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| Meat Fest at Salt Lick |
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| Piling it up and pairing it with some local beer. |
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| Was too busy eating to remember to shoot a pic of the food. But basically $50 a person! |
A few weeks back I had the pleasure of 72 hours in good ol' Austin, Texas. Flying over with RL to visit the lovely KC we spent 72 hours drinking, dancing, shopping and eating. The highlights of the Lone Star State? George teaching me the 2-step at The Broken Spoke, the "Urban Cowboy" and the meat fest at Salt Lick BBQ.
The following week I was back in the UK and with JB-P in tow we headed out to the relatively new Pitt Cue BBQ in Soho. I've been complaining for years about the lack of good 'cue in London - and with a lot of hype around this place (and queuing outside for about 2 hours - the place has about 4 tables) I was hoping to get me some seriously tasty meat.
So - in the end how did they stack up? I've broken it down into a few categories...
Best Meat: Winner - Salt Lick. Even though Pitt Cue's brisket and pork ribs were super tasty - they paled in comparison to Salt Lick. In particular the brisket - it's the stuff of legend.
Best Sides: Winner - Pit Cue BBQ. Clearly the focus at Salt Lick is on the meat - the sides are standard (basic potato salad, beans, white bread) and play second fiddle. Contrary to this, Pitt Cue puts it's sides at centre stage. Vinegary slaw and pickles, baked beans with lots of hammy essence, burnt end mash (creamy mashed potatoes topped with crispy ends of the brisket), grilled sourdough. And while waiting at the bar? Deep fried pickled shitake mushrooms. Sounds weird. Tastes phenomenal. Pitt Cue is definitely aiming for the gourmands here.
Best Drinks: Tie. Salt Lick is BYOB which adds to the authentic feel. Eating some 'cue and drinking local Texas beer - definitely can't be topped. That said, the yuppy in me can't deny Pitt Cue's great job at the whiskey cocktails. They mix them up strong and tasty - throwing in egg whites and pickled beet juice where necessary. Plus the bartender kept giving me samples to try...which means they started to taste even better and better...
Cost: Winner - Salt Lick. It's not even close here. Salt Lick was "all you can eat" - yes this is partly why everything is bigger in Texas...and even when finished we were given a massive plate to take home. In contrast, Pitt Cue - adding in the yuppy Soho factor, the bill came out at around 3 times as much as Salt Lick. That said, until something better comes around -I'll definitely be back when the 'cue craving comes back.
