Bites and Barbecue in Austin
Making the list for travel in 2018 was Austin, Texas. This wasn’t my first trip to Texas. My college roommate was from Houston and I have visited Dallas and San Antonio with work. However, many of you may be scratching your heads and wondering why in the world would Austin make it on the list over so many other cities, especially since I live in Nashville.

Keep Austin Weird + Awesome
At the beginning of every year, I put together a wish-list per-se of places I’d like to visit in the upcoming year. Of course, usual suspects like Chicago and San Francisco seem to always make the cut, but I make a concerted effort to incorporate a handful of new places that I have yet to explore. Aside from my colossal trip to Japan earlier in the year, Austin, Texas was one city that made the cut.
Every city has that one restaurant that people whisper about with a mix of reverence and urgency. It’s on every listicle and when brought up in conversation, “You have to go” is usually the general response. In Mexico City, that place is Máximo Bistrot. Tucked into a leafy corner of Roma Norte, it’s equal parts refined dining room and neighborhood favorite, and somehow manages to feel both important and unpretentious simultaneously.