12/30/15 Salt Lick On A Tuesday Night Hit The Spot?

    Eventually, I talked to my old buddy who I was best man for in his first marriage.  We said Merry Christmas, and all that good stuff.  He is actually divorced from that first wife and at the moment in a relationship with a woman who seems quite nice.  We both decided we should try to get together sometime during the holiday.  I do love me a good buffet, so I quickly suggested Salt Lick.
    Salt Lick is an institution here in Austin.  They do have a menu and one could order two or three ribs on a platter, but the fun way to eat there is to order family style.  It is about $25 per person.  This option opens it up to get as much brisquet, ribs, and sausage as you can handle.  They also provide beans, cole slaw, and mashed potato, along with a fat bread that is excellent.
    My buddy and his girlfriend got there a few minutes before we did.  They were out checking the winery when we parked and walked on in.  She comes into the relationship with two kids and he has three, but one is out of the house.  We had our two boys with us, so we got a table for ten.  It was a little crowded for the ten of us, and were too close to the fire, so it was very warm. 
    His girlfriend had a bottle of wine already open from the winery.  They offered me some, and I did not want to be rude, so I helped her drink the whole bottle.  I started getting a buzz about the time the meat started showing up.  There is nothing more delicious than the first plate of that meat when one starts eating.  I love the whole crispitty outside, the lightly sweet flavor of the sauce.  The problem is that the meat is never ending and by the fourth plate, I am so full, I am contemplating throwing up.
    If we did anything smart, it was eating earlier than normal.  We were there by 5:00pm, and probably eating by 6:00pm.  We talk often enough that he knows who the key people in our lives are and even my folks walked through his new house, meeting him on one of their visits this year.
    After we finished, we had enough leftovers so both of us could bring home some trays.  I decided I was still buzzy and now was so full I decided to jump in the back seat with Chubs.  I cracked the window open just to get some coolness on me.  Falling asleep on the way home, made it easy to not feel the pain of overeating.  We stopped at Home Depot on the way home to get a couple space heaters and then went home.