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6/2016 UA Inaugural SFO-SIN in coach, etc.

6/2016 UA Inaugural SFO-SIN in coach, etc.

Old Jan 17, 2017, 5:50 am
  #31  
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and the Wine Do dinner
I had lunch and a walk up at Wave Hill with my friend
Dave (another violist) and his sweetie Joelle. This
estate was a summer home for the likes of Mark Twain,
Arturo Toscanini, and the Theo Roosevelt clan and, as
one can guess, is ideally situated overlooking the
Hudson. It's now an arboretum open to the public, but
given its location within the Bronx is relatively
unknown and uncrowded. The cafe offered weird things,
salads and such, chicken pot pie, and what was
represented as chicken and quinoa but turned out to
be rigatoni in tomato sauce with ground mystery meat,
not too good and $12 for a modest serving. Captain
Lawrence saved the day with his Freshchester pale ale,
a truly local product, brewed 14 miles up the road: a
smooth, malty, slightly sweet, moderately hoppy APA.

Dave and Joelle dropped me off at the D train, which
got me to West 4th in an hour, so I was at North
Square in the Washington Square Hotel in plenty of
time for the beginning of the 9th annual Wine Do.

roster:
hammer53
Anna Cordelli + 1
Austin787
Xyzzy + 1
wrp96
HPN-HRL2010
violist
krazykanuck
Calcifer + 1
serfty
EastBay1K
thewayofthefuture +1
Pinky
Monitor + 1
Bob W
KathyWdrf
GrjApp 2010
jswong 2012
Itsaboutthejourney

The menu:

[Relish tray of pickled onions and garlic, cornichons,
and various olives. Not sure what place all this acid
has in a wine dinner, but whatever; they were all
crisp and of good flavor. There was bread, of which I
didn't take any notice. Not on the printed menu]

APPETIZERS
Lobster & crab cakes, seaweed & vegetable salsa, Thai
curry coconut sauce

Goat cheese ravioli, zucchini, sundried tomatoes,
manchego, pine nuts, herb gremolata

Crab & corn salad, blackened corn, crab meat, fennel,
tomatoes, romaine, basil, mint, parsley, lemon yogurt
dressing

Tuna tartare, ginger cured vegetables, avocado
lemon/lime vinaigrette

dhammer53 made a pitch for the salad, which I was going
to get anyway. Aside from their trying to pawn off the
lobster and crab cakes (which I've had before and was
not all that enthusiastic about, as the sauce can't be
paired with any wine alive, plus crab cakes in New
York are, pardon, a contradiction) on me. So I was
served dead last, who eat slowly. The stuff was pretty
good, the crab being mild and showing better this way
than in a breaded cake. I am still doubtful about the
leaves chopped (the romaine) and chiffonaded (the
herbs) into the mix, but the corn sweetened the crab
nicely. By the time I was served, though, the pouring
of the reds had already started, so I was up a creek
anyway in the pairing department.

ENTREES
Herb crusted rack of lamb, Brussels sprouts with
bacon, potato & leek galette, rosemary au jus

Spice rubbed duck breast, fresh egg noodles, pea
greens, carrots, tomatoes, basil, chipotle peanut
sauce, kumquat relish

Herb roasted free range chicken breast, wild mushrooms,
cauliflower mash, thyme au jus

Filet mignon au poivre, grilled Vidalia onion, steak
cut fries, spicy mustard, Bourbon au jus

I was torn, as the most wine-friendly dish was the
one I would enjoy least. I mean, who puts chipotle
peanut sauce or spicy mustard on a wine dinner. So
I went with the lamb, despite the rosemary "au jus"
and was quite pleased - I asked for it jiggly rare,
and it came barely seared on the outside and nice
and jiggly in the middle. The sprouts were al dente,
as was the (way too trimmed) bacon; the potato thing
was also kind of rare, not a problem, because I
didn't eat much of it, and the jus was negligible.

DESSERTS
Key lime pie, creme Chantilly, raspberry Chambord coulis

Chocolate mousse cake, bitter chocolate ice cream,
chocolate & caramel sauces, chopped Heath bar

Blueberry pie, cream cheese crust, vanilla ice cream,
creme Anglaise, blueberry Port sauce

Chocolate all the way. Quite good, but too sweet even
though they forgot the Heath bar garnish. I should
perhaps have asked for just ice cream, which was bitter
and more bitter and very nice.
==
At least I took cursory notes this year.

SPARKLING WINES

White

2011 Lanson Champagne Brut Black Label (Champagne)

Clean and pleasant, biscuity yeasty but with some fruit
left. As this (not this vintage, duh) used to be one of
my standbys two decades or more ago, I was at home with
it and happy that there was still an ounce left when my
tardy crab salad came, because it was a good match.

2007 Perrier-Jout Champagne Belle Epoque (Champagne)

Subtle, minerally, lemon giving way to a touch of sweet.
Piquant, almost bitter on the finish, which I attribute
to the age of the wine. To tell the truth, I am a bit
uncomfortable with Champagnes in this price range. I
guess my experience is limited; but also I get
distracted by bubbles.

2010 Roses de Jeanne / Cdric Bouchard Champagne
Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules (Champagne)

Strawberries, also a touch of sweetness; I'm not
sure why rose Champagne is fashionable - it doesn't
really do it for me. I know some of us treated this
as though it were liquid gold; to me, it was not
more than a decent, well-balanced quaff.

STILL WINES

White

Alsace, Riesling
2013 Albert Boxler Riesling Reserve (Alsace)

A lot of honey on the nose. Citrus, honeysuckle;
it opens with a sweetish impression, with the
flowers, then the citrus comes and dries it out,
and there is a long tart finish, complicated by a
touch, just a little, of the hydrocarbon that you
expect in wines of this sort.

Oregon, Chardonnay
2012 Evening Land Vineyards Chardonnay Summum Seven
Springs Vineyard (Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola -
Amity Hills)

An odd, woody nose followed by sour cream and lemon,
On the palate a mix of oak and lemon rind with some
tropical fruit peeking through. A pineapply, almost
pina colada finish. Suave, eminently drinkable.
===
Red

California, Cabernet Sauvignon
2000 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate Reserve (California, Napa Valley) - 1.5L
A classic and middle of the road new world Cab, though
an extraordinarily well put together one. A lot of
Bordeauxy charateristics but not like a Bordeaux, with
black fruits and tobacco and leather, but slightly greeny
in an American way. Very pleasant in a nonchallenging way.

1969 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Cask G-21 (California,
Napa Valley)
Heavy smoke, raisiny nose, devolving toward stewed
prunes and some kind of unidentified wood. Hadn't
gotten to the stage of woodland forest, rotten wood,
mushrooms that some old wines do - I remember a Petrus
of about this vintage that had totally collapsed into
that state, sadly enough. Bunches of tannin and bunches
of Cabernet helped with the longevity, but not enough.

2009 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium
(California, Napa Valley, Oakville)
Pleasantly spicy, rich, dash of sweetness; very fruity in
a noncabernetty way. Just entering its peak.

2009 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins Vineyard
(California, Napa Valley)
Blackberry and oak, perfect balance. I loved this one.

Oregon, Red Bordeaux Blend
2013 Seven of Hearts Chateau Figareaux Tradition (Oregon,
Columbia Valley)
[I didn't get any of this]

Washington, Cabernet Sauvignon
2010 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
(Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley)
Good acid, green pepper, pleasant, rather understated;
substantial tannin, good backbone; liked.

2012 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series
(Washington)
An odd green peanutlike aroma; sorry to say I didn't care
for this and wouldn't pay extra for it over any other
Woodward Canyon product (I used to like them years ago,
now, not so much).

Washington, Red Blend
2006 J. Bookwalter Protagonist (Washington, Columbia Valley)
This was by contrast complex and savory, the perfect age,
lots of dark fruits and tobacco; seemed to be Merlot heavy,
not that that's a bad thing.

2009 Columbia Winery Peninsula Red Willow Vineyard (Washington,
Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley)
Herbaceousness - that's the only note I made. I used to like
the Cabs and maybe a Syrah from this neighborhood. This was
a little muddled and not my thing.

Washington, Red Bordeaux Blend
2007 Col Solare (Washington, Columbia Valley)
Washington, Red Rhone Blend
Much coffee, touch of acid, beautiful, but rather
astringent despite its age. Cried out for fatty
poultry or maybe a mess of not too smoky burnt ends.

2013 Seven of Hearts GSM + C Blend (USA, Washington, Columbia
Valley)
Cheerwine, great if you like Grenache, a little light
for this Bordeaux-style company, lively acid, nice to drink.

There was a Fidelitas that I can't find notes for except
this scrawl: "green pepper spice stems" - unfortunately
no image comes to mind. I figure it must have been the
Cab from Horse Heaven.

FORTIFIED WINES

Portugal,Douro
2005 Niepoort Porto Colheita (Douro, Porto)

Afterward a bunch of us repaired to bdnyc's apartment in
Hell's Kitchen for a glass of the perfectly fine Jordan
Cabernet. He had been unable to join us for dinner -
working as a network TV producer as he does, he had the
sad task of coordinating coverage of one of the saddest
events of the year.

I overnighted at dhammer53 and Janice's lovely home
and then took Dan to breakfast at his favorite haunt,
a downtown diner called I think the Star. He knows
workers and customers alike and is in turn known by
them. I had to choke down vast quantities of carbs
to be part of this scene; followed by some still
somewhat yummy Kee's chocolates at home.
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Old Jan 17, 2017, 5:51 am
  #32  
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==

My friends Erik and Carol are right down the Hutch
in Pelham, and it was good to arrange things so I
could visit them; they have been great friends to
the family, and I'm fond of them and their now I
believe graduated from college kid. I spent a couple
relaxed days with them and their cats (not quite so
numerous as in the past) before heading back southward.

The notable event of this visit was that Carol decided
we needed to do something to move body and mind, so we
went off to watch The Man Who Knew Infinity, perhaps
the only movie I've paid to see since Die Hard 2 in
Austin a few years ago. This film tells the rather
poignant story of the mathematician Ramanujan and his
rise from an obcure bookkeeper in India to a world-
renowned scholar and colleague of the likes of G. H.
Hardy and Bertrand Russell. I actually sort of enjoyed
this.


--
Carol convinced me that instead of slogging on the bus
to the subway to the other subway to the train station,
I should spend the extra $30 or so and catch the Amtrak
at New Rochelle. Only problem - my train didn't stop at
New Rochelle, so I had to get the earlier one. Because
changing my discount economy ticket would have cost a
ton, I just bought a separate leg and alit at New York,
and waited for my original one 45 minutes later. This
worked.

2V 173 NRO NYP 1430 1520

They didn't check tickets, which means I didn't get my
points. Not such a big deal, because I discover to my
chagrin that there isn't a minimum points accrual any
more. We got to Penn Station on time, and I stood by for
half an hour watching the huge crowds milling around
figuring out which Amtrak train they were supposed to
be on.

2V 127 NYP WAS 1605 1930

This train was so full that someone sat with me
(usually I am a forbidding enough presence that
people don't if there are a number of empty seats
in the car). I slept through the trip.
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Old Jan 17, 2017, 6:25 am
  #33  
In memoriam
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Originally Posted by Super80Fan
You're a better man than I am, don't think I would survive that long a flight in UA coach.
Not the best of all experiences, but tolerable.

Last week I had a semi-longhaul Y experience on NH Dreamliner,
and it was better than acceptable. On the 787, Y on AA or UA
is not, shall we say, a rose garden.
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Old Feb 4, 2017, 5:29 pm
  #34  
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Barbecue coda
AA1664 BOS PHL 1100 1233 321 4F

This aircraft has the tightest first-class section around,
and I was almost sorry to get upgraded out of my favorite
seat 23A; it is after all an hour flight, during which one
can easily go without free booze and snacks. That said,
flying is always fun, especially when I almost always get
good seats these days. We took off a quarter hour late but
landed on time. Pleasant flight. I hightailed it directly
to the club, where Evan Williams was on sale at a great
price (free), and Pete the bartender, now the supervisor,
poured me a double and on the second round had to be
dissuaded from doing that again.

You now can walk to the commuter terminal inside security,
but they've kept the buses going. I took the bus and arrived
right at boarding time.

AA4083 PHL BWI 1515 1558 CRJ 8A

Only to find half an hour delay, and the flight did not
make up any time, so we ended up about half an hour behind
- and this being the day when I was meeting my friends Dale
and Gail and thus, unlike usual, on a kind of schedule.

I hustled out of there as quick as I could, and it turns
out they were also delayed by bizarre traffic, so we
coordinated okay if tardily.

Dinner was at the Urban BBQ, at which experiences have been
mixed. My usual order of fatty brisket came for some reason
extra lean, but that was easily fixed. The food was decent,
not more. D&G were of the opinion that the entire experience
was not up to par, to which I attributed the cause as the
B team being on.

This was a quick visit; we chatted a bit, then I went to
take a nap, then back to the airport.

UA 332 BWI IAH 0530 0745 73G 2F

They served breakfast on this flight; the flight attendant
described it as a spicy omelet, which, surprisingly, it was.
Two eggs folded over cheese and quite a hit of hot pepper
and some Tex-Mex spices. It was worth the pills.

Croissants (horrid); the other choice was the famous
cinnamon bun, which has changed a lot since its heyday -
it's shrunk, less sweet, less buttery, perhaps dietitian
sanitized.

With the long layover, there's not much to do but have
more breakfast. I had a banana and fell asleep instead.

UA 859 IAH DFW 1015 1131 73G 2F

This flight is what, 200 miles, and I had barely enough
time to choke down a Courvoisier and we were landed.

lili was there to greet me, and we had a freshener up at
the Admiral's Club - a glass each of some nasty red blend,
a slightly less nasty Malbec, and a respectable Merlot for
which they were charging $12 or 14.

As last time we had been seriously burned by the toll roads
(being charged automatically even when we paid manually and
also, we suspect, being charged even when we were on the
free access road), we decided to do public trans all the
way, which turned out to be just fine.

To get to Fort Worth, you have to go on two separate buses,
changing within the airport, to the TRE train, which takes
you right in town, actually a quick though confusing process.
Our hotel was up north in the Stockyard district, another
20-minute bus ride. What the heck, beats subsidizing Texas.

We checked in to the Stockyards Hotel, a 19th-century-style
place whose authenticity I doubt (fake bullet holes in the
shutters, that sort of thing), pleasant enough. lili was
asked if she wanted a courtyard room or overlooking the
street, and surprisingly she chose the latter, saying that
she wanted to see what the nightlife was like but without
actually risking anything.

In the later afternoon, a commotion, why, because it was
time for the cattle drive! So we went off into the 95-degree
heat to see some bored-looking cowboys (probably Equity
members) halfheartedly coaxing some bored-looking cattle
(look at the long horns, daddy), and off they went, and off
we went. We toured the Stockyards district, which reminded
me of Disneyworld Frontierland, then back to the hotel.
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Old Feb 6, 2017, 5:38 pm
  #35  
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The world-renowned H3 steakhouse is located next to the
hotel lobby. There's a sign outslde advertising spit-roasted
pig. What could be bad?

It was like 5, and we were pretty much the first for dinner.
The help were friendly and sightly. I got an Oktoberfest from
I think Rahr, and lili, being faced with the usual wine list
of red or white, chose Woodford on the rocks instead, a good
decision.

Bread was decent if industrial, salad likewise, the dressing
tangy and rather like Ken's Steakhouse Italian.

lili got the ribeye rare, and it was large, red, and tasty.

Having been seduced by the spit-roasted pig, I was left high
and dry, especially the dry part. The meat had certainly not
been cut that day, and I doubt its pig had been spit anythinged.

Vegetables were rice, pebbly and salty and nasty, and corn, less
nasty.

Luckily they noticed my lack of enthusiasm at the meal and took
it off the bill. Luckily also there was enough ribeye for two.

More alcohol helped a fair amount.

So a mixed experience.

Our next meal was next door to next door, at the famed
Cattlemen's, feted in print and on TV as the rip-roarinest
steakhouse ever.

Rahr Ugly Pug calls itself a Schwarzbier, and I guess it is
maybe kind of black, but it comes across pretty delicate
and friendly for that. I didn't mind it. Same wine list, but
this time lili went with the red ink from Texas.

A salad was almost identical to yesterday's. I opined that
as the kitchens backed up on each other, maybe the coolers
did too, or they shared suppliers, or something.

lili ordered the burger rare with fries; everything went
swimmingly with her order, and the burger was big enough
for two.

I asked for my strip steak extra rare, "as rare as they will
make it". It came shriveled and burnt, and the waiter said he
had thought I said extra well. Idiot. The replacement was raw,
just colored on both sides. It was fine, but the problem is
that the fat and gristle on the edge are close to inedible at
this level of non-doneness. It's almost worth it to order a
medium steak to optimize the flavor of that fat and gristle.
The replacement was good. I'd substituted spinach for a potato,
and the guy said that would be a buck upcharge, and I said fine:
it turned out to be $2 extra.

So a mixed experience.
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Old Feb 9, 2017, 2:57 pm
  #36  
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We humped our bags to the bus stop and went back downtown for
the TRE train, which we took to Victory Station, whence it
was - or should have been - an easy stroll to the Meridien
Stoneleigh; turns out there's been a bit of a renaissance in
the area, and what apparently used to be a park that I was
counting on to cut across had been replaced by high-rise
construction, around which it was a hot tiresome walk.
Eventually we got there and checked in.

They gave us a so-called junior suite - a big room bisected
by the TV table into living room with couch and bedroom units.
It was okay, but the apparently decades-old yellow stains in
the bathroom floor and the slippery shower stall gave shall
we say an unwanted atmosphere to the place.

We noted that there was a discount for happy hour at the bar
so went there ... inquired about the appetizer prices and was
informed that the special did not apply on weekends (the
literature in the room said daily). Oh, well, one drink - a
beer of some local sort, not very interesting and in a tall
but deceptively shaped glass, so I figure 10 oz, for me, and
a glass of Malbec for her, which was charged up as a Chianti
at a buck or two more. When confronted, the bartender made
some excuse about Malbec and Chianti being next to each other
on the computer. Of course he'd never push Malbec when someone
ordered the more expensive Chianti, would he. We had been
thinking about dining on site (the restaurant gets good
notices), but this experience took away that urge.

lili had been to Sonny Bryan's twenty years ago and was
curious as to how it compared these days, so we went to West
End station on the 29 bus (the hotel turns out to have been
convenient to it), and it was a quick stroll from there.

It's a decidedly unfunky almost genteel spot in an old office
building and with a clean unsmoky smell about it - not that
promising, truth be told, but it was way too late to go
anyplace else, and, you know, what the heck.

They seated us in the back - I'd have thought perhaps to keep
an eye out lest we run out on the bill, but it was right near
the back door, so I don't know what that was all about. Maybe
they thought we needed a quiet romantic place to chow down in.

The wine list is basic - Chardonnay or Merlot, and they were
out of Merlot. lili joined me in a Shiner Bock, far more
satisfactory, and a pound of fatty brisket, which was
surprisingly excellent meat, though not very smoky - there
were signs of a smoke ring that was mostly cut off, worse
luck. At least they didn't cut off all the fat. What is it
with some so-called barbecue places that trim their brisket
to get rid of the bark and the fat and the smoke ring and
present you proudly with what is essentially dry pot roast?
Sonny's at least had the decency to leave some of the goodness,
but why trim at all?

His sauce is coriander-heavy and moderately sweet, improved
quite a bit with a squirt or three of Cholula.

Back to the hotel, where we were kept awake all hours by
parties going on down there nine stories; one got really loud
around 1 and went on with breaks until 3 plus, then afterward,
blessed sleep.

That godsend 29 bus took us downtown, where we hopped the
light rail one or two stops to the Sheraton Dallas.
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Old Feb 10, 2017, 12:58 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by violist
His sauce is coriander-heavy and moderately sweet, improved
quite a bit with a squirt or three of Cholula.

Yummmmmmm!

Great trip report BTW.
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Old Feb 10, 2017, 8:27 pm
  #38  
 
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What a fantastic trip report. You're like an alternative universe Seat 2A.

Thank you!
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Old Feb 11, 2017, 2:59 pm
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Cholula
Yummmmmmm!
Still got a soft spot for that stuff, do you. Well, it's
saved my bacon on a few occasions.

Originally Posted by jmail1
What a fantastic trip report. You're like an alternative universe Seat 2A.

Thank you!
I read Seat 2A's reports as well - thank you.
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Old Feb 11, 2017, 8:50 pm
  #40  
 
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Originally Posted by violist
Sonny's at least had the decency to leave some of the goodness,
but why trim at all?

His sauce is coriander-heavy and moderately sweet, improved
quite a bit with a squirt or three of Cholula.
It sounds like you were on a bit of a schedule, but next time you make it to Dallas you need to try Pecan Lodge. I can assure you they will serve your brisket exactly as you want it and their fatty is amazing.

Sonny's doesn't even make the top 50 BBQ joints in Dallas anymore. It was a sad state around here until Pecan Lodge showed up, now there are dozens of well above average places in town.

Heim is the Pecan Lodge equivalent in Fort Worth.
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Old Feb 12, 2017, 6:00 am
  #41  
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Originally Posted by jmail1
It sounds like you were on a bit of a schedule, but next time you make it to Dallas you need to try Pecan Lodge. I can assure you they will serve your brisket exactly as you want it and their fatty is amazing.

Sonny's doesn't even make the top 50 BBQ joints in Dallas anymore. It was a sad state around here until Pecan Lodge showed up, now there are dozens of well above average places in town.

Dallas has become one of our go-to places for beef,
because AA and UA spend a lot of time uselessly
sniping at each other's hubs, and the fare wars
often make decent mileage-run or short-trip material
- in fact, being at loose ends this week, I will be
in Dallas for a day plus starting this evening (short
notice trip Washington to Boston, $150, Washington
to Dallas to Boston, $250, who could resist?).

The Sonny's thing was driven by nostalgia (she'd
been there maybe a quarter century ago, and I'd
not been there since 1967 or 1968!) plus the fact
that it's one of the only places where you can get
beef late, now that EZ Dude is gone.

I agree with you about Pecan Lodge and have enjoyed
it very much; thing is that lili and I have generally
stayed (being relatively cheap folks) at places that
offer free breakfast, which means only light eating
until later in the day when Pecan Lodge is likely to
be closed. The two Lockharts, for example, have the
advantage of being open into the evening. See here.

I thank you for your recommendation of Heim and
will bear it in mind.
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Old Feb 12, 2017, 6:21 am
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by violist

I agree with you about Pecan Lodge and have enjoyed
it very much; thing is that lili and I have generally
stayed (being relatively cheap folks) at places that
offer free breakfast, which means only light eating
until later in the day when Pecan Lodge is likely to
be closed. The two Lockharts, for example, have the
advantage of being open into the evening. See here.

I thank you for your recommendation of Heim and
will bear it in mind.
Ah yes, I missed that part. I'm not sure if you've been since they moved from the Farmer's Market but they have their own freestanding location near downtown now that stays open until 10pm on Friday and Saturday.

If you try Heim you must try their bacon burnt ends.

Another shot in the dark for you would be Cattleack, a relatively new place that is by the Galleria. It has a VERY short window of when it is open but has gotten better reviews than Pecan Lodge over the past year. It is only open from 10:30am-2pm on Thursday and Friday. I would put their brisket as dead even with PL and their pork ribs are better.

You can find plenty of reviews and pictures of it online. The best place to read about Texas BBQ is http://tmbbq.com/. Daniel Vaughn was an architect who started a blog of his travels around the state on the weekends eating BBQ. It turned into a full time job as the BBQ editor for Texas Monthly.

Having said all of that I really like Lockhart and would put it up there with all three others.

If in Houston Killeen's in Pearland is where to start, for both steak and BBQ. Two separate places but same quality.
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Old Feb 16, 2017, 4:09 pm
  #43  
In memoriam
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Location: IAD, BOS, PVD
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Originally Posted by jmail1
Having said all of that I really like Lockhart and would put it up there with all three others.

If in Houston Killeen's in Pearland is where to start, for both steak and BBQ. Two separate places but same quality.
So on this trip I thought of going to Heim, but I was by myself and
will save it for when lili is back traveling. Instead, I did both Lockharts
and found them - though good - underseasoned and undersmoked
compared to before. The meat was cut more expertly and with
sharper tools at Plano.

Thanks for the advice. I don't see much of Houston outside the
airport these days, though I did spend four years there back in
the 1960s (when the Q was in general pretty sorry).
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Old Feb 23, 2017, 3:47 pm
  #44  
In memoriam
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: IAD, BOS, PVD
Programs: UA, US, AS, Marriott, Radisson, Hilton
Posts: 7,203
end of it all

It was early, so our room wasn't nearly ready, so we checked
our bags and took some combination of public transports to
the other Lockhart Smokehouse, where we arrived at close on
opening time, with only about an 8 person line ahead of us.

I went to the bar to get a waiting beer, but the pourer said
that I had to have food in hand before I was allowed to buy.
So back in line, which took 10 minutes, for a pound of fatty
brisket and a rib. lili wanted baked beans, so we got a small
order. Everything was excellent, the brisket as rich and smoky
as anyone would like, the rib done with just that little tug
to the meat that makes one's teeth happy. I was left with a
cup of beans, because these had been heavily spiked with I
think serrano peppers and thus were too ahua for her. They
tasted good, and I ate them up, which meant I didn't have room
for much brisket, so there was plenty to take home for brekkers.

We had a Rahr Texas Red, harmless, and some kind of berry-
flavored cider from Sonoma, sweet and harmless.

There are those who express a distinct preference for this
location or the one up in Plano; I was well satisfied by both.

Off to the Meadows Museum at SMU, which came highly recommended.
It's pretty easy to get to and from via the light rail and then
the student bus. We got there just in time for the daily docent
tour. The docent asked what we were interested in, and I blurted
out that I was a Goya person, which it turned out she was as well.
So we spent most of our docenting on Goya and, since he was also
well represented and hung nearby, Velasquez. Some pretty cool
stuff at this museum. After the 90-minute tour was over, we had
some time to revisit our favorites and to see the rest of the
collection. Pretty good all told, and as this very intense young
fellow pointed out (I don't know if he was staff, volunteer, or
just a fan), a first-rate little sculpture garden out back.

Afterward we flagged down the bus driver on the street and had a
nice chat with her on the way back to the train station.

The trip back downtown was quick, and our room was just ready.
They'd given us an executive suite, two big rooms with all
the bells and whistles, in a kind of old style, which was
fine, as we are kind of old style. Dreamily comfy beds.

Having had our adventure for the day, we just hung around
instead of trying for more barbecue, taking full advantage of
the club lounge and its complimentary Canyon Road Cabernet,
of which lili had several glasses; I had an ungodly pairing
of Shiner bock and Dr. Pepper, not drunk at precisely the same
time, though. In addition to the usual cheese and crudites and
stuff, there were tasty though tenderized to death teriyaki
beef skewers and greasy but spicy and good-tasting samosas.

The concierge was very helpful.

Bedtime came early, because I planned on an 0530ish light rail
to the airport, which came altogether too soon. I forgot the
leftover brisket in the fridge.

UA1797 DFW IAD 0725 1129 739 4E

Security was a snap, and I was at the gate in plenty of time.
Nice flight. Breakfast was some kind of puckish egg substance
with cheese that I didn't eat, getting my calories from a
cinnamon roll (as I've said, a far cry from those served
during Continental's glory days) and a Courvoisier.
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