Sam's Visit
With Sam embarking on yet another round-the-world trip, decided to join him in Dallas. Had a bit of a delay getting to Dallas the day before, but made it successfully in the end. Our friend Emily and her husband Grant live in Dallas, said hi very briefly to Grant before he ran off to work, and then it was time for lunch at Terry Black's BBQ.
Compared to all the so-called "Texas style" barbeque outside of Texas, and hell, even much of it within Texas, Terry Black's is way, way better. The beef rib is legit, with actual texture and flavor, although I think to get a lot of that flavor, they so heavily season it that the thinner membrane side of the rib ends up pretty salty. The brisket and the pork ribs are almost as good, and the sides-- we got creamed corn, coleslaw, and potato salad-- are also excellent, and so are the vibes, including the tour of the smoking pit. The only real miss was the sausage, which was pretty meh, but at least responded well to application of either the original or the spicy BBQ sauce.
In an effort to give Sam the proper Texas experience, Emily then took us next to Buc-ee's, and what is effectively the gigantic-American-roadside-rest-stop/gas station experience. Beaver nuggets, beef jerky, and the experience of cheap prices and a slice of Middle America experienced, we then headed off to the Fort Worth Stockyards for the afternoon longhorn drive. That was a both a bit smaller/shorter than I expected, and yet no less impressive. Felt a bit like a small county fair-shopping mall cross, only happening twice a day.
With traffic and evening flights back to Los Angeles to considered, ended up at In-N-Out so Sam could get his hamburger. In-N-Out is always delicious as well, so no complaints from Emily or myself with this stop. Then all too quickly, was time to say farewell to Emily and pack off to DFW, where Sam and I ended up in the decidedly elderly Terminal C, with only one security line open despite the early hour (in the evening)... and yet another delay. At least our delay had us in the brand-new pier at Terminal C, which had literally just opened a few days earlier, and was quite pleasant, if crowded.
Our rather delayed departure of American flight 1084 was smooth enough once it got going. There was a terrific lightning storm to starboard for many minutes, but our flight track was far enough away it was merely dramatic rather than dangerous, and the BBQ meal, which I had pre-ordered, was actually pretty decent. Coleslaw, plain (!) pasta, a single sausage (quality was meh), and some brisket, none of which was great, but overall, a very good meal by US domestic carrier standards in first class.