I loved my time at the University of Texas in Austin. I’m not a cold weather person at all, so it was hard for me to take advantage of everything my undergrad had to offer, being as it is in Hanover, New Hampshire (where it snows, like, half the year).  I spent most of my time in my dorm room with my radiator turned to high and my heating blanket covering me.

But I was more than happy to be out and about in Austin.  It never snows, and it gets nice and hot … just like a native Houstonian (or close enough, taking into account the suburbs) like me likes it.  As a result, if I’m going to wear school colors, I pick burnt orange over green every time, even though burnt orange can be incredibly difficult to wear.  I’m always on the look-out for something that does burnt orange well, and this Victoria Beckham dress totally fit the bill.  I think having a little white to set off the orange helps, so I was loving the white leather straps on this dress that buckle in the back.

And speaking of Austin, one of the best things about that city is the barbecue.  When I was down in Houston this past week, I filled up on TexMex, but I didn’t get my barbecue fix.  Next time, I need to plan a stop by Austin so I can hit up my three favorite barbecue joints there:

1.  Stubb’s.  This place is hands-down my favorite because the barbecue sauce is so fantastic it could inspire poetry (and I am NOT a poet, so that’s saying a lot).  Thankfully, Stubb‎’s started bottling the sauce, so as long as I can get my hands on a brisket in Los Angeles, I can sort of recreate its glory.  Of course, I’ll still be missing the sides, especially the fried okra (because, really, what’s good Texas barbecue without fried okra?).  Stubb’s is also a live music venue, so you can have a great night out with only one  stop.
2. The Salt Lick.  Stubb’s wins because of that sauce, but if you’re looking for the strongest meat … tender and filled with flavor-flav … you’ve got to call it for The Salt Lick.  (Frankly, the holy grail of a barbecue dinner is meat from The Salt Lick with a bottle of sauce from Stubb’s.)  The downside of The Salt Lick is that the original location is far (and Austin does not have Uber).  Once a friend of mine got stranded there (actually, he went to the bathroom, and we didn’t realize it and left without him … OOPS!), so he needed to hitchhike back to Austin.
3. Ruby’s.  Located right near the UT Drag on Guadalupe, Ruby’s is the strongest combination of meat, sauce and sides.  The barbecue is served on butcher paper, the sauce is super-spicy (like Texas barbecue should be) and the mustard potato salad (which I think is the only legitimate kind) is fabulous.  Famous folks headed through Austin always seem to stop here.  My cousin tells a story of David Lee Roth stopping in, and when people commented that they didn’t recognize him, he said … in a way that only David Lee Roth could … that he was “a cat in urban disguise.”  My cousin told him that if he wanted to stay in disguise, he should be careful not to open his mouth to talk.  So very true … I know Sammy Hagar would disagree, but few people have the charisma of David Lee Roth.

Okay, now I’m starving …