Here’s what we remember most: the barbed wire collection that gives Augie’s its name. And what we remember next: the pork ribs—largely because they’re good, but also because they’re likely to be sold out by late lunch. Brisket and sausage from a “cast iron pit” are also a cut above the commissary-smoked stuff that characterizes the city’s favorite chain operation. Come to think of it, the pulled pork is also good. Sides? No better or worse than anywhere else—with the exception of the savory, stewed green beans with tomato and bacon.

Perhaps building on the back of the ribs, or because of its location at a gateway to Brackenridge Park, Augie’s has grown, Topsy-like, over the years. The former beer garden/stage is now covered—to practical if not aesthetic advantage, and the cottage up the hill, now reached by tortuous ramps, has become the Tree House and sometimes serves as a wine and cigar hangout if you have the gumption to get there.