wwiggins's Profile
Brunching on Eggs Benedict in Austin
Enoteca, with Counter Cafe a close second.
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Enoteca
1610 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
A 2nd location for El Meson
Great news! The El Meson Cochinita Pibil is one of my favorite dishes in town for the price.
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El Meson
5808 Burleson Rd, Austin, TX 78744
Visiting Austin, looking for steakhouse tips
I've had some very enjoyable meals at Austin Land and Cattle (not to be confused with Texas Land and Cattle). They have yummy lamb chops.
Ruby's Barbecue on 29th Street
The best thing on Ruby's menu was their rosemary home fries, which unfortunately they had to remove from their regular menu- evidently the fire marshall told them they had to make expensive modifications to their cooking setup to continue cooking them in the volumes that they were, and now they only offer them at certain times a day.
As far as meat goes, I think Ruby's gets an unfair maligning from foodies. Their pit and smoking style was modeled after Kreutz' and I believe the sausage comes from Southside Market in Elgin.
Casino El Camino
Well, anyone who complained about the good, toasted wheat bun that could stand up structurally to the sandwich, thanks a lot. They've now replaced it with what tastes like an untoasted glob of wonderbread. There goes my favorite hamburger in Austin.
New to Austin, in search of salt-toasted tofu and agedashi tofu
Musashino and Uchi both have great agedashi tofu. I'm very interested in the other dish you described, sounds good, but I haven't seen it on the menu anywhere.
People Smack Me When I Say I Don't Like Tacodeli & P. Terry's
P. Terry's is grody, but the Mojo fish taco with dona sauce at Taco Deli is delicious.
Mail order bbq?
Kreutz's does mail order on their website. I've heard good things about their delivery but haven't made an order myself.
Texas Monthly's top 50 burgers
I like Counter Cafe a lot, but sweet kolache style buns on hamburgers turn my stomach.
If your dog can make burgers better than Casino, I would like to hire him to hang out and cook for me.
Does anyone on here remember Mad Dog and Beans that used to be over by where (sniff) Les Amis used to be? I used to enjoy that place.
P.Terry's #3
The P.Terry's phenom is just people responding to snappy signage and the word 'organic'. The burgers themselves are gray, flavorless hockey pucks. I understand that the idea is to have an In-n'-Out style restaurant (right down to the cloying thousand island dressing they put on it), but I've never been impressed. They do have terrific milkshakes though.
Spicy Bulgogi at Burger Tex?
Yes, just the one on the drag. The crazy pink and orange one.
Spicy Bulgogi at Burger Tex?
I love it, and I love the new kooky Food-Party-esque paint job there. The Spicy Bulgogi has a nice slow burn to it, that you can make even hotter with the application of their chili-mayo spicy sauce. Don't do anything silly like ask for cheese on it when they ask though. Good buns, a build-your-own selection of toppings that are (aside from the spicy sauce) nothing unusual, but never wilted or unpalatable. Their regular burgers are my second favorite in town too (after the Amarillo Burger at Casino El Camino, still haven't tried the burger at Roaring Fork).
South Congress Cafe
I had a wonderful filet mignon there a few weeks ago, with a gorgonzola mushroom topping. Surprisingly good.
Meh! Experience @ Uchi!?
The Maguro Sashimi and Goat Cheese is one of my favorite dishes, and I'm surprised and slightly irked to hear it maligned. I wonder if the fish just wasn't up to its usual quality.
austin soul food
Seven meals a day... you must have a truly unique metabolism. Good locations though.
Lockhart BBQ Trek
My last two trips to Smitty's have also sadly resulted in some tough slices. One of my friends is convinced that there is a time-of-day trick to getting the best quality brisket at Smitty's and I might return earlier in the day to test it.
Best margarita mix??
I can't say I agree with any of the suggestions so far. Here's my 2 cents:
half lemon juice and half lime juice, pinch sea salt, optional sugar (I usually leave it out, although I have tried and enjoyed the agave nectar suggestion) include zest from both fruits, (I think I do about 4 tablespoons of zest per half cup of juice) let the combination steep in the fridge overnight. Strain it, shake with a tequila blanco with Grand Marnier or half Grand Marnier, half Damiana. Lime and salt rims.
cheese plate
My vote is for Enoteca Vespaio on South Congress, good variety of cheeses, honeys and nuts like candied pistachios. I can't recommend everything there, (the paninis are horribly greasy and I've had some less than fabulous pasta dishes there) but the Sunday brunch items and cheese plate bring me back from time to time.
Best White Pizza or Pepperoni Pizza (Austin)
I'm a fan of the white pie with truffle oil and fried sage at Asti.
Counter Cafe
Not to diminish your frustration, but I have never ever had an experience like the one you have described at Counter Cafe, and I seriously eat there every Saturday and have for most of this year. My benedicts have always been served on homemade biscuits and have been perfectly poached. The waitresses have remembered my preferences from previous visits and taken time to talk to me. They pretty easily have the best steak and eggs I have had in town as well.
Casino El Camino
They seem to have recently switched from hand cut fries to frozen bag-o-fries. I asked them about it last time I ate there and they seemed pretty sheepish about it. I don't know if this is just an occasional occurance or permanent.
Casino El Camino
The kitchen doesn't only accept cash, you can start a tab at the bar and put your food on the tab.
Casino El Camino
I'll take the homemade mayos and fresh meat at Casino over the thousand island dressing that gets splooged over every little gray patty at P. Terry's any day. Sounds like someone got spurned by one of Casino's surly cooks.
My second favorite burgers in town are oddly from the go-bites food stand next to Emo's on red river. Blue cheese and leek sliders. So good.
There Can Be Only One:Your Single Favorite Taco In Austin.
I'm interested to hear votes for the best Al Pastor in town. Anyone?
Wait time at Uchi
If you get there shortly before they open you can often be seated very quickly, as they have a lot of first come first served seating. However if you get there after people are already seated expect to wait over an hour. There is bar service and edamame while you wait though.
Casino El Camino
That's the amarillo burger and it is excellent, although occasionally the serranos need a more thorough seeding or something, I've occasionally had my burger go from enjoyably hot to blindingly, hiccup-inducingly magma hot, which kind of ruins the meal. I usually ask for easy serranos to try to prevent that. If you have vegetarians in tow, they have a veggie sandwhich and a roasted eggplant sandwhich respectively that are usually pretty good. And yes, it's a rocker bar. If you are offended by having to listen to loud Voidoids and AC/DC while you eat, get it to go. Also, wait times can be an hour or so depending on how busy they are.
No more jager bombs and vodka redbulls!
Not to mention the worst in-house brewed beer this side of a sweatsock soaking in highway run-off. I'll try a cocktail the next time I'm there instead.
Best Breakfast Place In Town??
Second on Hoover's being mediocre. It's always tasted like bland cafeteria food to me.
Torchy's Taco - Perceptor's Photo Report
I finally had a chance to try Torchy's in South Austin last Sunday. I sampled the fried avocado and an a la carte breakfast taco (beans, cheese, jalapeño sausage), and neither of them was good enough to finish. However(!) the queso was the absolute best I have ever had! I think I inhaled it. A great mix of trashy comfort velveeta queso and a more respectable one- goat cheese crumblings and excellent spices and the right amount of heat. Very satisfying!
Asian bakeries with steamed buns / bao zi?
I have enjoyed the steamed buns at Tâm Deli, althought they aren't what typically brings me back. They have a good, fluffy consitency, but I personally don't love the pork/egg filling so I tend to pick around it. Other people I've brought have enjoyed it.
