Monday, April 2, 2012

R.O.'s Outpost


SPICEWOOD: R.O.'s Outpost
22112 Hwy 71 W
Spicewood, TX 78669
512-264-1169
Open Tues-Sat 11-9
www.rosoutpost.com

Update: This joint is CLOSED.

2012: I've never had to do this, but here's a post-mortem review. R.O.'s closed soon after my visit, so I won't beat a dead horse too much. The visit started with a friendly chiding of my attire since I'd chosen to wear a Franklin Barbecue shirt on this day.



Brisket was very smoky, but dry and lacking even simple seasoning. The meat was tough, but not as tough as the ribs. Lacking smoke and suffering from a gloppy sauce, the ribs were tough to separate from the bone. The excellent okra began to make up for it, but no apologies were needed when you can make pie like these folks. I hadn't planned to get any dessert until I heard someone order the jalapeno-apple pie. My ears perked and I grabbed a slice. The crumb topping and sweet filling stood up well against the restrained spice from the jalapenos. This was not a gimmicky pie, but instead a lesson in how to combine spice and sweet. It also got extra points for not being a comically overstuffed apple pie. It had enough integrity to be eaten in hand, and I did. Every last bite.



As a left I was asked how their barbecue compared to the best in the entire universe, again referencing my Franklin Barbecue shirt. The answer was not very well, but I'll definitely miss the pie.

Rating **

No comments:

DISCLAIMER:

Each joint is judged on the essence of Texas 'cue...sliced brisket and pork ribs. Sausage is only considered if house made. Sauce is good, but good meat needs no adornment to satisfy. Each review can only be based on specific cuts of meat on that particular day. Finally, if the place fries up catfish or serves a caesar salad, then chances are they aren't paying enough attention to the pits, so we mostly steered clear.

-THE PROPHETS OF SMOKED MEAT