From the “life could be worse” department…
Last night found me and Tracie B at Austin’s top music destination, Antone’s, for a Doug Sahm tribute (Doug Sahm is considered by many the father of the Central Texas music scene). We were there to see legendary bluesman Jimmie Vaughan. Since I moved to Austin nearly a year ago, I still hadn’t see him play and it was a thrill to hear his Strat from the edge of the stage (one of the things that’s so cool about Austin is how the venues, even Antone’s, which is one of the largest, are just small enough that you can still hear the music directly from the amps on stage instead of through the PA). But the most amazing thing was that our friend Felice’s boyfriend Ronnie James is Jimmie’s go-to bass player and so Tracie B and I got to go back stage and meet Jimmie. Now, I’m all growed up and have met plenty of famous folks but I can’t conceal that I was downright star-struck to shake Jimmie’s hand last night. I couldn’t resist ask him about his right-hand pick-less picking and hammering technique (he’s flat-picking in the photo above with LouAnn Barton on vocals).
“That’s the Gulf Coast style,” Jimmie told me. It was created by Clarence Gatemouth Brown and was also used by Albert Collins (another native Texan and one of my personal favorite bluesmen), he said.
That’s a detail from a photo of Gatemouth, left: you pick using all your fingers on your right hand while you finger and hammer with your left hand. There is just so much great music in this town and you can hear a blues or country great on nearly any given night. Man, I love that Tracie B for bringing me here! Her cooking ain’t bad either…
In other news, the best steak frites this side of Manhattan…
Above: Steak frites at Chez Nous in Austin.
I’m dying to try the new Relais de Venise Entrecôte in New York (as reviewed by Sam Sifton in The New York Times), but there is no dearth of great red meat in Texas.
In what seems to be becoming a bad habit of mine, I played hookey again Friday after being shanghaied for lunch by my friend John. We headed over to Chez Nous with a collector friend/client of his and opened a few interesting bottles that “needed” to be tasted.
Above: The 1994 Trimbach was tighter than I would have expected but it opened up nicely with a little aeration. The pairing with the duck pâté was sublime.
Chez Nous is everything that you wish it would be: quiet, unassuming, and friendly, with solid bistro cuisine that may not win awards but never disappoints. Owner Jacques always delivers classic staples of French cuisine — the pork rillettes and duck pâté always excellent. (I don’t know where Jacques sources his bread but it’s probably the best I’ve had in Austin.)
Above: Duck liver pâté at Chez Nous — highly recommended.
The Gimonnet premier cru Cuis also paired deliciously with the pâté but then again so did the 2006 Les Palliéres Gigondas (which we tasted in honor of Kermit’s visit to Austin on Monday, since Kermit owns the winery together with the Brunier brothers).
Jimmie Vaughan and 94 Trimbach on the same day? Life would be rough if I didn’t have such a beautiful lady in my life. ;-)
Do Bianchi 
i give a hell yes to gulf coast pickin! great show :)
Sono stato da Antone’s parecchie volete (anche nella vecchia location sulla Guadalupe dove ho visto ad incontrato anche Doug Sahm) e visto Jimmie Vaughn dal vivo un paio di volte ma questo post mi fa venire già nostalgia di Austin. Yes life could be worse but if you like music it’s the best place where you can live.
Ricordo una cena da Chez Nous credo nel 1995 o 1996 con Alejandro Escovedo e Bob Mould ed il loro comune avvocato. I vini li avevo portati io, bei tempi quando si potevano portare le bottiglie come bagaglio a mano. Mi hai fatto tornare in mente un bel ricordo. Thanks.
Will have to check that place out next time I’m in Austin. The review by Sam was great…we’ll be there for Thanksgiving and are definitely headed there for a good meal!
Doesn’t Johnny Winter play that way too or am I mistaken ?
My family has been eating at the original Relais de Venise in Paris since my parents lived there in the late 1950s. On my first trip to Europe with my father in about 1984, he took me there as a rite of passage, and I just ate there with my mother on a trip to Paris last April. It is the most sublime place and I can’t believe we have one in NY now. You definitely have to check it out.
I have Texas sunset envy.
Always a big fan of Jimmie Vaughan! Love the way he can play and give somebody the finger at the same time!
This is awesome!!! That night was a blast. I’m so glad you had a great time.