Let’s start with the news first: Trudy’s “South Star” is no more. But clam down; there’s now a “Little Texas Lane” location that’s even farther south. We still favor the original, though, which features a beautiful open-air terrace that becomes a raging bar scene during happy hour (2pm to 7pm) and on weekends. If you’re joining the UT crowd during or after a football game, expect an hour’s wait upstairs.

Trudy’s Texas Star is a truly venerable institution, famous for its longevity and for its symbiotic relationship with the University of Texas, which has lasted since 1977—when the original Texas Star opened right near campus. How many UT students haven’t spent at least a night getting wasted on the Mexican martinis, which includes seemingly bottomless refills from a silver shaker? The creation of artificial scarcity is a genius way of creating demand—just ask the Franklin Mint—and Trudy’s “maximum two per customer” rule on the Mexican martinis is a ploy worthy of a tenured social psychology professor. If we can only order two (we think to ourselves), then these drinks must contain some DEA Schedule 2 narcotic. They don’t, of course, but they’re tasty, avoiding that dreaded margarita oversweetness.

Aside from… [More]