Greenhouse Craft Food's Rob Snow Digs Live Oak

Chef Rob Snow has lived in Austin for eight years, and recently opened Greenhouse Craft Food in Round Rock. The former executive chef of Mansion at Judge's Hill wanted to bring local sourcing to a chain-dominated section of the Austin metro area. "When I had to go to Jack Allen's three times a week to get something to eat, I was like, screw this I'm going to open my own place," Snow says. When he's down in Austin, he hits up East 2nd's Live Oak Barbecue, which he considers "underrated."

I've been here for eight years, and for five of those years I was in different capacities running Mansion at Judge's Hill. I live in Round Rock, and there's very few choices up here that are not chain restaurants. When I was going to Jack Allen's three times a week to get something to eat, I was like, "Screw this, I'm going to open my own place." We only do only Texas beer and Texas wine, too. Honestly, it's about my kids not eating chicken nuggets any more. I have two little girls and I don't want them eating all those hormones and everything else pumped into the chicken nuggets.

My favorite under-the-radar place is Live Oak Barbecue. It's super simple, everything comes on a sheet of butcher paper. Tom who's the owner is an awesome guy. He's a bit of a foodie for a barbecue guy, which I really appreciate. I let him pick and give me whatever he likes best that week. I really like the beans, too. And he does a different kind of barbecue sauce that's thinned with a lot of vinegar, not really sweet.