Bolner’s, coming up on 100 years of service to local carnivores, is thought of to many primarily as a meat market. “It’s my go-to place…their Prime beef is outstanding and they sell Heartbrand Akaushi [Texas-raised beef related to Japanese Kobe],” said one panelist.

But at noon, the place buzzes with activity as lines form for burgers and barbecue at the order counter. We don’t know that we have to rush back for a plate of ‘Q, but we’re not sorry we went. How often can you dine flanked by seductive slabs of aged beef?

If you catch them on the right day, you might even encounter Akaushi brisket. “We have it from time to time,” said a counter jockey. Not at our last visit; the lower-rent cut was thick, moistly tender, and very flavorful, but not what we think of as classic Texas clod. The spicy sausage was more like it—dense and flavor-packed. We admit that the thick, sweet sauce was not our favorite, either, but the tarter, bottled sauce on the table suited us just fine. Sides included very sweet sweet potatoes (we saw some folks with untoasted marshmallows tossed atop their servings) and unconventional but conventionally overcooked baby carrots. Decent cookies make for an unexpected dessert choice.

In addition to a whole Akaushi tenderloin at about $300, you could also take home a tub of, say, pimento cheese or smoked chicken salad. The salad is more mulched than we like, but its subtly smoky flavor would work well bracketed by wheat bread.