Category Archives: Brooks

Austin, Brooks, Events, Feature, Student Life

Next Stop… More Barbecue

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Back on the Central-Texas Barbecue Trail, my next stop was the world-famous Franklin BBQ. A relative newcomer to the barbecue scene compared to the longstanding Salt Lick, Aaron Franklin opened up shop in 2009 in a parking lot in East Austin. It wasn’t long before it was being hailed as the best barbecue in central Texas, and as I’ve related in my other posts that’s really saying something!

So close to BBQ!

After talking about going all semester, a group of us MPAs decided to go on the Saturday before Thanksgiving since there was not a lot going on school-wise during that short week before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. In what was probably the worst weather we will experience here in Austin, we set out to Franklin at about 10:00am.

Upon arrival, we immediately recognized that our theory of “since the weather is so bad, there won’t be that many people waiting,” was not only shared by many others, but also was most definitely incorrect. Even with a temperature in the 30s with light rain sprinkling randomly, there was a line winding through the parking lot almost to the next block. A hostess came through the line to ask what we were going to order and she let us know that the estimated time of arrival at the front of the line was about 1:00pm.

I’m gonna eat that right there 🙂

If you make it to Franklin BBQ, make sure you bring friends because you won’t want to just order a sandwich. You can order by the pound, and after a three hour wait you would have wasted your time to only get a personal plate. There were six of us, so we ordered 4 pounds of brisket, 2 racks of pork ribs, and 1 pound of sausage.

I’m not sure if it was the wait or if I was just happy to be inside out of the horrible weather, but as we started to feast on the smorgasbord of barbecue, we all knew that it was worth it. The brisket was far superior to anything else I have tried in Texas, and the sausage was incredible. There were several options for sauce on the table, and they liberally handed out white sandwich bread that we could use as a vehicle for transporting the barbecue to our stomachs. All in all, Franklin BBQ did not disappoint even with the unusually long wait – if you’re in Austin, you’ll have to make time for Franklin in addition to Salt Lick!

Austin, Brooks, Student Life

MPAs Work Hard, Play Hard

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Hook ’em! Some of us MPAs in between tailgating and going to the game.

Work hard, play hard. It’s a cliché used by many groups to identify the fact that yes, their path is difficult but it doesn’t stop them from partying. Of course, I can’t speak for the entire class of MPA students, but I think it’s a stereotype that applies here as well.

Since I like to start with good news, let’s first delve into the “play hard” bit. If I am honest with myself, I have to admit that an important factor in my decision to come to UT over other master programs in accounting was the cultural amenities Austin has to offer. I knew that I couldn’t be happy in a sleepy, encapsulated small town or a suburban concrete savanna. Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World and a thriving mecca for wandering hipsters from all over America. The city’s unofficial (maybe official?) slogan is “Keep Austin Weird” which, turns out, is more of a plea to newcomers not to try and shape the city into their preconceived notions of a cool city. Instead, the idea is to be weird yourself and be a cultural contributor.

I have had the good fortune to spend some R&R time with my fellow MPAs in Austin. Most recently, a sizable group of us went to 6th Street on Halloween night. There were tons of people in the streets, closed down to traffic for the night. 6th Street can be a fun party any time of the year as well. Tailgating before football games has also been a good way to unwind on the weekend before watching our (now ranked!) Longhorns play on our home field.

Possessed by Paul James, a talented local musician I saw at the Scoot Inn with a fellow MPA.

Catching some great live music is one of my favorite things to do, period. Having lived in Nashville and New Orleans previously, I am no stranger to a good music scene, and Austin definitely has a great music scene. There are some great venues on Red River and also on East 6th Street (as opposed to the aforementioned and affectionately dubbed “Dirty” 6th Street).

I suppose I should get around to the “Work Hard” part. Being that UT’s MPA program is the top ranked program of its kind, you can be sure that we work hard. The result will be our technical competence in our field, which is one of the reasons grads of this program are highly sought after. When we aren’t partying, we spend a lot of time studying for our upcoming exams, completing homework assignments, group projects, and case studies. That’s not even including all the recruiting events we attend throughout the year.  All this hard work we put in towards earning high marks definitely earns us the right to party.

Stock photo of some really intense studying, much like that which can be found in the University of Texas MPA program.
Brooks, Career, Uncategorized

LinkedIn, or LinkedOut?

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LinkedIn is the quintessential social network for the modern business professional. It is basically Facebook for the business world, right? I have to admit that I do not use it to its potential, but there is a profusion of bloggers and would-be self-helpers who optimistically point out the 10 steps to success with LinkedIn. They would have you believe that it is the key to an effective business networking effort, but I am not sure I completely buy it.

Personally, I believe that the key to business success is personal connection. It may be argued that LinkedIn provides an additional avenue to connect with those who you know in the professional realm. Certainly, it is a good alternative for those who wish to keep their Facebook a little more casual. To me, you are not really making a personal connection with others on LinkedIn, but you are instead solidifying an existing professional relationship. This may not always be the case, but still there is some value to that.

Some argue that there’s really no point – they use it to keep up with old co-workers and may eventually enjoy its potential, but feel like there is little use for the average Joe six-pack. Further, this guy claims that it is impossible to forge a meaningful relationship with anyone on LinkedIn who has the ability or willingness to further your career. Those who are successful are not hanging around on LinkedIn waiting to give you a leg up.

Others, alternatively, point to the potential opportunities to be seen by recruiters who notoriously comb the site looking for an experienced new hire to fill voids for firms all over the world. Recruiters are known to scour LinkedIn for public accounting employees with a few years of experience, hoping to scoop top talent from the ranks of Deloitte or PricewaterhouseCoopers. In fact, that’s why I have kept my LinkedIn profile maintained – to be ready for when recruiters start looking for people like me. Also, the MPA Career Services team has pointed out to me that there is a Texas MPA network group on LinkedIn, which I searched around to get a feel for what MPA grads were doing on down the road as I was feeling out my recruitment strategy.

The reality is that LinkedIn does have some value, but I do not agree that it is some key to success. I still firmly believe that the ability to form personal relationships is the most valuable resource for successful people.

 

 

Austin, Brooks

Central Texas Barbecue Trail Part I

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If you weren’t hungry already, you probably are now.

In the first installment of my Texas barbecue quest, I wrote generally about the differences between Texas and Memphis barbecue styles. Now it’s time to talk about some real live Texas barbecue.

For my first foray into Texas barbecue, I didn’t want to be disappointed so I went after the best I could find. There are a few local favorites, but I ultimately decided on The Salt Lick. The Salt Lick is a central Texas institution located about 45 minutes southwest of downtown Austin on a nice spread of land in Driftwood. In 1967 Thurman Roberts built their first pit to supply locals with great food using family recipes passed down since just after the Civil War. From there, popularity grew and now the full-service restaurant seats over 800 patrons.

When you first arrive, you feel like you are entering a ranch. After driving through country roads for a bit, the entrance to Salt Lick is obvious and bounded by its own vineyard. Since it is a BYOB establishment (!), and us being a fresh group of MPA students enjoying a beautiful Saturday, we carried our beer to the hostess stand and were immediately seated. Right as you walk in, you see what all the fuss is about. The pit is there to greet you and lay out your options in plain sight. It definitely didn’t make choosing what meat to eat any easier.

So, as you can tell, at this point I am pretty excited about eating some barbecue. Since I’ve heard brisket is the centerpiece of Texas barbecue, I went with a combo platter of burnt brisket and ribs (to compare to my Memphis ribs, of course!). It wasn’t long before our meals arrived. The ribs were “fallin’ off the bone” good and a formidable match for the legendary Rendezvous ribs in downtown Memphis. The brisket came in three styles, but after hearing the description of the burnt brisket, I had to try it first. It was caramelized to perfection. On top of that, the tangy sauce meshed perfectly with everything. Yes, this is as good as or better than West Tennessee barbecue.

While you’re in Austin, you have to try The Salt Lick. You will not be disappointed! There are a few other places I’ve heard about and still need to get around to trying, such as Franklin’s and la Barbecue. Nonetheless, I am now a believer in Central Texas Barbecue!