A conversation about desert island meals turns to Mattress Mack and go-karting

In our continuing series, where we ask an Austin chef or restaurateur about the one meal they'd take to a desert island, we chatted by phone with Vince Young Steakhouse owner Phillip Brown.

Behind the scenes: He spoke to us from northern Italy, where he's spending the summer as his 6-year-old, Brody, competes in go-karting .

• "He wants to be a Formula 1 racer, and that could be a pipe dream, but the only way to do that is you have to be racing in Italy, you've got to be go-karting by the time you're 8 or 9 years old — all the top F1 drivers learn to race in Italy."

Flashback: Brown, who graduated from Westlake High, and his wife, Laura, opened the steakhouse in 2010 at age 24.

• Laura's father, Jim McIngvale — better known as Houston furniture impresario Mattress Mack — was a mentor to former University of Texas star Young, Brown said. As the restaurant got off the ground, the family entered into a naming rights contract with the quarterback.

What's the one dish you'd take on your desert island?

Brown: "A Thanksgiving meal, mainly because of the stuffing I make. It's a recipe that was my grandmother's. It's got a lot of butter. Our Thanksgiving has 24 to 25 people — we do it at my in-laws' place in Lago Vista, by Lake Travis — and that's the No. 1 requested item."

What are you doing for dessert?

Brown: "My favorite dessert is tiramisu. Any time I see it on a menu I order it."

You can bring something to drink.

Brown: "If I'm stranded on a desert island, bourbon is my choice."