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Article Excerpt
Food and drink
The Big Texan Steak Ranch, in Amarillo, has been giving away 72-ounce top sirloin steaks, complete with baked potato, salad, roll, and shrimp cocktail, since 1960. The catch? You have to eat it all in an hour or less, otherwise you'll have to fork over $72. An 11-year-old boy has done it. So has a 69-year-old grandmother. But the odds are against you: More than 37,000 carnivores have attempted it, and only 7,000 have succeeded. Needless to say, if you hurl, the contest is over. 800-657-7177, bigtexan.com
AUSTIN On the first Saturday of every month, Independence Brewing Company is determined to woo you with a quick tour and a generous tasting of its hoppy concoctions, from Independence Pale Ale to seasonal releases like Jasperilla Old Ale. 512797-7879, independencebrewing.com
SHINER Mosey through the historic Spoetzl Brewery on one of the weekday tours and you'll eventually wind up in the hospitality room, where you'll be rewarded with four samples of the poor man's bubbly. 361-594-3383, shiner.com
Music
Austin City Limits may be free, but it ain't easy. Gaining entry to the legendary studio on the University of Texas campus in Austin to watch bands (like the Killers, below) tape one of the twenty yearly episodes of the longest-running live-music show on television is a Tolkien-esque quest. First, call the KLRU hotline to find out which newspaper or radio station(s) will reveal the place to get tickets for the musician you want to see. Then, when the location is announced, drop what you're doing and sprint over there, because tickets can disappear in less than five minutes. Even then, a ticket doesn't guarantee entry! So camp out at the entrance until the doors open. Winners' bonus: Free beer is served inside the studio. Losers' consolation: You can tour the studio every Friday except holidays, and you can always catch the show on television. 512-475-9077, klru.org
AUSTIN Now at Rock Island, in Zilker Park, Blues on the Green has become a summer music staple, featuring the likes of Marcia Ball, Eric Johnson, and W. C. Clark. 512-974-6700, ci.austin.tx.us/zilker
Dust off your top hats and your parasols and promenade down to Woolridge Square Park for the Hartman Foundation concert series, starring various Austin Symphony Orchestra ensembles performing works from Mozart to Rodgers and Hammerstein. 512-476-6064, austin symphony.org
Even if the night is overcast, you can still enjoy Music Under the Star (albeit one big metal one) on the plaza at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. If you can pull yourself away from the global rhythms-from polka to Latin bolero--you can also get a free peek at the museum's exhibits. 512-936-8746, thestoryoftexas.com
CORPUS CHRISTI Bay Jammin' at the Anderson Amphitheater, in Cole Park, runs the gamut from soul to swing. 361-883-0639, cctexas.eom
DALLAS Both the jazz and the Dallas Museum of Art--including lectures and Sketching in the Galleries--are free during Thursday Night Live! at the DMA. 214-922-1200, dm-art.org
Although the Lay Family Concert Organ at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center...
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