We took our daughter Alex on a college tour that began in Berkeley 
and ended in New Orleans, with stops in between in Austin and Houston. Along with the touring, we did a lot of good eating. Here’s a report.
Our host in Berkeley did all the cooking (thank you, Carl!) so I have no restaurants to recommend, only glowing reports of outrageous views, varied and interesting architecture, lush vegetation, and the magnificent University of California campus, 
which, like the rest of Berkeley, is tiered. If you’ve never been, include Berkeley on your next trip to San Francisco.
Next stop: Austin, where we stayed at an unexceptional Hyatt on the Colorado River, nearish to University of Texas (which we loved for its sunny campus, happy students, many swimming pools.)
A short walk from the hotel, we found Coopers Old Time Pit Bar B Que, Home of the Big Chop. There, ribs and chicken and other 
meats are sold by the pound. Sides include a jalapeno-bacon mac & cheese (spicy and delicious), tangy coleslaw and all-you-can eat beans. Yelpers complain about dry/overcooked meats, but that wasn’t our experience. Delicous que in a comfortable, casual spot.
On to Houston, to our favorite hotel of the trip. The Lancaster is an historic hotel in downtown Houston’s Fourth Ward; they upgraded us to a two-bedroom suite, which spoiled us forever. Downtown Houston is not a lively place, but we enjoyed the hotel’s European style breakfast, excellent service and central location for touring Rice University and later, the Rothko Chapel.
Mediocre dinners downtown forced us into Houston’s sprawl, 
where we found Goode Company Seafood, a high temple to Southern seafood housed in a former railroad car. Â Not to be missed.
We spent the rest of our trip in New Orleans, touring Tulane University, haunting the French Quarter from our charming and centrally located hotel, Â and 
spending time in our son’s Bayou St. Jean neighborhood, which is picture-postcard New Orleans. (Thank you for hospitality and Easter dinner, Evan and Sara!) There we had a tasty po’ boy lunch at Liuzza’s by the Track and twice took a walk to City Park, looping through the Museum of New Orlean’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden.
Memorable dinners downtown at Luke, a Franco-German 
brasserie. (We were the ones swarming a tower of seafood.) On Magazine Street, we savored the seasonal French food and fine service at Lilette.  Among my souvenirs, a pound of French roast from Cafe du Monde, like no other.