Wow, I had no idea the Texas crew were actually fun to spend time with! But it turns out that they are. Stacy and I came to the Texas Member Gathering and Meatup (I totally made that name up) in Rockdale for the weekend. We flew into Austin on Wednesday evening and we are flying out on Sunday afternoon. In between, after shopping at Allen’s Boots in Austin and eating lunch at Perla’s (Stacy was jonesing for Gulf seafood), we headed out to Rockdale.
The Rainbow Courts actually lives up to their billing. Very old motel, nice rooms, great outdoor gathering areas. Met up with Panhead John, 58limited, Troutman, and CaptainMike (plus his wife Collette). We had a great time meeting everyone. And then headed to dinner at Gonzales Mexican Bar & Grill in Rockdale. This place way exceeded our expectations, with food on par with places in San Antonio and Houston, according to our Texas friends. And as good as anything in Northern California, where I am originally from.
The next morning we went to Louie Mueller’s in Taylor. Nostalgia for days. You can smell 70 years of smoke. You can see 70 years of smoke. We got a beef rib (2.5 lbs!), turkey, sausage, spareribs with coleslaw, potato salad, and Mac n cheese. If you are looking for a great beef rib, this is the place! But everything else we thought was okay, not great. And I would highly recommend not ordering the coleslaw here. Bland and boring was the group verdict. Go here for beef ribs and nostalgia.
That evening, we had dinner at Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Rockdale. They did a special evening just for us and by then the entire crew had arrived, including T-bone, Unclebob, LA Pork Butt, Texas Larry , and their respective others, including Tbones son, Walrusking, the newest member of the Pit. We had brisket, sausage, pork ribs with creamed corn, brisket beans, and tater tot casserole. All the meats were great, but I have to put their sausage at the top, followed by the brisket and the ribs. The creamed corn was outstanding, the tater tots and beans were good. Highly recommended, go here for some really great BBQ in Central Texas.
The next day, we went to Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton. We also scouted a possible new location near there for the Meatup. And we visited horses with Lee (@UncleBob’s lovely lady). We had brisket, pulled pork, regular sausage, jalapeño sausage, and Turkey with coleslaw, beans, and Mac n cheese. The brisket was superb, with a beautiful bark and great flavor. The pulled pork was quite good, also, but needed more bark mixed in. Both sausages were good, but the regular sausage won between the two. And the turkey was also very good. The coleslaw was good, better than Mueller’s by a lot. The beans and Mac n cheese were also good. Brett’s beans are better, by a nudge. Highly recommended for some really great BBQ in Central Texas.
Last night, after 3 big BBQ meals, we decided to go to Gonzales again. Brendan lives in San Antonio and says Gonzales is on par with most Mexican places there, with the exception of La Fogata. First night at Gonzales I had the Barbacoa and this time I had the Carnitas. Both were superb. Stacy had the Enchilada Verde with chicken and said they were superb (pictured below). The tortillas are made in house. And the refried beans are top notch. Martin, our waiter, was excellent as well. And the Margaritas were big, cold, and tasty! Highly recommended also!
All in all, a great time. Stacy and I will be back soon :-)
The Rainbow Courts actually lives up to their billing. Very old motel, nice rooms, great outdoor gathering areas. Met up with Panhead John, 58limited, Troutman, and CaptainMike (plus his wife Collette). We had a great time meeting everyone. And then headed to dinner at Gonzales Mexican Bar & Grill in Rockdale. This place way exceeded our expectations, with food on par with places in San Antonio and Houston, according to our Texas friends. And as good as anything in Northern California, where I am originally from.
The next morning we went to Louie Mueller’s in Taylor. Nostalgia for days. You can smell 70 years of smoke. You can see 70 years of smoke. We got a beef rib (2.5 lbs!), turkey, sausage, spareribs with coleslaw, potato salad, and Mac n cheese. If you are looking for a great beef rib, this is the place! But everything else we thought was okay, not great. And I would highly recommend not ordering the coleslaw here. Bland and boring was the group verdict. Go here for beef ribs and nostalgia.
That evening, we had dinner at Brett’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Rockdale. They did a special evening just for us and by then the entire crew had arrived, including T-bone, Unclebob, LA Pork Butt, Texas Larry , and their respective others, including Tbones son, Walrusking, the newest member of the Pit. We had brisket, sausage, pork ribs with creamed corn, brisket beans, and tater tot casserole. All the meats were great, but I have to put their sausage at the top, followed by the brisket and the ribs. The creamed corn was outstanding, the tater tots and beans were good. Highly recommended, go here for some really great BBQ in Central Texas.
The next day, we went to Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton. We also scouted a possible new location near there for the Meatup. And we visited horses with Lee (@UncleBob’s lovely lady). We had brisket, pulled pork, regular sausage, jalapeño sausage, and Turkey with coleslaw, beans, and Mac n cheese. The brisket was superb, with a beautiful bark and great flavor. The pulled pork was quite good, also, but needed more bark mixed in. Both sausages were good, but the regular sausage won between the two. And the turkey was also very good. The coleslaw was good, better than Mueller’s by a lot. The beans and Mac n cheese were also good. Brett’s beans are better, by a nudge. Highly recommended for some really great BBQ in Central Texas.
Last night, after 3 big BBQ meals, we decided to go to Gonzales again. Brendan lives in San Antonio and says Gonzales is on par with most Mexican places there, with the exception of La Fogata. First night at Gonzales I had the Barbacoa and this time I had the Carnitas. Both were superb. Stacy had the Enchilada Verde with chicken and said they were superb (pictured below). The tortillas are made in house. And the refried beans are top notch. Martin, our waiter, was excellent as well. And the Margaritas were big, cold, and tasty! Highly recommended also!
All in all, a great time. Stacy and I will be back soon :-)
^^^
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