Finger lickin' good...

Mr. C and I had our second date at a restaurant called Hill Country BBQ in New York.  It had opened earlier that year, and on our first date I had mentioned I really wanted to go there but I hadn't been yet.  So, he smartly offered it up as our second date location.

Image via Collingswood Foodies

After a funny meet up at their front bar (Mr. C admitted later that he actually didn't recognize me (!) and it took him a minute to determine that yes, I was the girl he was looking for), we had a blast listening to some live music and eating delicious BBQ.  It is still the most authentic Texas barbecue I've had outside the state - in fact, they actually fly their jalapeno-cheese sausage up from Kreuz Market in Texas!  (For any of you homesick Texans in DC, they also opened a Hill Country location there last year!  Go!  Hurry!)

Our love for BBQ is one of the reasons why we thought Austin would be a great wedding location.  Though Mr. C isn't from Texas, he definitely loves some Texas food.  When we chose Pecan Grove as our location, we knew for sure our BBQ vision would come true!  We cannot wait to have a delicious meal of Salt Lick brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and some good ol' white bread and butter.

Image of tasty Salt Lick BBQ via Cooking Matt

That photo actually makes my mouth water.  Who needs boring old wedding standbys of chicken/steak and whipped potatoes, when you can have serious bbq deliciousness?!

And we even get one of my favorite desserts - peach and blackberry cobbler, which comes complete with a memory of my childhood, Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Image of Salt Lick cobbler and ice cream via Bayside Ramblings

Blue Bell is "the little creamery in Brenham," and each time I go home I usually pick up a pint of their Buttered Pecan just to have a little bit before I head back to the east coast.  (Full disclosure: Hill Country BBQ also carries Blue Bell!  It's a little taste of home whenever I need it...but they haven't had Buttered Pecan yet when I've been there.)

Image via Felt and Honey

I hope our guests enjoy the Salt Lick experience as much as I know Mr. C and I will.  I think we might need to buy bibs, or aprons, or something, so we can chow down!

Is the food you are serving at your wedding close to your heart?