Every five years, Texas Monthly lists the Top 50 ‘cue joints in Texas. It’s a big job – over eight months, a team of 16 trained eaters fan out across the state, visiting 658 places to find the best. This year, there were 18 repeats from the 2008 list, and one of them was Spicewood’s own Opie’s BBQ. Congrats on smoking the competition! See the entire Top 50 list here.

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The stage is right next to the lake so you can keep an eye on both.

You can’t go wrong with a classic like well-seasoned beef fajitas.

Fresh tuna ceviche had a bright lime taste. On the side, lots of guac.

Iguana Grill website

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(map) Score! Highlights opened just a few days ago to high-fives and major cheers from the neighborhood. Not a chain, the locally based restaurant seems to anticipate our community’s every desire. Outdoor patios? Check. 30+ TVs showing every major sporting event? Check. Typical sports-bar food – wings, pizza, burgers – that goes way beyond the typical? Check and double check.

This beef tenderloin pizza is one of 10 on the menu. Perfectly crispy crust, poblano peppers and some seriously tender tenderloin, with a touch of horseradish to spice things up. Speaking of spice, the wings (below) are available in four different levels of heat: mild, spicy, Asian BBQ and Cajun. Go for the spicy and get ready to break a sweat!

There’s a bar area with lots of beers, wines and cocktails on the menu, as well as a dart-throwing section. The dining area offers TVs as well if you don’t want to miss a minute of action.

Angus beef burgers are ground in-house and then grilled to order. There are five options available, but the managers’ fave is the “hangover burger.” Technically called the Green Chile burger, it features grilled poblano peppers, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar and a fried egg. Seriously, burger nirvana.

Highlights Gametime Grill website

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Today’s my dad’s birthday. Here he is as a young pup, way out west in Mertzon.

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A salute to all mothers everywhere, but especially to mine.

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(map) They’re baaack! We’ve posted before about picking strawberries here, but at the farm next week, the time is ripe for big, juicy blackberries. At the beginning of the season, you hardly have to look to find plenty for cobbler.

Pick up your baskets at the welcome booth, and they’ll weigh it when your done. Blackberries are $3.25 a pound, a deal compared to the grocery store – and a lot more fun, too!

There are rows and rows of vines, so it never feels crowded. Since most of the vines have thorns, they’ll loan you a big glove to protect your hand. Kids love the place.

There’s a “Texas Maze,” carved from eight acres of tall sorghum. If you find your way out, you get a free drink. They say a lot of over-confident kids get lost and end up using their cell phones to call their parents to come find them.

Tiny new potatoes are in season right now, too, and are fun to dig up.

Sweet Berry Farm website

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(map) Verde’s is a big, open place that seems like it was designed for good times. As in, fun for kids and fun for grownups. There’s a huge covered patio that’s half-bar, half dining room. It overlooks a ginormous outdoor play area. So while the kids go nuts run around playing, Mom and Dad can relax nearby with a cold beverage or two.

The dining room is one-half of the patio. There’s a dining room inside as well.

The other half of the patio is the bar area, with a lot of places to relax while you keep an eye on the kids. Or not.

There’s amphitheater-style seating around the yard so you can also relax out there.

Perfect for the indecisive: Verde’s Appetizer Sampler comes with a little bit of everything. Queso with roasted poblano peppers, mini fried-fish tacos with avocado, jalapenos stuffed with chorizo and goat cheese, grilled-beef nachos with refries, and chicken-and-monterey-jack quesadillas (you can also get those made with cactus!).

The only problem with Verde’s carne guisada is it’s hard to photograph! This carne guisada con papas, or stewed beef with potatoes, had an incredibly savory flavor.

Verde’s website

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Angel’s website

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Saturday, Austin Bakes for West set up shop at eight locations around Austin. Volunteer bakers manned the booths to raise relief funds for the town of West, Texas. It was a big success! Austin Bakes raised over $18,000, with 100% of donations going to West. And more donations are still coming in. If you missed the sale, you can donate online at austinbakes.com.

See more photos of the fun at Whole Foods Bee Cave below:

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