Smoke Trail: BBQ In Austin's Center City
The yearly South By Southwest conference in Austin is coming up this weekend and so Virginia B. Wood of the Austin Chronicle put together Smoke Trail, a guide to eleven purveyors of delectable BBQ around the city center: "Central Texas is nationally known for great barbecue, and we consider the capital to be the burnished buckle of that famous barbecue belt. In part because Austin is where the South meets the Southwest, we've got it all here – the mesquite-smoked West Texas cowboy style, the German/Czech sausages and dry-rubbed smoked meats, and the soul-satisfying deep South style of meats smoked over hardwoods and slathered with sauce. Working on the assumption that many of our March visitors will be concentrated in the core of the city, we're featuring 11 worthwhile joints located no farther than a brisk walk or short cab ride from major central-city attractions."
(Iron Works Barbecue is right behind the convention center and very tasty, I've had lunch there a few times while attending SXSW in years past. Having said that, my favorite meals in Austin have been at The Boiling Pot, a five minute walk away from the convention center—no bbq, but you won't miss it because the seafood is spicy, delicious and served by the bucket.)
