Where: Austin, Texas
When: year-round
If you like: dining and drinks
Why you should go: Last year, for the very first time, the Michelin Guide turned its starry eyes to Texas, dispatching an “indefatigable” passel of inspectors to anoint the Lone Star State’s finest eats. Among their fifteen one-star honorees was a quartet of barbecue joints (a first for American ’cue), three of which reside in Austin—la Barbecue, LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, and InterStellar BBQ—making the state capital a satiating pilgrimage for those in search of smoky salvation. Line-waiting for Texas-style barbecue is nothing new, but Michelin’s gaze brought an uptick in wait times. “Just everything is different, right?” says Evan LeRoy, purveyor and pitmaster at LeRoy and Lewis, of the days that followed the Michelin designation. “The busy times are busier. The slow times are busier.”
Patience (and arriving a skosh before doors open) usually always pays off, in this case with vittles both traditional and twisty, like spicy housemade sausages and sweet-pepper-and-cucumber kimchi (la Barbecue), sumptuous beef cheeks and beef-fat potato chips (LeRoy and Lewis), and peach tea–glazed pork belly and smoked scalloped potatoes (InterStellar). CorkScrew BBQ—that fourth star holder—is three hours away in Spring, beckoning with the likes of sultry brisket, racks of pork ribs, and a queso-topped “stuffed potato salad.”
G&G tip: All meats and no sweets makes for a dull feast, so don’t bypass the dessert offerings. One example: banana pudding tiramisu with Nilla streusel from LeRoy and Lewis.
