For years I've flown down to Texas a couple times a year, for the BBQ, and always go to 'Top 50' listed places, and bring some back to keep in the freezer to smoke up the entire home by lightly microwaving just a narrow slice of brisket.

Beef Butter BBQ does not have the same highly-variegated brisket, with colors ranging from a black rind to different shades of pink and brown that falls apart if you even look at it, or glistening pink/red ribs that explode with wood smoke flavor at every tight but supple bite, but they still do many things well.

I probably should have been sure to ask for fatty brisket, but among the 3 meats the lean brisket (not what I crave) had a pleasantly crumbly consistency, a touch of red on the outside monochrome dark inside, and I packed most of it up to take home and use in a pasta. The pork ribs were disappointing as they were grey and flabby, with anonymous flavor. But I thought the tips were great - - they were fatty enough to capture the flavor of the smoke, had great texture, with black barky housing red flaky tender inside and touches of fat that really rounded out a real bbq treat.

The coleslaw was chill and chewy yummy and a great complement to the meats; the white mac & cheese is not full of individual flavor, but instead is creamy lumpy fun that also works brilliantly to offset the rich darkness of the meats.

The people are great, the prices are really what you should expect for these types of meats in this age, and it is a unique and distinctive meal in Madison, Wisconsin.

After basing in Hamburg I needed a source for distinctive and interesting third-wave beans. Read great reviews from multiple sources, and their dedication to small lot farmers and fair trade coops is admirable (hence the 2 stars). Went to the roastery in an semi-industrial district and asked at the window what they would recommend for pour-over, and admitted that I often add cream. The Ecuador he recommended is OK, though definitely in the lowest 20% of the beans I've bought in the last year. Then he suggested I also try a darker roast as well for my pour-over - - one with an ape on the package, and it is undrinkable. No aroma; outrageously bitter. I've tried blending it with other things but it ruins any other bean. You get a lot of coffee for your money at Quijote, but not if you have to throw away the entire bag.

To me, this is the tastiest boudin in all of Louisiana. The balance of meat to pulverized rice is perfect, but it is the deft spicing that puts their link in another galaxy. It is a bright, complex flavor that is a satisfying whole, each bite a joy. That is for their regular boudin - - but they also have smoked, boudin, a nah cheaux (nacho) boudin, a ghost pepper boudin, a pepper jack cheese boudin - - the full range of their meats and sausages in their meat case is staggering. Fantastic butcher, great place - - though so out of the way it misses the I-10 tourist parade. Giant array of spice mixes available for sale too. Worth any kind of pretty detour, often along some real pretty highway.

On the annual boudin run down to Cajun country heard about Beaucoup and it is the real deal. The boudin is made with care in small batches with a solidly excellent meat over rice ratio and a nice touch of green onion (no liver). This is classic boudin, made with love and dedication, and a fun, friendly place to stop in. It is right off I-10 just south of the LA-3177 exit, and it is a pretty stretch of highway stilted over the Atchafalaya basin - - worth the trip in itself. At the Henderson exit there are some inferior boudin places trying to lure in the first hungry travelers off I-10, but Beaucoup is light-years better. Taking the roundabout route back through Butte La Rose is a pretty stretch of country road too.