't be good for you. The onions rings were good, the mushrooms were good, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the fried zucchini when dipped in Ranch. If you want to go for just a snack, order up a pitcher of draft beer, get the Nuts and Bolts and you'll be set. Oh, and get something for your date.
My wife decided to order the chicken fingers and split them with me, let me have the green beans and then she would have some of my entree. Starting with the green beans; don't waste your time. There was no taste to them at all, and I left most of them sitting on the plate. So much for anything healthy coming from dinner. The potatoes were okay and the chicken fingers were simply, non-remarkable. Nothing special about them - though certainly a generous portion.
When I saw the Bacon Cheese Franks on the menu, I was visualizing two hot dogs - in hot dog buns, maybe wrapped in bacon or covered in bacon bits, then covered in cheese. I was totally not expecting it to be served on a hamburger bun. But never the less, it looked pretty darn good. I liked that they are able to dress it like a regular bacon cheese burger - just hot dogs for meat.
On the other hand, Rod Stewart eats there, so we could be wrong.
