I own a small town bar and grill in the heart of Nowhere, Texas. My name is Mac McIntyre. My bar and I play host to the numerous characters passing through. First there's Hank, a well-known country and western star, who employs Jerry, a highly skilled and just as highly paid chauffeur. I've always wondered why a chauffeur would study Zen philosophy and every form of martial arts, but then again, I guess it's none of my business. Then there's Hank's sister, Sam, who just moved in, much to the disdain of Noreen, the resident air-head with a knack for sleeping around and hating girls prettier than her. Of course, I have no complaints against Sam, I owed Hank one. Besides, it's been a while and I needed a new waitress anyway, not that I'm trying anything. And Juan, the young boy living just over the border, can't be here every day to help. His English isn't even that great. Then there are the rest of the residents of my bar here at the crossroads, all just trying to enjoy a drink without having to kill each other, or maybe just Noreen, first. I've already been to Vietnam. I don't want to fight in any other wars. Author Bio: I was born in West Palm Beach in the same hospital six years after Burt Reynolds. Raised in Miami until I was 18, I then relocated to Cape Canaveral in '61-62. I studied engineering, but became an entertainer during the folk music craze. I don't know how, but the Original Seven astronauts sort of adopted me and before I knew it, I was an entertainer for the next 25 years. No matter where I was singing, my boss would receive a call from one of the astronauts to let me off long enough to be booked into the Cocoa Beach Ramada Inn lounge, where I appeared for every flight from Mercury through the last Apollo mission. I've lived in Los Angeles for almost 20 years, while on the road most of that time, and played in clubs from San Diego to Prince Albert, Sask. Canada (in the dead of winter, I might add.) I've been married 27 years and now reside in my husband's hometown of Jackson, Ms. keywords: Ghost Town, Saloon, Old West Opera House, Harley Davidson, Mystery, Love Story Texas, Dallas, Country Entertainer, Country Music

In stories, recipes, and photographs, James Beard Award–winning writer Robb Walsh and acclaimed documentary photographer O. Rufus Lovett take us on a barbecue odyssey from East Texas to the Carolinas and back. In Barbecue Crossroads, we meet the pitmasters who still use old-fashioned wood-fired pits, and we sample some of their succulent pork shoulders, whole hogs, savory beef, sausage, mutton, and even some barbecued baloney. Recipes for these and the side dishes, sauces, and desserts that come with them are painstakingly recorded and tested. But Barbecue Crossroads is more than a cookbook; it is a trip back to the roots of our oldest artisan food tradition and a look at how Southern culture is changing. Walsh and Lovett trace the lineage of Southern barbecue backwards through time as they travel across a part of the country where slow-cooked meat has long been part of everyday life. What they find is not one story, but many. They visit legendary joints that don’t live up to their reputations—and discover unknown places that deserve more attention. They tell us why the corporatizing of agriculture is making it difficult for pitmasters to afford hickory wood or find whole hogs that fit on a pit. Walsh and Lovett also remind us of myriad ways that race weaves in and out of the barbecue story, from African American cooking techniques and recipes to the tastes of migrant farmworkers who ate their barbecue in meat markets, gas stations, and convenience stores because they weren’t welcome in restaurants. The authors also expose the ways that barbecue competitions and TV shows are undermining traditional barbecue culture. And they predict that the revival of the community barbecue tradition may well be its salvation.

Presents stories, recipes, and photographs of barbecue cooking in the South, recording the pitmasters and legendary joints that make this food culture famous.

The free-spirited, unpretentious Texas Hill Country is a treasure. Central Texas is an unpretentious, free-spirited region filled with treasured taquerias, hallowed music venues, juicy BBQ, and revered natural wonders. A non-stop schedule of cultural festivals makes for year-round revelry. Explore San Antonio's pedestrian-friendly River Walk, legendary Alamo and historic Mission Trail. Austin's internationally recognized music scene keeps feet tapping and its parks, trails, and swimming holes offer endless recreation. Take a carefree road trip through the Hill Country, past vineyards and wildflowers, to towns brimming with gourmet restaurants and relaxing B&Bs.

Making its debut in March 2014 is the premier book on Texas Hill Country Cuisine. Cabernet Grill's owner/chef Ross Burtwell's biggest source of pride is in the partnerships the Cabernet Grill has forged with local farmers, vintners and entrepreneurs. This allows the restaurant to offer guests outstanding Texas food and wine. This book is the "take home" version of the restaurant experience and encapsulates everything the Cabernet Grill has come to stand for. Spectacular cuisine. Texas wine. Unforgettable flavors. -- Author's website.