Austin: Black's Barbecue (July 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Black's Barbecue for lunch in early July 2013, after visiting nearby Kreuz Market. We wanted to get a taste (literally and figuratively) of two famous barbecue joints, and the experiences were very different, although both delicious! Black's can get quite crowded, even though they provide some overflow seating outdoors. You dine at tables covered with red-and-white checked plastic tablecloths. This is a restaurant where you add the sauce yourself. You first load up a plate with sides from a buffet-type station (there must be 20+ sides from which to choose, including desserts), however, be careful, because your plate is NOT weighed by the pound, as we expected, but by the number of sides that you choose. So if you took a spoonful of 10 items, you would be charged 10 times, regardless of however small or large the amount of one item that you put on your plate. Next, you order your meat, which they cut to order, then serve on a paper-covered plastic tray. Finally, you pay (they take credit cards, which are necessary because your total bill can be pricey!). We ordered two beef ribs (enormous, Fred Flintstone-type brontosaurus bones) and some prime rib (which seems like it sells out and/or is not always offered) and two drinks, and our bill easily exceeded $35 without the addition of any sides! However, the beef rib was something to see - in fact, it was something we had never seen before (or since) - so it was worth the price.