In Photos: Austin's Booming Food Scene
Related: Best Places to Eat Like a Local
There are always 164 people in line at Franklin BBQ; I suspect there may be some city ordinance requiring this. That Aaron Franklin is justly hailed as Austin’s finest pit master is all the more impressive for a 36-year-old ex-punk-drummer who stumbled into the craft. “I was a professional beer drinker and rock-and-roller, playing music full-time,” he says. “I had zero barbecue experience until my mid twenties. When I cooked my first brisket, I actually had to search ‘how to cook brisket’ online.”
The full story, this way.
1 of 18
Ribs, brisket, sausage, and sides from Franklin BBQ.
1 of 18
2 of 18
Chef Paul Qui sears yellowtail on binchotan charcoal for his new restaurant, Otoko.
2 of 18
3 of 18
Behind the bar at the popular Mezcalería Tobalá.
3 of 18
4 of 18
The pits at Franklin BBQ.
4 of 18
5 of 18
Paul Qui (right) with Yoshi Okai, the head chef of Otoko, in the dining room of Qui.
5 of 18
6 of 18
Head butcher Julia Poplawsky at Dai Due.
6 of 18
7 of 18
Monkfish liver nigiri from Otoko.
7 of 18
8 of 18
Chef Thai Changthong at Thai-Kun, one of Paul Qui’s East Side King food trucks.
8 of 18
9 of 18
Contigo coowner and chef Andrew Wiseheart (left) with co-owner Ben Edgerton.
9 of 18
10 of 18
Contigo’s outdoor patio.
10 of 18
11 of 18
“Waterfall pork” from the Thai-Kun food truck.
11 of 18
12 of 18
Slicing the brisket at La Barbecue.
12 of 18
13 of 18
South Congress Avenue.
13 of 18
14 of 18
Meyer-lemon-braised octopus with smoked sweet potato at Lenoir.
14 of 18
15 of 18
Practicing the two-step at the White Horse honky-tonk.
15 of 18
16 of 18
Pork belly and watermelon radish from Uchi.
16 of 18
17 of 18
Tyson Cole, chef-owner of Uchi and Uchiko.
17 of 18
18 of 18
Chef Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ food truck.