Wordless Wednesday: Big'z Burger Joint in San Antonio

All Photos taken at Big'z Burger Joint in San Antonio, TX.

---

Related Posts:

• Flat Top Burger Shop, Monsterously Good
• Alamo Springs Cafe and Enchanted Rock 
• Basic Sliders
• Hot Dang, That's a Tasty Burger!

Fried Zucchini

When the summer fruits and vegetables start making an appearance every year, I almost always knock out some long-time favorites right off the bat, having been deprived of them for the better part of a year. Tzatzkiki, squash and pepper fritters, fried green tomatoes, cold peanut noodles, bhindi masala, refrigerator pickles, BLTs, and Country Captain with Peaches, to name a few, always show up on my plate.

Travaasa BBQ Bash for Foodways Texas: the State of Barbecue and the Stories It Tells

I woke up yesterday to discover I had won tickets to the Travaasa BBQ Bash benefiting Foodways Texas and sponsored by Texas Monthly. I hardly ever win anything, so I get pretty excited on the rare occasions when it happens, even when I've won something kind of lame. Luckily that was far from the case this time around since I'd be treated to barbecue from Snow's, The Granary, Killen's, and Salt Lick as well as drinks from Deep Eddy Vodka, Hops and Grain, Rahr and Sons, and Saint Arnold. Score.

My friend La Bandita and I scrapped our plans to drive out to Opie's that morning, figuring we should save ourselves for the feast and that Opie's would still be there later. Being one of the most flexible people I know and pretty much always game for anything (one of many reasons we've been friends since we were 12), La Bandita was of course completely fine with this and ready and willing to gorge on free food and drinks with me.

So later that day, we found ourselves at Travaasa, a hill country spa/resort that neither of us can afford to visit otherwise, wandering around their new farm and inhaling the perfume of smoking meat. Humidity aside, it was completely pleasant and relaxing, and I found myself musing on the reason for the bash, Foodways Texas, on recent goings-on in the world of barbecue, and how they all relate to each other.

Marshall Ford Swing Band

Red Neck Sushi, After Rooster's Roadhouse in Denton, TX

I spent 14 years of my life in a little college town north of Dallas and Fort Worth called Denton. You may have heard of it. If not, you should learn more about it. There is just something about it. I have joked about it being some kind of magnetic vortex through which all things must pass at some point or another. If you are reading this from say, Slovakia, this theory may not hold any water, but in my universe that's how it works. Those 14 years were highly formative, and where ever I go, there is something that links back to Denton somehow. I often feel like I am person with somewhat wandering roots, with a heart devoted to several places, and Denton is one that I am still fiercely loyal too.

It's changed a lot since I moved away in 2004, like many places change (especially those with vitality and near large cities), but I have spent a lot of time there post-move. Our restaurant choices were pretty sparse back then, and there's been a sort of food renaissance that's occurred. There are some places that are better than others, but there are real honest-to-goodness choices now, with a slew of local spots once you truck it off of the interstate. One of those places is Rooster's Roadhouse.

Deckhand Oyster Bar Rocks

It's as simple as that.

Paul Qui likes it, so it has to be good right? This has been on my list to try for a while, but the Round Rock location has kept me away until now. I figured it would be similar to Quality Seafood, which it is in terms of having a totally unassuming, somewhat unmemorable atmosphere and a menu that covers all the fried seafood and Cajun basics, but Deckhand has a leg up in a couple of areas. Owned by a Thai family, there are a few Thai flairs on the menu, Tom Yum seafood soup (the perfect hang-over food, as the menu says) and papaya salad for example. And the oysters—which is what we were there for—are noticeably better.

I'd read that Deckhand harvests their own oysters, and when I asked John, our very friendly waiter, where they came from he told me they were all harvested near Rockport from Aransas Bay, Copano Bay, San Antonio Bay, and Galveston Bay. According to him, the quality difference is a combination of where they are coming from, timeliness, and how they are shucked (zero grit here).

Now before you go hating on gulf oysters (I understand, I have done it in the past, but really, there are generic gulf oysters, and there are non-generic gulf oysters), keep reading. We ordered a dozen to start with. Plump and creamy with a subtle but distinct sea salt flavor to the brine, they were mild but certainly not bland. None were as salty as those that come out of the cold seas of the northeast, and off-season (warm weather) oysters are generally not as full-flavored as cool weather oysters, but these were really flavorful. I'd been reading about a resurgence in specialization in the Texas oyster industry, but hadn't had a chance to sample any before (see end of post for links to suggested reading). I would love for Deckhand to go a step further and actually designate the appellations for them (just so I can nerd out and try to learn to differentiate between them), but I was very happy to finally try this place.

Meatless Monday: Summer Vegetable Sandwich with Chèvre

It was a hard weekend of sleeping late, going to the movies, swimming, drinking beer, and occasionally staring into space. I am still reveling in the fact that I finished all my projects and honored my obligations as of the end of May. This was my first weekend outside the whirlwind. By the end of it, as you can imagine, I was so exhausted I just couldn't manage to cook still feeling so lazy I didn't want to cook. But I had a kitchen overly full of fresh produce that was beckoning to me, so I whipped up the humblest of all lazy meals, a sandwich... made fancier of course by putting chèvre on it rather than just plain old goat cheese.

AFBA Bites and Bloggers Party for BlogHer Food Conference 2013

Sous Chef Monica Senclair and her team from Congress

Last night the Austin Food Blogger Alliance hosted a meet and greet called Bites and Bloggers on the rooftop of Wholefoods. While not officially part of the Blog Her Food conference, the party was intended to welcome out-of-town bloggers, showcase many of our best local female chefs, and provide an opportunity for bloggers, both local or otherwise, to get to know each other.

agua fresca + ancho and chipotle hamachie crudo with
pickled peach, avocado, and basil from Monica Senclair of Congress