There's a growing movement about town these days to "keep Austin wierd." Well, one has to look no farther than our own local monument to kitzche, the delightfully goofy and eclectic Rudy's Country Store and BBQ. I should point out, however, that wierd and good, as in good tasting, are not incompatible. In fact at Rudy's, it's all part of the charm.

Rudy's manufactured cornucopia of wierdness [the gas pumps, the picnic tables, their "Worst BBQ in Texas slogan] works because the BBQ is generally terrific. Their cooked meats are done over oak fires, as opposed to the more common mesquite. They use a dry rub with their infamous "sause" available on the side. And it sure as heck works for me.

To order at Rudy's, you work your way through a winding turnstile till you get to the counter. I like it that the guy who takes your order usually has a little bit of attitude. Well, sometimes too much attitude. You hunker down at a picnic table with a giant sheet of wax paper as your base and spread your grub and your sides out in front of you. Ah, and what grub it is.

The moist brisket is, in my opinion, simply marvelous. The meat is incredibly juicy, with that awesome, smoky flavor that brisket lovers crave. Either on a sandwich or just eaten with a fork with an occasional dip into the "sause", the moist never dissapoints. And you'll always find a slab of pork loin on my wax paper as well. The texture of this pork is as it should be: cut with a fork tender and the taste is very comforting. I will also invariably get the Baby Back Ribs. The mat falls easily off the bone on these, and the flavor is uncompromising. I can blast through a rack faster than Lance Armstrong doing a one mile time trial. And how about the sausage? The cool thing about the sausage at Rudy's, aside from the great taste, is that the casings don't go rigid on you after a few mintues out of the fire. This is a critical point to sausage fans who will know what I'm talking about. And the turkey breast, for those who must watch the fat intake, is tender and has a nice flavor.

One true measure of a BBQ joint is the quality of the sides. And Rudy's delivers. Their creamed corn, while a bit pricey in my opinion, is flat out etheral. I have not had any better. The new potatoes in a drawn butter sauce are excellent. And the cole slaw is a pleasing concoction of slice cabbage and the appropriate condiments. It has a nice flavor.Of course, you can load up with onions, pickles, peppers and all that good stuff at the serving bar before you get to your table.

Top it all off with some traditional banana pudding and you've got yourself a veritable feast.

Rudy's has locations in Round Rock and on Research and at Capital of Texas Highway near Barton Creek Mall where we are today. There is no pretense here, just fun and flat out good food. And after you've filled your proverbial food tank, why not stop and fill the old gas tank as well. How's that for one stop shopping? Yeah, if this is kitzche, then bring me more.

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