I have decided to expand my #foodfriday Twitter recommendations into full-fledged posts. I will do my best to keep this content fresh and flavorful – just like good cuisine.
This past weekend, I went down to Austin, TX. This city is truly a smonrgasborg of cuisines – some of its best food can only be found at trailer park-type setups. This particular trip to Austin included four notable stops: Lambert’s, Whole Foods, Holy Cacao, and Kerbey Lane Cafe.
Ok, so my usual Austin food crawl includes Amy’s Ice Cream and Rudy’s. In fact, I will always make time for these two. No question about it. But, in the spirit of Austin, I decided to try some new things.
Lambert’s is conveniently located in downtown Austin (401 W 2nd St.). I have often heard this restaurant mentioned for its barbecue, but Rudy’s has always satisfied my cravings. My first impression was – this is a really nice place – fancy. My friend and I ordered the natural pulled pork and natural beef brisket with Lambert’s famous mac and cheese and their fried okra for sides. They have a beer of the week – which turned out to be a delicious Truman Pilsner from Berkeley. I’m definitely going to order this beer again soon. Service at Lambert’s was nothing special – our waitress did her best to take care of us. On a Friday evening, it seemed like the popular place to hang out was the second floor bar where a live band was playing. The food: A bit more fat than I would prefer on my pulled pork and the brisket was honestly a little dry. What really made the meal enjoyable were the the dish sides that came with the brisket and pork. There were these home-made pickled vegetables that were delicious. I can’t say I’ve ever really enjoyed pickles, but they were almost perfect. The “famous” mac and 3 cheese was surprisingly bland. I don’t have super high expectations, but I expect my mac and 3 cheese to taste like a variety of cheese. Instead, I felt like I tasted a lot of watered down creaminess. The fried okra were not cut into the usual cafeteria-like nibbles, but looked more like fries. I’d get the fried okra again. Overall, I definitely feel like we paid for the atmosphere more than the food. Maybe I’m just particular about my barbecue? I don’t like to rate restaurants unless I’ve visited more than once – so see you next time, Lambert’s!
The original Austin Whole Foods Market has a wonderful outdoors area. Definitely seems like a popular place for a Saturday brunch with selections for everyone. Be prepared to wait in line for the breakfast burritos. I ended up getting some chicken and vegetable soup that paired really well with some french bread and brie cheese. Not bad for $7.
Holy Cacao!
A new recent favorite of mine has been Holy Cacao (1207 S. 1st St.), which can only be described as one of those Austin-famous dessert trailers. I still have yet to explore the entire menu, but the frozen hot chocolate is a must-get. I really enjoy it with a bit of chile and cinnamon. What really makes Holy Cacao stand out are their cake balls. Picture a ball of cake dipped with a complementing chocolate coating stuck on a popsicle stick. My favorites so far include the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and white chocolate and dark chocolate with more dark chocolate. The next time you are looking for a different kind of dessert for your party, make sure you give Holy Cacao a chance. I mean – Sprinkles cupcakes are so 2008. Say hello to yummy cake balls! [Cake balls cost $1.50 each and the hot chocolate will run you about $5.00]
Finally, I have to thank my friend @benwells for introducing me to one of Austin’s famous 24-hour cafes – Kerbey Lane Cafe. For all of my SMU and Dallas readers, welcome to the Cafe Brazil of Austin. At first glance, you might dismiss it because of how much we love Cafe Brazil. It’s been there for us whenever we need it. But I will never pass up Kerbey Lane any more! I had really good migas and pancakes. The migas were good – I’ve never had it served with tortilla chips. I definitely plan on visiting the next time I’m out in Austin.
Oh Migas!
So this wraps up my Food Friday this week. If you are interested in showing up here next Friday, why not invite me to try something new? You can reach me at danielliu@gmail.com or send me a tweet @danielliu
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