K and I were highly anticipating our Spring Break trip to Austin. Salivating actually and with good reason considering we were planning entire day's itineraries around where we would be eating each meal. It started as soon as we got off of the plane. Our son and his friends greeted us warmly and then asked what our plans for dinner were. Salt Lick...it was a given. We had passed up going to Salt Lick on our last trip down and decided it was time. It looked as if a good two-thirds of Driftwood High School was employed at this sweet ranch style restaurant and all of them spoke with a sweet Texas drawl, " How Y'All doin' this eve'nin?" You don't hear accents that strongly in Austin. I suspect it is because they have a high transient hipster population mixed with a million or so out-of-towners. Our server was a more seasoned veteran of food service and she kindly guided us through the menu although we already knew what we wanted. We ordered family style, all you can eat...seriously, no regrets. The food came in baskets and on Melmac plates and bowls. This was picnic style the way I remember it from the 70's. Although the sides of potato salad, beans, cole slaw and bread were standard fare, the meat made the meal. We had ordered a little bit of everything including "Burnt Ends". Meat candy if ever there was. The juices and excess sauce they've slathered on the brisket while it was still on the grill collects on these ends and crisps up to black gold. Saltysweet, Crispytender, Delicious. The ribs were a little fatty for my liking but the flavor was yum. The brisket, including the burnt ends, was amazing, melt in your mouth meat with a soft smokiness. The sausage, surprisingly, was my favorite. These smoky links were really packed with flavor. I wasn't expecting it to tell the truth and my favoritism still swings back and forth to the burnt ends. If I close my eyes right now I can almost taste it. Did the Salt Lick live up to the hype? Yes. The meat is front and center here and it is the shining star. It took us days to digest but we couldn't slow down. There was much food to be had.
Our son redeemed our morning fare by taking us to a sweet, comfortable vega-friendly restaurant called Bouldin Creek Coffehouse. An array of teas, coffees and specialty drinks may leave you befuddled but trust your gut, you can't go wrong here. The food items reflect that same pattern. I had the Bello Jiafra portobello sandwich. Indescribably good. K ordered off of the breakfast menu and had the Tamale Breakfast: Two cage-free eggs served with two sweet potato pecan tamales. Yes, sweet potato pecan tamales. Unbelievable and oh so delicious. The vegetarians here have it gooood. It was also a sweet alternate meal to the previous evening's delicious debauchery. It was wonderful and I hope to return to this place soon. The menu was so intriguing and sounded so scrumptious, I truly could have finished the rest of the week just eating here but it's always good to leave something to return to and so...OK, this part is a little hard to write about. I'm actually tearing up a little. A little bit from guilty pleasure shame, but more so because I miss this place so much. It is a longing I'll have to live with for a great long while. Later, that same day, we headed over to the brick and mortar version of Gordoughs. A cozy looking Public House equipped with horseshoes and cornhole boards on the patio, extra woody, pubbiness on the inside. There wasn't a crowd, which was pleasantly surprising considering all the publicity this place gets on the Food Network and the like. We were quickly seated and given menus but our food took a little longer than I enjoy but I have a theory about that. When a food cart establishment moves to a full sized dining establishments there are adjustments to be made. I ran into the same issue with Lardo here in Portland, but as I think about it, the wait bothers me less and less because the food is simply that damn good. I don't want them to change their mode if it means sacrificing the taste that feeds my dreams. OK, off of my soap box and back to the review...I ordered the Squealing Pig, I have to pause, my knees are weak, 3 strips of amazing bacon sitting on top of a Jalapeno Jelly donut with Cream Cheese frosting. Top it off with candied jalapeno. Now squeal with delight. K ordered the Ring of Fire (and so our penchant for HotSweet continues) and our son ordered the Dirty Harry. The Ring of Fire is a brownie batter doughnut iced with chocolate icing, drizzled with salted caramel butter sauce and sprinkled with copious amounts of brownie bites and cayenne candied pecans. So much to love. The Dirty Harry took it to the next level. This is a bowl of coconut cream filled donut holes covered with chocolate sauce and fresh coconut flakes. It was like a bowl of cocoa puffs, gone to heaven. It will make your day, punk. OK, sorry, I couldn't resist. Voodoo Donuts in Portland are unique but I have often whispered that they are simply so-so flavor-wise. I much more prefer to drive out to Joe's Donuts in Sandy or head up to Annie's donuts on Sandy Blvd when I'm looking for delicious donut flavor. Gordough's kicks all of their donut...well, let's just say Gordoughs wins. Over and over again. Next time I may need to stop in here for an actual meal and not just the "snack" we craved, but goodness knows these donuts are a meal in themselves. This place serves their burgers on their doughnuts...I'm tearing up again.
Quick note: There is a fast food chain in the Midwest and California named "Freebirds World Burrito" I want one to open in Oregon, pronto. And this is why...$5 piled high nachos.
And then there is the Lucky Robot. Based on a Tokyo restaurant concept, this self proclaimed Japanese Kitchen brings cool to the hot days in Austin. Don't let the iPad ordering frighten you, it's basically drive-in style ordering brought into the 21st Century and it is fun. Traditional menus are available but once you get the hang of the iPad you'll forget about hiding your face behind laminated plastic. With the exciting spin on traditional Japanese cuisine, the super attentive, sweet staff and the wonderful atmosphere, this is a quick favorite. Over-ordering will be your only regret here because everything we ordered was delicious, and delicious is a weak word for what I'm feeling. Let's start with the Love Replica Taco. Sesame crusted ahi tuna with cabbage, thai basil, mint, ginger scallions and cilantro, finished with cranberries, avocado and wasabi aioli on a flour tortilla. The ahi in this was perfection and the blending of these flavors had me wondering, then proclaiming it was the best thing I had ever eaten. Now granted, that may have been the spicy sweet sake punch, Thai Basil Lemon Drop, talking but we did split the pitcher so I think I'm safe here. Try the Asian Tacos, try the sashimi, try the Crunchy Atomic Tuna Roll. お楽しみください！
For this trip to Austin,Texas, I had some very specific meals in mind. One of them was the chicken and waffles at Ms. P's Electric Cock. Our last trip to Austin left us traveling to this popular food cart not once, but twice turned away without Ms. P's sumptuous chicken. This time we would persevere. This time we would not fail. This time we would dine on the dusty but comfortable picnic benches on South Congress not once but twice! The first time we arrived too early for chicken and waffles, which is confusing to me noting my old fashioned assumptions that waffles are breakfast food but it makes sense. This is a food cart. The space is small and if they were rolling out those chicken and waffles they wouldn't have room to create and serve their amazing breakfast burritos. Whatever you may like on your breakfast burrito, I suggest you choose chicken strips. The coating on these strips is crisp, spicy, savory good. Well, who cares what came first, the chicken or the egg? They belong together wrapped in a warm tortilla and covered with a spicy green tomatillo sauce. We returned the following day for this...
The waffles are crisp, sweet chewy goodness. Pair them up with Ms. P's succulent, spicy, chicken and some pickled hot jalapenos and carrots and you're in a level of Heaven I call Austin. I will go here again and again and again but does Portland have a contender? Plenty. None of them are carts and most are a little spendy but I still battle it out over whether the C&W at Screen Door or Country Cat is the better plate. Both are absolutely delightful but for different reasons. And I'm still eagerly anticipating the re-opening of Mac and Dub's, scheduled for June 1st. Best chicken and waffles in Portland. Better than Ms. P's? mmmmm I think I need another bite...
