Constant traveling across the United States from John Wayne Airport has taught me that the main connecting hubs for flights out of our fair county are Phoenix, Denver and Dallas. I try not to spend any cash while on layover, the cheapskate that I am, but one booth always draws me in: Cousin's Bar-B-Q in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's D Terminal.
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It's not desperation that draws me here. Look at this sausage plate. I had already eaten about five slices of the Tex-German-style sausage, recent recipient of Texas Monthly's People's Choice award for best sausage at their recent barbecue cook-off. They were thick, snappy, spicy, fatty, and bathed in a tangy sauce that an Orange Countian can only dream of but a Texan probably considers able. The sweet beans lived up to their name; the mac-and-cheese accomplished what is was supposed to; the Texas toast, as crunchy as a cracker. All for a bit more than $8, a steal for airplane cuisine (don't bother with a beverage; take a cup with you and fill up at the drinking fountains).
Is this the finest 'cue in Texas? Of course not. But for those of you flying east for the holidays, a stop at Cousin's is a worthy alternative to your homemade snacks. Now, if only they could open a branch in OC and teach us something…
