Lambert's Downtown BBQ, Take A Bow!

Day: 325
High Temp: 91F (Suck it Mid-Atlantic states!)

Hello friendly blog readers.  Before I jump into my glowing review of Lamberts, let me apologize for my extended hiatus from the blog. I try my best to blog at least once a week, but the past few have been an odd sort. Between my long weekend in the Bay Area, the fervent house search, and playing single parent to a demanding, high-energy pup for a week, I have been a bit frazzled.  I promise to be better in the upcoming weeks, and actually am cooking up something fun to commemorate our 1-year anniversary in Austin (just a month away). But now, with out further ado, I give you Lamberts Downtown BBQ!

Since arriving in Austin, Tom and I have become barbeque enthusiasts. Not only have we been blessed with many out of town visitors who must be introduced to the ways of Texas BBQ, but also, we just love the stuff.  We don't buy much meat for at home cooking, and we never buy pork or beef, so visiting our local BBQ haunts is a way for us both to satisfy our protein cravings.

I had not even heard of Lamberts when our friends Martin and Kelly suggested it as the destination for our evening out.  Martin and Kelly are, as I write this, packing up their lives here in Austin to move to my beloved Chicago (you know I am jealous!)  Kelly having finished her PhD here at UT this spring, has recently been hired to the theatre faculty at North Central College. This was sort of a going-away celebration, and perhaps our last chance to really hang out and talk before they head north.

Lamberts serves up what one might call "Fancy BBQ." You read that right.  Interspersed with the well smoked meats there are a lot of french-inspired preparations.  You can order a charcuterie plate for an appetizer, the mashed potatoes are made with creme fraiche and the asparagus served with bearnaise sauce, and you can order creme brulee for dessert. Some bbq lovers may scoff at this, but I have to ask you, do you honestly think that a classically trained chef could not improve upon your favorite old family recipes? I think there is something to be said for innovation, and frankly Lamberts' pairing of classical technique with homestyle southern cooking is one of the best types of "fusion" cooking I have ever experienced.

We all started with the yummy mini-corn muffins studded with jalapenos. Tom and I then shared a salad on the specials menu which included arugula, fresh Fredericksburg peaches (local!) and a yummy, soft and runny blue cheese.  It was divine, and a nice, light way to start a meal that would quickly turn into a gluttonous feast.

For my main course, I ordered the Cold Smoked Quail stuffed with rice, and served over two homemade cheese enchiladas.  The whole thing was bathed in a delicious ranchero sauce, and topped with two diminutive fried quail eggs. Oh my word. BBQ + TexMex at it's finest.  Tom had the Brisket, which he proclaimed to be the finest he had ever eaten. He went on for days about the tender, flavorful fatty layer, which enhanced the meat. He claims that most places just can't do fat like Lamberts. Most places it ends up more like gristle, chewy and unappetizing.

The table shared two family-style sides, the buttermilk potato salad (excellent, but not as good as my Aunt Christine's) and mac n' cheese (One of the best I have had in the city thus far.) And we ended, of course, with dessert. Tom and I shared the Chocolate and Chili Pudding. This was the only let down of the evening. As far as chocolate pudding goes, this one was actually quite delicious, however, when you advertise the presence of chili, you get me hoping there will be a kick, or even just a slight, back of the throat tickle. Unfortunately, there was not even a trace of chili flavor or heat in the pudding. And come to think of it, if I am being really picky, the texture was more like a Pots de Creme than an actual American-style pudding.

All in all, the place was really delicious.  While I would happily go back for dinner (or even to try brunch) any time,  I am really keen to try the happy hour, when the bar food is half off (including Spicy Deviled Eggs and Broiled Gulf Oysters) and the drinks are $2 off.

Read what I have said about Salt Lick here.
And I just looked back through my blog and could not find a single mention of in-town favorite Stubbs BBQ. I promise to write about it next time we go! They have the BEST side dishes of any Austin BBQ I have visited so far.