31
May

Austin Trek Part 3: the Boots

Foodways_AllensBoots

Elizabeth Karmel and me outside our Mecca.

No trip to Austin is complete without a pilgrimage to Allens Boots, the premiere resource for cowboy boots and fashionable western apparel. Their huge selection of Lucchese and Old Gringo boots is unparalleled.

We shopped ’til we dropped and even outfitted Keith Schmidt with several pairs of boots. Then Keith became my personal shopper and his eagle eye spotted these:

Foodways_StingrayBootsI prefer men’s Luccheses as they fit me best. And hidden in plain sight, on a higher shelf in the men’s department, were these stingray beauties. They were custom made for a man who never picked them up. And now they are mine.

Allens has continually updated shopping site where you can shop by brand, size, etc. And if you make your way there in person, ask for Ryan or Rebecca. They are both extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Tell them I sent you!

We didn’t have much time for other shopping this time around, but we did pop into Uncommon Objects, a large antique emporium in which you can get lost for hours, and Heritage Boots, another fine boot purveyor. Both are highly recommended stops.

Read more about my Austin trip: Part 1 and Part 2.

30
May

Catering to the Pawn Stars

PawnStars_2

We get some pretty exciting opportunities in our Las Vegas outpost, Memphis Championship Barbecue, and the recent gig we did for Pawn Stars was a thrill. For the upcoming season, they contracted Lynrd Skynrd to come up with a new theme song and they wanted a big party with hearty food to showcase the song and kick off the season. The 250-pound pig shown above was the centerpiece.

Sidenote: In Las Vegas you actually go out to a pork farm and point out the pig you’d like to take home. This was Erick’s {our Las Vegas pitmaster} first trip to the farm and he chose an unusually large pig. We had to cut off the hooves and part of the legs to fit it on the pit. I’m guessing he’ll probably go a bit smaller next time. Nonetheless, it was one fine pig and the end result was delicious.

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The gracious cast, crew, and band couldn’t say enough fine things about the food and they mingled and posed for photos, too.

PawnStars_3The new season premieres tonight, May 30, 2013. Tune in and listen to the new song … and perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse of Mike and our crew, too!

Are you a Pawn Stars fan?