Austin. Although it is home to the arch-enemy of the fightin’ Texas Aggies, I still love this city. The common motto is “Keep Austin Weird”. The residents are doing a fine job of that. I must tell you that any place that has a public statue memorializing Stevie Ray Vaughan has my respect. They know something special when they see it. The live music here is among the best anywhere.

Eclectic food. Perhaps unrivaled in the number of trailer restaurants, Austin delivers a tasty variety very affordably. Although “Frank” is not a trailer restaurant it has a niche offering.

http://www.hotdogscoldbeer.com/eats.html

Here’s what I had this afternoon.

Pearl beer. I didn’t think they made it anymore. It claims to be Texas’ oldest beer. Pearl was a much maligned beer by Texans I grew up with, but I must say this is a pretty good drink for $1.00. (We waited 15 minutes for happy hour to kick in.)

My dog. I elected the “pork it” option for my Chicago Dog. That means they split the Vienna beef dog, stuff it with white American cheese, wrap it in bacon and deep fry it. Then, they build the Chicago Dog which consists of a poppy seed bun, the Vienna beef dog (prepared as described), pickle, tomato, onion, day-glo relish, sport peppers (those “sporty” yellow things on top), celery salt, and mustard. About 965 calories a bite.

My girl, Cici, went for the plain dog with sauerkraut and onions. (The healthy option). It looked great but how could I have missed out stuffing a hot dog with cheese, wrapping it in bacon and deep-frying it? I might not get that opportunity again.