Howdy, Folks-
Let’s do this Phoenix thing. If you are in the area come out to Stand Up Live on May 3rd. I’m doing one show and I’ll bring some stuff. It will be great. I haven’t done standup in that area in a long time. Love Arizona. I have family there. I’m looking forward to the desert.
Thank you, Austin! The Moontower Comedy Festival was a tremendous success. It was their first year and they did a hell of job. All the shows were great. They treated me good and I really appreciate you all coming out. I also had a great time hanging out with all the other comics, some I hadn’t seen in a long time. I was able to see Steven Wright live for the first time and that was really fucking special. Love that guy. It was really the most organized and well-run festival I have ever been involved with. Congrats, Moontower! I hope I see you next year.
Let get to the meat of the matter -- BBQ. When I go to Austin the challenge for me seems to be how much slow-cooked meat can I load into my being before I leave either Austin or this mortal coil. The shameless shoving of cooked pig into my face is something I only do in BBQ towns. Austin is a big one. I usually go to a place called Sam’s but the last few times I was there they were shut down for stolen meat, which is better than bad meat. They were open again and I went there my first day out. It wasn’t the same. There was no love in the place, the brisket was tough and the guy working there complained for about 10 minutes about being unable to keep flies out of the joint. It’s the only place I’ve ever been that has BBQ mutton which was great but not enough to get back in there. I kept hearing about this place Franklin's as being the best in town but the rest of description involved waiting in line for hours and they may run out of meat. Fuck that. I heard the same about the guy who taught the guy who owns Franklin's so I thought fuck that, too. I had driven out to Salt Lick on another trip—didn’t love their sauce. I didn’t want to go to Lockhart because it was another mythic joint that was played out. There is part of the BBQ thing that makes you want to find the secret best place that no one really talks about or knows. I found it, for me anyway.
I was rambling on about Sam’s to some locals and some large woman in a wheelchair that looked like she might be in it because of eating too much BBQ suggested Opie’s in Spicewood.
It already sounded amazing—just the name. Me and my buddy Josh drove out on Highway 71 about 40 minutes and came upon this place and I just knew it was the shit. We walked in and a guy rushed up to us and asked, “Do you want to see your meat?” He opened this large cylindrical tank next to the door and said, “Pick it out.” There were Pork Chops, Links, Brisket, Beef Ribs, Pork Ribs and Pulled Pork. I had never been to an open casket BBQ joint before. It was amazing. Here are some food pics.
On the show this week, a poolside chat with Chelsea Handler on Monday and my hotel room chat in OKC with Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips on Thursday. Hope you dig it all.
Love,
Maron
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