Where were you on Saturday, November 6th, 2010? If you live in (or near) Austin, you were definitely at the Gypsy Picnic. How do I know? Because the entire city and its surrounding suburbs seemed to be in attendance. The crowds that congregated on Auditorium Shores became prohibitively large, making any attempt to enjoy the event completely futile. Unfortunately, that’s probably what the Picnic will be remembered for, rather than a great celebration of Austin’s unique food scene. Sit back and get comfy, this is gonna get long*.
food truck
Jalopy Rotisserie and Press – Back to Basics
Sometimes the simpler things are, the better. You know, “less is more” and all that. Well I put that to the test on my second visit to The Jalopy Rotisserie and Press. If you remember, last time I tried the molé and Ev went with the son hong, both of which were very
tasty and paved the way for a second visit. This time I figured I’d dig into the Jalopy’s roots with a simpler option: The Original.
Coreanos
It’s pretty amazing how many new food trucks and carts have been sprouting up all over Austin. Thanks to Austin Food Carts I’ve been able to keep track of the newest kids on the block. More than anything I enjoy seeing what new niche food style will be on the city menu, like made-to-order ice cream sandwiches, customized funnel cakes, or specialty mega-doughnuts. However, this is actually about the exact opposite, where a new food truck is offering a nearly identical experience to a well-established favorite, or so I thought.
Royito’s Hot Sauce Company
Things that get me through the morning: long showers, doggy kisses from Hazel, lots of coffee, and breakfast tacos. Austin is
a town full of breakfast tacos (maybe the only town full of them…). And with the move to Austin came an obsession with this delicious morning treat. Luckily, in the parking lot next to GSD&M Idea City lies the wonder that is Royito’s. Since our office is so close and they’re only open until 10:30am, the “breakfast taco run?” call comes as a welcome a.m. break.
Holy Cacao – Three Times the Fun
Well, it didn’t take long to revisit Holy Cacao. I mean, let’s be serious… with an amazing offering like the Cake Shake, how could the other menu items not be fantastic? And actually, it’s their cake balls that put them on the map.
The Peached Tortilla
A relative new kid on the block, The Peached Tortilla
really has its act together. Delicious food can only get you so far, but you also need to let your people know where to find you. This truck is a beast on the social scene keeping their fans updated where they are and when they’ll be there. But we can’t downplay the food. Like Chi’Lantro BBQ, The Peached Tortilla is a fusion of flavors, though a bit more subtle.
Chi’Lantro BBQ
Being relegated to North Austin for work has its pros and cons. The biggest pro is that I drive against traffic to and from work, so I’m rarely caught in any bumper-to-bumper frustration during my commute. The downside of working in the great white north a few miles from downtown is the lack of food trucks frequenting the area (we need to eat delicious food from mobile kitchens too, you know!). Anyhow, thanks to a socially savvy creator of Korean-Mexican fusion, I was able to partake in some delicious and creative fare without having to cross any zip codes.
Lucky’s Puccias
So it’s clear who the runner, blogger, maniac, over-indulger is in the family. But let’s get serious here, I do my fair share of eating too! I also have the glorious advantage of working downtown, affording me the opportunity to enjoy Austin’s fabulous lunchtime food trucks. I have to admit though, I don’t tend to venture too far from the office during the work day.
Plus, working directly across the street from Whole Foods (the Whole Foods, flagship style) essentially means that my cafeteria is a natural food mecca. But this week I trekked the mere block and a half to Lucky’s Puccias.
Old School BBQ
In the wake of leaving DC there were several things that I knew I would miss immediately. To quote Joni Mitchell, and for the younger folk (me included), the Counting Crows, “you don’t know what you got til it’s gone.” Well upon moving cross-country, one of the things we left behind was the best burger ever created, at a small shop known as Ray’s Hell Burger. Since this post isn’t specifically about Ray’s, I won’t go into the details and force myself to relive what I may not have again for a long time (ever?). Instead, I want to introduce you to the nearest competitor my taste buds have ever seen tasted.
The Gypsy Picnic
Those of you who are privileged enough to know me certainly understand my excitement for new and unique food. I mean, my running blog transformed into a running PLUS food blog for that very reason. Surprisingly, Austin has proven itself to be quite accommodating to my food addiction (I think I would die without food!). Case in point, there’s a sweet event going on here the first weekend of November that’s going to let Austin flaunt its [food] stuff: The Gypsy Picnic!