Urban legends, barbecue, ice cream, and the UFC

After some work, I headed to my first--and only--panel of the convention.  The topic, "Urban Legends in the Age of Fake News," didn't excite me, in part because I refuse to accept the notions of alternative facts or a post-truth era.  Nonetheless, the panel seemed to entertain its audience, and the discussion moved along reasonably quickly, so I left feeling okay about the endeavor.

Lunch afterward took us to the Smoke Shack, a local barbecue joint that proved to be quite good.  We opted to share multiple dishes, including the brisket Frito pie, brisket mac-and-cheese, and brisket grilled cheese sandwich,

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as well as a two-meat sampler of brisket, sausage, mac-and-cheese, and creamed corn.

Every single dish was delicious, with the standalone brisket being the weakest link.  It was better than any brisket back home, but worse than yesterday's brisket at 2M.  The standout was the terrifying and life-threatening brisket grilled cheese sandwich, which was flat-out delicious--though obviously unhealthy.

After talking with friends, I retreated to my room to catch UFC 217, from the prelims to the PPV.  The only bad news was that I missed the first half hour of the prelims, because the football game on Fox Sports 1 ran long and the hotel didn't offer Fox Sports 2, which is where the Fox Sports programming gods moved the UFC. 

I had a great time watching the fights, which were uniformly strong.  The room-service dinner was passable--almost everyplace can manage a Cobb salad--and the fight card truly was great.  All three championship fights went to the challengers in great battles that ended in finishes. 

As a further treat, tonight I get an extra hour of sleep (well, we all do, but I do, too)!  I love that treat.

On the road again: Austin, day 2

Work dominated the day, so of course I cannot discuss most of what I did today.

Lunch was a treat:  family style with clients and colleagues at the The Salt Lick Round Rock.  I was too full from dinner to eat much, but the bits I tasted were, as always, excellent, and they kept the ice water coming. 

Dinner was also special:  a meal with friends at Barley Swine, a South Austin restaurant I first learned about in an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.  The food was creative and adventurous, and no dish was worse than tasty.  Quite a few of the small plates felt a bit over-thought, but I still enjoyed them.  It wasn't a top-drawer meal, but it was a good one, so I recommend it, though almost as much for its ambition as for its execution.

As luck would have it, in the building to the left of Barley Swine sat Lick, an organic, locally-sourced ice cream shop.  I tried a small with three tiny scoops:  dark chocolate, orange chocolate, and vanilla bean with strawberries.  All the flavors were rich, and the cream was light.  I recommend it to anyone  who loves ice cream. 

Tomorrow, more meetings!