For frequent Hyatt House guests (more than 30 nights at Hyatt House a year) they’ll receive the following extra benefits as part of their new Very Important Resident (VIR) Program:

A $10 food and beverage credit to use in the hotel bar or the market.

Free laundry service.

A welcome amenity (in addition to any Diamond amenity)

Grocery shopping service:  they’ll stock your fridge prior to arrival.

Hyatt House will be tracking profiles to customize stays for these frequent travelers.

While there’s nothing I would call game changing here, these benefits are nice enhancements for frequent patrons of the brand.  And, the only reason they’re not really game changing is because Hyatt already offers a solid extended stay product.

And, a Diamond guest who also has 30 nights at Hyatt House will actually receive 2 amenities (so, you could choose points and get a welcome amenity).  That strikes me as a nice plus.

Hyatt House is also upping its game for all customers.  They’re in the process of rolling out made-to-order omelets as part of breakfast service at all properties.  You can see a full list of Hyatt House properties here, which includes a current list of who has deployed the new breakfast.  Looks like they’re about halfway done.

Here’s the bottom line for me.  Extended stay brands generally aren’t in the business of innovating.  But, this is one of the pluses of Hyatt’s commitment to brand research.  These tweaks should help make the product more rewarding for guests and should engender more loyalty.  One of the things I’ve heard Jeff Zidell, the VP of Hyatt Gold Passport, say often is that their loyalty program is not a revenue center.  It’s purpose is to foster loyalty, and Hyatt seems to be moving in the right direction again with these changes.

I’ve gone a few more rounds with the PointsHound site and have encountered a few bumps and bruises along the way.  Nothing earth shattering, but definitely rose to a level of annoyance that would probably prevent me from continuing to use the site on an ongoing basis.

When I made my initial set of reservations I wasn’t able to get the exact date range I was looking for.  Not a PointsHound issue, just a function of a sold-out property.  A short while later my preferred property was showing availability for my required dates, so I zipped back over to PointsHound to adjust my reservations.

It took a minute to figure out where my existing reservations were.  There’s really only one tab to interact with on the home page.  The choices didn’t seem intuitive to me, but a quick click on “My Account” lead me to my list of existing reservations.

There’s a “Bookings” section on that page with all your pending reservations.  I’d already made the reservation I needed, which meant I just needed to cancel the old reservation I had for the incomplete set of dates.  I found that reservation amongst my list of pending reservations and tried to cancel it.  Oddly, it was the only reservation that didn’t have an itinerary number listed.  I got an error message asking me to call an 800 number.

I was only on hold for a brief moment before I was connected to someone who tried to help me.  At this point I had 4 existing reservations but I only wanted to cancel one.  The gentleman I was speaking to tried to cancel all of my reservations.  I quickly stopped him from that and tried to give him the details of the one I wanted to cancel.  It was a bit difficult since there was no itinerary, but after a few attempts it seemed like we were on the same page.  Unfortunately, he told me he couldn’t cancel it and he’d need to connect me to someone else.

A few more minutes on hold and I was connected with a second person who asked me to confirm that I wanted to cancel all of my reservations.  It seemed like I was starting at the some point again and needed to unwind the same ball of twine again.  After about 5 minutes more she and I agreed on the correct reservation.  A minute or so later she had my reservation canceled and had sent an e-mail confirming the cancelation.

As I sit here today, the reservation I canceled still shows as an active booking on PointsHound in “My Bookings”.  I think I’m fine because I have an e-mail from the site telling me they canceled my reservation.  But, I chewed up about 15 minutes dealing with this.  No question that’s more time than I want to commit for the miles PointsHound is offering.  I’m going to give it a few more tries before I make an informed decision, but so far I can say that YMMV (at least it has for me).

Related articles

• Launchpoint Contestant Review: PointsHound
• LaunchPoint! Frequent Travelers Vote On New Innovations In The Travel Industry

There are a few terms and conditions to consider. First, this only appears to be valid for “Good Buy” offers, not all hotels and rates.

Second, it needs to be a minimum of $150.

I’m not a huge fan of Travelocity, or OTAs in general. If I were going to recommend one, I’d recommend PointsHound.

But, $50 is still $50 if you’re looking for an affordable hotel room.

That makes the winner Michael H.(oldfox) who left the comment “I would love the pass. I have never used Internet during a flight! Imagine that!”.

I’m sure you (and Gogo) will be very happy to experience inflight internet.  It’s pretty darn awesome.  Drop me an e-mail at ed at milepoint dot com to claim your prize.

JetBlue has the unique distinction of being the first airline to announce something about fee increases that got me excited.  JetBlue raised their change fees but waived those fees for all members of their elite level, Mosaic.  You need 30 segments & 12,000 TrueBlue points or 15,000 TrueBlue points to qualify for Mosaic and get these fees waived.  That’s a pretty awesome amount of flexibility.

One Mile At A Time discusses how to get American to allow you very liberal routing for their awards.  American has been exceedingly generous for as long as I can remember with their routing rules if you’re willing to take the time to figure it out.  As oneworld continues to grow and they publish more fares in between city pairs American’s routing rules, IMO, make AAdvantage miles more valuable.

Mommy Points has a nice breakdown of how to make sure you’re earning miles for all your shopping needs.  For the infrequent traveler, credit card spend is usually the biggest vehicle for mileage accrual.  If done correctly (and without a lot of effort) choosing where to shop online can be a very lucrative way to leverage your credit card spend.

I’ll be posting over the weekend, but I won’t be posting on Monday during the tech updates, so look for a fresh delivery of Pizza on Tuesday!

My upgrade out of Washington-Dulles cleared right at 100 hours, the earliest upgrades clear for Executive Platinum members.  I pre-selected the beef tenderloin salad for lunch.  American has been rolling out new benefits, including the ability to pre-select your meal on most domestic flights. I’d heard others tell me that the flight attendants hadn’t been practicing this on a regular basis or weren’t getting the information.  So far, I hadn’t had any issues but today was a good test.  I didn’t get much sleep the night before and airplane engines have this wondrous effect on me, they put me to sleep!

I dozed through meal service and woke up as the flight attendant was collecting everyone’s trays. She spotted that I was awake just about as soon as I woke up and came over to greet me.  Before I could really say anything, she noted that I had selected the beef tenderloin salad and she was holding it for me.  Great!  It was a bit different from the beef tenderloin salad I’d had the last few weeks with teriyaki ginger dressing and udon noodles.  This one was more savory, lightly crusted with herbs.  All in all, I think I prefer the tenderloin with ginger dressing and this steak was cooked a bit more than I like it.  But, a solid airplane meal none the less.

My second flight was DFW-SFO.  This one did not clear prior to getting to the airport.  I wasn’t expecting it to, Friday night to San Francisco and all.  In fact, if there was a segment to miss, this was the one.  It looked like I was going to miss the upgrade by one seat earlier in the morning.  By the time I got to DFW things looked a bit worse as that seat had been taken (not sure by another EXP or someone buying a full-fare coach or First seat).  I was meeting a colleague at the gate as we were both flying on to SFO together, though on separate records.

I got to the gate a few moments prior to boarding and the gate agent was calling my name (always a good sign).  I had scored the upgrade (yay!).  In a random moment of kindness, I gave the upgrade to my colleague who towers over me at 6’5″ and didn’t have a great seat due to no status.  The gate agent saw what I was doing and immediately found me a bulkhead aisle seat, so things wouldn’t be all that bad for me on my second flight.

Since a decent amount of time has passed between my last visit to coach, I hadn’t seen the new menu.  Another nice benefit Executive Platinum members receive is a free alcoholic drink and food item in coach.  I took a gander at the new menu.

Nothing earth shattering and I wasn’t super hungry after the tenderloin salad.  I chose the cheese platter which hit the spot.

I’ve had 29 flights on American Airlines this year.  Counting these two upgrades today I’m still 100% for the year, 29 for 29.

Compare that to my United experience this year.  If my math is correct, I’ve missed 4 upgrades on 10 flights.  That’s right in line with last year’s upgrade percentage on United, though a much smaller sample size so far this year.

I’ve had wi-fi on both flights, gotten a ton of work done.  I’ve enjoyed good food and good snacks, though I passed on the free wine since I need to drive when I land.  Some of my fellow business travelers decry me for connecting on flights when I could fly direct on United.  On this specific flight, United was over $400 more for the flight.  I highly doubt I would have cleared a Friday evening hub-to-hub flight on United.

Just about midway through the year and I’m happy with my decision to try to focus more on American.  They recognize my status, upgrade me and provide good service (and even provide me the occasional snack when I choose to sit in coach).  That might not be the case in the future, but it is now.  And, that’s just fine with me.

Hyatt is dropping two more pins on the map in places where they’re currently a bit under served.

First up, construction is under way for a new Hyatt House in downtown Salt Lake City. Hyatt has a few properties in Utah but only one downtown, a Hyatt Place.

I’d rather see a full-service property like a Hyatt Regency, but I’m glad to see more presence in downtown.

Limited service/extended stay is an area I think Hyatt has an edge in its competitors. I was having a discussion with some friends this weekend about Hyatt as it relates to this. Virtually all Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels are new construction now. The existing properties that were converted are all imminently going through renovations. That means the vast majority of time you find a Hyatt Place or Hyatt House it will be newer and more modern (and have a better list of benefits, IMO).

The quality of their limited service and extended stay products outweighs the fact that they lag behind their competitors in the sheer number of properties. And, while Hyatt’s smaller, part of where the big chains dominate in sheer numbers of rooms is by having 3 or 4 properties in a much smaller market. Having 3 old, tired properties in a secondary market versus one new property is not an equal proposition, IMO.

Hyatt will also be adding a full service Hyatt Regency to the Amsterdam market. They already have an Andaz that’s on my list to visit and they’ll be adding a Hyatt Place later this year. A Hyatt Regency is a nice addition to this market.

Related articles

• Hyatt News And Notes: New Properties, New Amenities

Southwest started a promo back in February that award double points AND double tier qualifying points through May 15th.  It appears they decided to extend it yesterday for another month and I’m not exactly sure why.

That means the following earning levels continue for another month:

Wanna Get Away Fares:  12 points per dollar instead of 6.

Anytime Fares:  20 points instead of 10.

Business Select Fares:  24 points instead of 12.

The double tier qualifying points count towards A-list or A-list preferred status.  If you’re a regular Southwest flier, both of these have reasonable benefits.  A-list members (35,000 tier qualifying points or 25 one-way flights) earn:

A-List preferred members (70,000 tier qualifying points or 50 one-way flights) earn all the above benefits plus a 100% earning bonus and free wifi.

If you were flying Southwest enough to earn A-List preferred status, the 100% earning bonus and free wifi add up to substantial earning/savings.

The thing I don’t get is why Southwest decided to extend this promo.  They’re now awarding heavy bonuses for part of the summer travel season.  And, while Southwest generally has pretty good fare sales throughout the year, they don’t specialize in promos that earn more points.  I can’t remember something like this in quite some time, though they’ve only had the new program format a couple of years.

Could it be that Southwest has decided to ramp up its pursuit of business travelers even more?  When they came out with Business Select fares they solved some issues business travelers were concerned with.  They essentially created assigned seating by always guaranteeing Business Select passengers they would be one of the first people on the plane.  They’ve now added wi-fi and have had priority security lane access for a while.

By awarding double tier qualifying points they have to be assuming they’ll grow the ranks of their elite members.  And, ordinary double points is a heck of incentive for the casual flier based on Southwest’s flexibility to book any flight using points.

The summer travel season is generally busier and more expensive.  There’s been a few comments that things are just a little bit cheaper this year but I still expect most planes to be full this summer.  Extending this promo into part of the summer season is great for consumers, I’m just not sure why Southwest is continuing to be so generous.

HT: Deals We Like

• A good collection of tools is essential if you want to earn and burn miles and points effectively.  Some tools get used every time you’re dabbling around with an itinerary.  Others are picked up infrequently but fill a very specific niche.  A new tool by Wandering Aramean seems to fit that bill.  The distilled description is a tool that allows you to search for award availability to….anywhere.  It allows you to search award inventory without specifying all the cities in your itinerary.  Pretty cool.  I can’t wait to find some dates in my schedule to give it a try.

• View From The Wing has info on a 3-day 75,000 point sign-up offer for the AMEX Business Gold Rewards Card.  If you’re in the market for a solid sign-up offer, this is a good opportunity to consider.

• Hack My Trip outlines ideal strategies for one of my favorite travel perks, elite upgrades!

• Finally, The Weekly Flyer has details on a 1,000 mile sign-up bonus for the US Airways Dividend Miles dining program.

As you can see, the promo runs from May 13th to July 21st, 2013.  That means you might be able to squeeze in some bonus points on summer leisure travel.

I value Club Carlson points at about a half a cent a piece.  That makes this bonus worth about $50 in Club Carlson points earned extra per stay.  While that’s nothing to sneeze at, it certainly wouldn’t be enough to get me to switch from the current Hyatt promo, which is certainly more rewarding for my travel patterns.  And, I would still rank the current Starwood promo ahead of this Club Carlson promo, though behind the Hyatt promo.

Club Carlson is really a tale of two continents.  In the US, Club Carlson is mostly limited service and non-luxury hotels.  Your points go further but the properties aren’t aspirational.  The exact opposite is true in Europe.  Aspirational properties at higher redemption numbers.

Bottom line?  A good, if not spectacular promo from Club Carlson.  If you have stays planned at Club Carlson properties over the next couple of months, they just got more rewarding.

Remember, it’s always best to register for these hotel promos even if you’re not planning a specific stay.  It’s free, and you run the risk of having plans change and forgetting there was a promo you could have taken advantage of if and when your plans take you to a Club Carlson property.

Thanks to Loyalty Lobby for pointing this one out.

Related articles

• Starwood Announces Their Next Promo A Bit Early, Offering Both Double Points And A Mobile Booking Bonus
• Hyatt Announces Their Spring Promotion
• Hilton’s Spring Promo More Rewarding For Weekends

I’m giving away a free Gogo pass today. Pretty straight forward. For those that don’t know about Gogo, they provide in-flight wi-fi on a number of airlines:

• Air Canada
• Airtran
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta
• Frontier
• United
• US Airways
• Virgin America

This one is pretty difficult. Just leave a comment on this post and I’ll randomly select someone on Friday, May 17th.

ETA: corrected date.

Good luck!

If you send me a picture, you’re giving me the right to use it as part of the blog.  I won’t send it anywhere else, but I am going to publish a bunch of the pictures.

Some of the pictures I received so far gave me a good chuckle.  I figured I would share just a couple.

Thanks to Alexander for this submission, with his puppy Tascha.

And, this next one is from Mike, who believes if he had a suitcase his wife might not try to stow away so often.

That suitcase is definitely over the weight limit.  More to follow this week.  Keep those pictures coming!  Don’t forget to enter!

I’ve been a Briggs & Riley guy for quite some time.  Briggs & Riley isn’t as big as Samsonite but they’re not a small player either.  My two favorite Briggs & Riley pieces are part of the Transcend collection, the 22″ carry-on and the rolling cabin bag.  I also really like that the handle sits on the outside of the suitcase, leaving a flat bottom for packing.  A few of my fellow travel enthusiasts decry this, saying it takes away some valuable space.  I actually find I can get just as much in my carry-on because I can fold everything neatly without having to navigate two bars running through the bottom of my bag.

And, my favorite Briggs & Riley benefit is their lifetime warranty, including airline damage.  If you can break the suitcase, they can repair or replace it.  If they can’t fix it, they’ll replace it.  I’ve had two instances where I needed to avail myself of the warranty.  I brought it into a store and my repairs were completed quickly.

Briggs & Riley has decided to jump into the hard shell case market with a pretty cool entry, the TORQ line.  Similar to Rimowa, these are hardside polycarbonate spinner suitcases in a few different colors and sizes. They’re also priced competitively to the Rimowa.  The International Carry-on is listed at $479 on their website and a couple other places I looked to compare prices.

One of the things I think is unique and useful about the TORQ is a front panel that allows you to store some items in the front of your bag for easy access.  I don’t think I’ll be putting my iPad in there anytime soon but I think it’s a great place for me to keep my liquids.

I’ve never wanted to venture into the polycarbonate spinner world because I’ve always enjoyed the comfort of knowing Briggs & Riley would stand behind my suitcase.  I also tow a backpack on my suitcase and I have yet to test a spinner that handles a backpack well while still rolling straight.  The TORQ says it does just that, so I’m willing to give it a try.

And, I’m giving you a chance to try it! I’m giving away one TORQ International Carry-On Spinner.

How do you win?  2 different ways:

1.  Send me a picture of the suitcase you want to replace.  I’m talking your actual suitcase.  No stock pictures, nothing from Google.  I want a picture of your suitcase.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be beat up, but it’ll give us a good chuckle if it is.  I’ll select a handful of pictures and put them up in a post for people to vote on the winner.  Send those pics to ed -at- milepoint dot come no later than Friday, May 17th.  Then, get all your friends to come vote for you!

2.  Once I have the voting post up, make sure to vote and leave a comment on my site.  I’ll randomly pick one voter and award them a $50 Amazon gift card.

Hyatt is converting an existing property in the Cherry Creek market of Denver to a Hyatt Place.  This used to be a Loews.

There’s already a number of properties in the Denver market but they don’t have a limited service presence in downtown.  While I enjoy the Hyatt Regency in Denver, I think adding a limited service Hyatt property closer to downtown is a definite plus here.

They’ve announced a Hyatt Regency in Uzbekistan, scheduled to open in 2015.

Expansion in Northern India with Hyatt Amritsar.

And, 3 new properties in Saudi Arabia coming up.

On a separate note (and a positive one) for Diamond members of Hyatt’s Gold Passport program, Hyatt has formally announced the expansion of choices for Diamond welcome amenities internationally.  This was announced on Milepoint a bit over a month ago, but they’re now sending out e-mails notifying all Diamond members.

More choices is always better.  I suspect this is one of those technology issues that Hyatt has been dealing with in terms of being able to more effectively implement benefits consistently across all properties.

I definitely regard Hyatt as my favorite chain right now, and Hyatt Diamond as my favorite hotel status.  Seeing Hyatt continue to expand globally is a welcome sign.

Q:  I’m not a member of the Lufthansa Miles & More program.  Why do I want this card?

A:  There are a few reasons, but the bottom line is Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance which means these points can be used for flights on any Star Alliance carrier.

The offer:

Earn 20,000 miles after your first purchase

Earn an additional 30,000 miles after you spend $5,000 in the first 90 days after you open your account

There’s a $79 annual fee, but there’s also an annual companion ticket on Lufthansa.  If you find any value at all in the companion ticket that should more than cover the annual fee

The Star Alliance network is currently the biggest network in the world (though oneworld will do some serious catch-up when US Airways drops from Star and joins OW as part of the American merger).  That means you can use your Lufthansa miles to do any of the following:

Book a domestic US ticket on United.

Book travel from the US to Europe on Lufthansa, United or other Star Alliance carriers.

Book travel from the US to Asia or anywhere else the Star Alliance travels.

So, how to go about using those 50,000 miles?

You can book a couple of domestic coach tickets.  60,000 miles (an additional $5,000 spent on the card or 5,000 Lufthansa miles from another source) gets you a coach ticket between North America and Europe.  Or, if you’re a bit more adventurous you can save up some Lufthansa miles for business class and first class tickets on Lufthansa (they have a great product for both, IMO).

There aren’t a ton of sign-up bonuses if you are trying to amass points to use on Star Alliance carriers.  The majority of the United credit cards are issued by Chase which generally means you only get the sign-up bonus once.  The Lufthansa Miles & More card is issued by Barclaycard, which has been reasonable with approvals as of late and gives you an extra chance to add points for a relatively low minimum spend.

Keep in mind you can also use these points for one or two tickets of a family trip and book the rest using United miles, though you’d be on two separate reservations.  Combining miles from different carriers in the same alliance is a great way to leverage free travel for the whole family.

I don’t think this is the best card for everyday accrual of miles to use on Star Alliance carriers, but 50,000 points is a nice bump for any collector of miles and points!

50,000 mile Lufthansa sign-up offer.

I do receive a small referral credit if you are approved using the link in this post.  This is currently the best offer I’m aware of for this product and I do appreciate your support.

TSA saw a need when the original iteration of CLEAR became popular. Whether they saw that need because of CLEAR or on their own doesn’t really matter.

The initial roll-out had bumps and bruises and wasn’t widely available. But, it was a starting point. It was just a few airlines’ customers invited at that point, but it grew to most of the major domestic carriers.

Then, they added the ability to qualify for Pre-Check if you we’re a Global Entry/Nexus member.

Added to that was an expansion to more major hub airports. Then secondary market airports.  Finally, there was a robust list of places you could rely on Pre-Check. But, there were still complaints.

And, they started integrating with CLEAR, making for a super experience in their test airport, Denver.

People were upset that they didn’t know ahead of time if they would qualify for Pre-Check on a specific flight. They said this mitigated the time savings because they still needed to plan for a full security screening.

The TSA addressed that by rolling out a pilot program notifying people on their boarding passes if they qualify.

Critics also noted they couldn’t use Pre-Check on international itineraries. So, TSA rolled out that ability as well, albeit on a limited basis right now. Scott McCartney, who writes the Middle Seat for WSJ has a bit more detail.

Pre-Check isn’t perfect. But, the TSA took an idea and continued to make changes, improving the program at every step. I have no reason to believe there won’t be more improvements/expansion in the future.

If you haven’t found your way into Pre-Check yet, what are you waiting for?  If you haven’t been invited by an airline to enroll, sign up for Global Entry. It’s only $100 for 5 years and will change how you think about security and customs clearance for your travels.

Related articles

• TSA PreCheck Expanding In Memphis, Austin, Cleveland and Raleigh
• Meh. CLEAR Coming To San Antonio

1.  More integration with TSA Pre-Check.  They did this in Denver recently and it makes a nice difference when the Pre-Check line is a bit long on the morning.  As TSA expands the number of eligible passengers for Pre-Check, the lines have gotten a bit longer.  They definitely move a ton faster and are more convenient than a regular line, but the CLEAR integration in Denver makes life easier in the mornings.

2.  More airports rolled out as part of CLEAR.  They’re only in a handful of airports which makes the value proposition a thin one.

That’s why I was excited to see this subject line in my inbox, “CLEAR’s newest airport is…..”.

Bleh.  Non-event.  Sure, I go through San Antonio a couple of times a year.  But, I have yet to see anyone in line at security.  Even at peak times.

CLEAR is valuable, but not relevant.  They need ubiquity quickly in the domestic US or I’m afraid it will die.  Again.

Related articles

• TSA PreCheck Expanding In Memphis, Austin, Cleveland and Raleigh

American Airlines AAdvantage:

30 miles per dollar from FTD.  Elite members of the AAdvantage program earn an extra 100 miles per order.

30 miles per dollar from 1800-Flowers

United Airlines Mileage Plus:

30 miles per dollar from FTD

US Airways Dividend Miles:

25 miles per dollar from FTD

20 miles per dollar from Teleflora

25 miles per dollar from 1800-Flowers

Delta SkyMiles:

30 miles per dollar from 1800-Flowers

30 miles per dollar from FTD

The Ultimate Rewards portal has an FTD offer that appears to be 15X.  While I do highly value my UR points, I don’t value them anywhere nearly as high as some of the values you’ll see from the other programs listed above.

Do something nice for your mother/wife/mother-in-law/grandmother while doing something nice for your mileage balance!

Related articles

• US Airways Shopping Portal Offering Up To 100% Bonus Miles
• 200,000 Bonus Miles For 5 Flights As Part Of The American/British/Iberia Joint Venture

Just over a week ago I had a scheduled trip to fly in to Austin.  I had a scheduled lunch before a drive to San Antonio.  Austin is one of those cities where I’ve rarely (maybe never) had a bad meal.  My lunch partners chose a nice restaurant where I enjoyed a great fresh lunch and headed on my way to San Antonio.  But, then the magnetic pull of BBQ took over.  It was a bit coincidental that my good friend Gary had posted earlier in the day about his most recent foray to Lockhart, TX, a very small town South of Austin that’s been described as the epicenter of BBQ.

What to do at a time like this?  Well, I called Gary and asked for directions to his favorite haunts in Lockhart.  Luckily, he answered.  Shortly thereafter I showed up at Black’s.  It was recommended as one of the more consistent (if not necessarily best) BBQ joints in Lockhart.  I was showing up later in the afternoon so I was a bit nervous that the meat might not be at the peak of freshness.  That wouldn’t be an issue.

I took quick cruise around Lockhart before ending up at Black’s.  I knew I was close to good BBQ because I saw the first wood pile.  Good BBQ doesn’t happen in an oven with gas or electric.  You need a slow fire with quality wood that transforms normal every day cuts of meat into slices of heaven.  To do that every day, you need a lot of wood.

There’s not much of a “main drag” in Lockhart.  Even so, Black’s wasn’t on anything you could consider the main road in town.  I did see a big sign that pointed the way and pulled up moments later ready for lunch #2.

I walked inside and faced a cold buffet line to get started before I got to the counter where they served the BBQ.  Since this was my second lunch, I had only one purpose and it didn’t involve anything on the cold buffet.  I considered snapping a picture of it for a moment but the anticipation of a plate of ribs and brisket got the better of me.  To the meat counter we go!

Take note of the top left part of the menu board.  Lean brisket?  I don’t think so.  Some fat, please.  And, definitely have to add some ribs.  Hmm, while you’re at it, let’s add some chicken.

It’s a simple enough ordering process.  You tell the folks at Black’s how many ribs you want (or slices of brisket), they throw it on a scale and charge you appropriately.  Shortly after, I was sitting down to enjoy that plate full of anticipation.

Knowing this would be my second lunch in less than 2 hours, I worked strategically, starting with the brisket.  Brisket is “make or break” for me with any BBQ joint.  It needs to be juicy and at least a little bit fatty.  I started there, figuring if it was dry I had the ribs to rescue me.  But, the brisket was great.  Easily one of the top 5 briskets I’ve ever had.  Unless you’re really watching your cholesterol, I’d always order the “with some fat” brisket.  You can cut around the fat if you like but it does enhance the flavor.

I moved onto the ribs next.  They were interesting.  Dry smoked, at first blush I thought they were too dry.  But, the meat melted right off the bone in my mouth.  Finally, I conquered the chicken.  Chicken isn’t usually something I target when I order BBQ.  Nothing against chicken, but brisket and ribs are the cornerstones of my barbecue feasts.  The chicken was outstanding.  Easily the best BBQ chicken I’ve ever had.  A bit smoky and yet incredibly juicy.

The restaurant had located a bottle of BBQ sauce on the table but it turned out there was no need to moisten anything or drown it in sauce.  Everything had a great flavor and was still moist.

There are definitely two camps of hardcore BBQ fans.  ”Sauce” and “You’re nuts if you put sauce on BBQ”.  I generally fall into the second category, though not a diehard.  My general feeling is if the ribs and brisket can’t stand up on their own without sauce, I probably won’t go out of my way for another meal at that restaurant.

After wolfing down my meal I got up to waddle to the car before my food coma set in and I couldn’t drive.  I snapped a few pics on my way out of Black’s.

As you can see, Black’s is very informal.  Circa 1960s metal folding chairs, plywood table, checkered table cloths.  Paper towels and a few condiments, but other than that just real estate to devour BBQ.

I walked out of Black’s smelling just a bit smoky even though I washed my hands well on the way out.  I had a new appreciation for Texas BBQ after this stop, and I’m sure I’ll be back to draw my own comparisons of various Lockhart BBQ joints.  This is serious barbecue.  No holds barred, nothing fancy, just great food at the epicenter of the BBQ world.  As I climbed into my car I was a bit mournful I didn’t order some sausage as well.  Just more motivation for a future stop.

On the way out of town I took one more tip from Gary.  He mentioned that he had driven a brand new highway when he was there, one not even on Google Maps.  I was sure he was joking, but sure enough, nothing popped up on my Google Maps where he said the highway was.  Just as described though, a brand new highway to nowhere popped up on my way out of Lockhart.  The cool thing for me was the speed limit sign.

I wasn’t entirely sure where the road led, but I figured it was likely I’d end up in San Antonio at some point if I headed South.  Lockhart itself is an out of the way place.  Once on the highway, I think I saw all of a half dozen cars, each of which passed me like I wasn’t even there.  It’s the only time I can really recall being in the Internet Age and having exactly no idea where I was going but was perfectly happy with the drive.

This was a toll road nicknamed the “Pickle Parkway“.  It was devised as a way of dealing with all the congestion between San Antonio and Austin, of which a reasonable amount can be attributed to NAFTA.  All the toll points were automated and I never slowed down from the time I got on the highway.  Just 4 straight lanes of asphalt and concrete made for an easy, quiet drive and some time to digest my second lunch of the day.

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