Saturday, September 26, 2006: Bert's Bar-B-Q (Austin, Texas)

After parties of 15 and 10 the previous two outings, just two of us manned up at Bert’s Bar-B-Q in Austin. Shoulda known we wouldn’t have a big turnout, since UT had a home game. Even so, Brad and I made the short trip to Mopac and Far West for Man Up’s first trip to Bert’s.

After losing their building to a fire, Bert’s moved to a shopping center, so the atmosphere is, safe to say, not what it used to be — assuming it used to be something better than a strip-mall restaurant. Plenty of UT paraphernalia on the wall, if you’re into that; but the ambiance is not a reason to visit.

The food was pretty good for being within the Austin city limits, but Rudy’s is certainly a better bet for BBQ in Austin. The ¼-chicken dark was the best thing I had, but the portion was way too small. The pork ribs, turkey, and brisket were all fairly solid, if unspectacular. The turkey was not dry, like it is at many of the places we visit; and the brisket was moire moist than it appeared. Bert's cooks their meats with an indoor rotisserie; and, maybe I'm imagining it, but the pork ribs at the places that use a rotisserie are just not in the same league as ribs from a smoker or open pit. Such was the case at Bert's: ribs were good, not great. Finally, Bert's offers wheat bread, in addition to the standard white, which is a plus.

Drew’s scores – Brisket: 8.2; Pork ribs: 8; Chicken (1/4 dark): 8.8; Turkey: 8.5; Atmosphere: 5; Overall experience: 7.5

Brad’s scores – Brisket: 8; Pork ribs: 8.5; Beef ribs: 8.35; Atmosphere: 7.75; Overall experience: 8

Overall Man-Up Score: 7.75