It’s hard for me to keep quiet about my unhealthy food obsession (or is it obsession with unhealthy food?) at work. So when coworkers talk about weekend plans and where to eat, my ears can’t help but perk up. Talks usually lead to favorite places and invariably I mention East Side King. After building lots of excitement (and months of trying to coordinate schedules), the time had finally come for some of my coworkers and I to go on an East Side King trailer crawl!
Italian food. The last bastion of Austin’s food scene that has yet to be conquered. In a creative, deeply talented culinary scene, it’s perplexing that such an approachable, crowd-pleasing cuisine is virtually non-existent. You might say “But what about [this place]” or “You’re forgetting [that place]“, but I assure you, I am not forgetting any place. Austin’s Italian landscape is a desert, and it has been for quite some time.
To try to crack the code of Austin’s Italian food plight, Nic Patrizi of The Jalopy food truck renown, is trying his hand at cracking the Italian code. Growing up in a huge Italian family out in Beaumont, Nic spent lots of his free time at his family’s eponymous (SAT word!) restaurant. Now he’s taking recipes from the way-back machine and putting his own twist on them. Along with his cousin, sister, and other friends and family, they’re launching the Patrizi’s food truck out on the east side. It’s set up next to The Vortex with covered seating (hand-built by Nic’s cousin) on tables and chairs from the original Beaumont restaurant, served on original plates. And being right next to the Vortex, you can get drinks at the bar.
I was lucky enough to enjoy a complimentary soft launch sampling of some of the upcoming menu items. Check out the pictures below — it’ll be like you were there too! The meatballs, made with meat from Salt & Time, had great texture and flavor. The fresh, homemade ricotta may have been the best thing on the table. He could package and sell that cheese and be just fine. The fettuccine was a new recipe Nic was trying out got progressively better as they worked out the cooking time. All three pasta dishes had great flavor, particularly the tomato sauce under the ricotta.
From what we tasted in the early goings, Patrizi’s is going to bring the level of Italian food up quite a bit. Check ’em out on Facebook (and occasionally on Twitter) for hours and menu specials.
Sometimes a series of events predisposes you to dislike something. We’ve all been there, whether it’s long lines, noisy crowds, or sold out menu items. In this case, it was cold, windy, and our orders took a little longer than they should. But the food –oh the food– once it arrived erased all that. This is the paradox of Melvin’s Deli Comfort.
I’ve gotta say, these Trailer Food Tuesdays events are pretty fantastic. Since the first one early last year, they’ve really found their groove and know how to show off Austin’s food trucks to Austin’s hungry residents. Ev and I headed down after work hoping to meet up with friends and try some new-to-us trucks.
The Austin Food & Wine Alliance took over part of the Salt Lick estate to put on their second annual Live Fire! meatacular. With 16 fantastic chefs putting their twist on meat+fire (here’s a look at the menu), complimented by several equally talented pastry chefs crafting some special desserts. Not to be left thirsty, the wine, beer, and spirits flowed freely from Texan vineyards, brewers, and distillers.
On East 11th St, as you drive past the throngs of semi-crazy meat fanatics waiting for (in my and countless others’ opinions) the best barbecue money can buy, you’ll come across a lonely trailer set up in an empty grass lot. Artistically painted on the trailer you’ll find a curious word name: Micklethwait.
It’s 2013. Spring is here. Summer is basically here. And that means Trailer Food Tuesdays is back! Taking up the amazing back patio of the Long Center, eleven food trucks looked out over the Austin skyline to serve great food to hungry Austinites. New for this year Trailer Food Tuesdays invites one truck from out of Austin to show off what other cities are made of. For this event Dallas’ Easy Slider drove into town to join ten of Austin’s favorite trucks (listed at the bottom of the post for posterity).
Hey look! Did you see that? Hmm, maybe it was just a shadow, or my imagination… or maybe it was… nah, couldn’t be. Yes! It’s the Yeti! Well, not the Yeti (or Bigfoot or Sasquatch), but it is Yeti Frozen Custard!
There’s no shortage of barbecue in Austin. However, there seems to be a shortage of good barbecue. Or, more correctly, there’s been an influx of below average ‘cue, making it feel like everything is going downhill. Got it? Well let me be clear: Hall of Flame BBQ makes great barbecue. Sit back, because I have a lot to say.
Before we get started, I need you to do something for me. Forget everything you know about “eating in moderation”. Ok? Ok, let’s continue. This is a tale about a little trailer on East 6th that knows exactly who it is. No identity crisis; no sitting on the fence; no hemming and/or hawing. None of that. Fried and True is, if nothing else, true to itself. Fried and True fries everything, and they’re proud of it.
