When I was in Victoria a couple of weeks ago, I tried a new barbecue restaurant a friend had recommended—Big Mo’s BBQ at 1301 Sam Houston Drive. It’s in a former Pizza Hut not far from my old high school, though I can’t say that I remember ever eating pizza there. The reality is that the pizza venue probably came and went since I graduated.

But back to Big Mo’s. The friend not only recommended the restaurant, but also gave me samples of its smoked chicken and brisket—both extra lean and thinly sliced—which she had in her fridge. They were moist and delicious. I also tasted the green beans, which had a delightful, smoky flavor themselves.  I’m not a fan of potato salad, so I passed on that, but my friend assured me it was good, too. After this preview, I stopped in at Big Mo’s a few days later and ordered a sliced brisket sandwich. It wasn’t quite as lean as the brisket I’d tried earlier, but still mighty tasty. Next time, I’ll order the “Extra Lean Trim” version.

While waiting for my order, I looked around the spic-and-span dining room and studied the menu. Turns out that Big Mo’s is a spin-off of a longtime area barbecue favorite called McMillan’s Bar-B-Q & Catering, in Fannin, southwest of Victoria. Louis McMillan has, in effect, passed the torch to his daughter and son-in-law, Teri and David Moten, the owners of Big Mo’s. My judgment: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. 

The crisp autumn mornings of late are reminding me of my summer trip to the Fort Davis area. Even in August, the daytime highs climbed only to the 80s, and nighttime lows fell into the 60s —energizing temps that inspired numerous hikes in Davis Mountains State Park, with the magical CCC-constructed Indian Lodge as our base. News to me (and especially enjoyed by my kid) was the mile-and-a-half trail that descends from the park’s scenic Skyline Drive to Fort Davis National Historic Site. Other trip highlights: star partying at McDonald Observatory (which we learned has a fun back-up plan for cloudy nights), rock-hunting at Woodward Ranch south of Alpine, and following the Rio Grande’s flow as we drove the majestic River Road. Keep a lookout for TH’s upcoming stories on the latter two in the February Big Bend special issue!