pizza

40 North

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I knew the location as “the place where La Barbecue used to be.”  But now it’ll be known as “the 40 North lot” because this is serious pizza.  I took advantage of a gorgeous 70 degree January day to check out what wood-fired goodness 40°N, a brand new pizza food trailer, was slinging.  I pulled up to the lot to find it nearly completely empty.

40 North Sign

The space is shared with Regal Ravioli and one table was filled with friends of 40 North.  I took my time reading the whole menu and everything sounded great — which was an issue for my indecision-prone self — before I finally settled on the “Kale” pizza and took a seat.

40 North Trailer

Clint, the pizzaiolo / owner, brought out housemade pork sausage (from Richardson Farms), fresh mozzarella, Calabrian chiles, garlic, and Parmigiano Reggiano-topped pizza.  A beauty to behold, though at first I was disappointed that I misunderstood that there was no red sauce on it.  Nothing wrong with white pizzas; I was just in the mood for sauce.

40 North Kale Pizza overhead

I forgot all about that red sauce with my first bite.  It’s garlicky and cheesy and kaley.  The Calabrian chiles and pork sausage spiced it up.  The crust was a perfect balance of soft and chewy.

40 North Kale Pizza side

This picture really tells the whole story.

40 North Kale Pizza gone

And a big thank you to Clint for offering me a vanilla panna cotta with raspberry sauce on the house.  After devouring the entire pizza, I made quick work of the super creamy, tart dessert.  I never would’ve ordered it (both from a “quantity of food” perspective as well as “not that into panna cotta” perspective), but it was wholly delicious!  I’d definitely recommend, especially if you’re not sadly bravely dining alone, to get at least one to share.

40 North Panna Cotta

If you’re in the mood for pizza and the weather’s nice, I would absolutely implore you to check out 40 North.  If the weather isn’t so great, you can call ahead and just pick it up.  Great pizza from nice people who know what they’re doing, so make it a priority to check them out soon!

Back to the Food Reviews!

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Capture

It’s been WAY too long since I’ve posted any sort of blog post about food, food trucks, or really anything you put in your mouth. In an effort to get back to it, I’m going to try something a little different. Rather than a full, detailed post about each and every food truck I’ve visited (like I used to do), you can expect more ad hoc “summary” posts about places I’ve really enjoy recently. The focus will probably still be on food trucks, but honestly that’ll be because that’s where I eat most!

To kick things off, this past weekend Evelyn was out of town. And I went a little overboard, so I’ll (try to) keep things brief.

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Trailer Crawling with Truck by Truckwest

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txtw

For six days, Truck by Truckwest, a new food trailer showcase, took over Austin’s mobile food scene. With a $20 pass you could access special deals at over 60 Austin food trucks, trailers, and carts. Some gave out free samples, others provided discounts, and a few put together exclusive menu items. As for the food trucks, the incentive came in the form of one, winner-take-all, voted-by-the-people $10,000 prize. I’d call that a big motivator!

So of course I participated in this city-wide food trailer crawl! In total I tried 17 different dishes from 15 trailers, with some surprising (and not-so-surprising) favorites. For me, my favorites came from my already-favorite trailers, like both stackers from Cow Tipping Creamery and the chopped brisket slider from La Barbecue. The dark horses included Valentina’s TexMex BBQ (smoked brisket tacos) and Llama’s Peruvian (Saltado de Pollo Sanguche (grilled chicken sandwich)). That’s not to say others weren’t delicious too. Most were excellent, with only one or two considered disappointing.

As for the event itself, I’d call it a big success. Considering the fragmented world of food trucks, where any given truck may not know it’s own schedule from day to day, coordinating such an effort is no small feat. For the most part, trucks were communicating their deals and honoring them just at the sight of a TXTW badge. Some were eager to have those badges come up to their window (Celia Jacob’s Cheesecake Experience comes to mind as being super enthusiastic). The only feedback for the event would be to create a mobile app to help organize a person’s TXTW experience, but that’s a future nice-to-have, and not a criticism.

So who got my vote? Well, that’s my little secre… COW TIPPING CREAMERY. Not for nothing, they are seemingly incapable of creating anything short of a masterpiece in ice cream form. Now, I don’t know if they’re going to win, but I sure hope they do. My fear is

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that the voting may become a popularity contest regardless of the food that was served during TXTW, but that can’t

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really be helped.

As for the winner… I’ll update this post when it’s announced shortly. But really, we’re all winners. Because that was a lot of food for not a lot of money. Can’t wait for next year!

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Austin City Guide 2013: Austin’s Newest Food Trailers

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Austin Food Blogger Alliance City Guide

Click image to see the full 2013 AFBA City Guide

While some choose to focus the calendar around January 1st, Austin revolves around something a little more important: South by Southwest.  I mean, sure, you could celebrate the day changing, just like it does 364 other times a year, along with every single person in the world.  OR you could be a little weird and celebrate 2,500+ bands, 730+ film screenings, and thousands of other events, all crammed into 10 days.

I like to use this as an opportunity to reflect on the newest food trailers making a name for themselves.  By no means is this list a full representation of the dozens (hundreds?) of new trailers hitting the scene.  In fact, this post would get unwieldy very quickly if I tried to include them all.  Here are just a few to whet your appetite.  Hope you’re hungry. (all photos are mine)

CENTRAL

Kicking things off, an entirely new trailer park has opened on UT Campus called the Rancho Rio Eatery.  You could stop here in the morning and be all set until bed time, with coffee, waffles, smoothies, sandwiches, Thai food, pizza, sausages, dessert, and more.

Velveteen Coffee House – Facebook | Food Trailers Austin
Run by a young husband and wife, this trailer makes a mean cup of coffee.  Though primarily targeting the bleary-eyed students on their way to class, you should plan to swing by for your caffeine boost and avoid the lines at Starbucks.  If the line gets long, they’ve been known to offer up free samples of other menu items while you wait.

Velveteen Coffee House

Coffee at Velveteen Coffee House

Cow Tipping Creamery – My Reviews One Two Three | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
For a new spin on ice cream Cow Tipping Creamery is working its magic with soft serve.  This isn’t some pedestrian TCBY knockoff; this truck puts together special flavor combinations.  Grab a Cone, Shake, or Stacker (below) and sit back and let the goodness wash over you.

Fluffer Nutter

Fluffer Nutter at Cow Tipping Creamery

The Mighty Cone – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Not new by any means — in fact, one of the oldest food trailers in town — has a new home.  You’ll find all the same, coney goodness in a new location.  The Mighty Cone is an institution, and as such, its new location needed to be mentioned.

The North Loop neighborhood has seen a boom in bars and restaurants recently, and now trailers are finding their way there too.  Two new spots, which couldn’t be more different, are offering some great eats worth checking out away from the downtown fray.

Melvin’s Deli Comfort – Website | Facebook
With a weekday, lunch-only, meat-heavy menu, Melvin’s Deli Comfort makes big sandwiches with house-made deli meats.  We’re talking huge pastramis, hefty hot Italian beefs, and rich Croque Monsieurs.  Get there early, though, because they seem to run out of popular menu items (ahem, pastrami) pretty quick.

Melvin's Deli Comfort Italian Beef 1

Italian Beef at Melvin’s Deli Comfort

The Vegan Nom – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
To counter Melvin’s meatastic menu, The Vegan Nom focuses on vegan tacos, along with other animal-free breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare.  No promises, but you might just forget that there’s no eggs, meat, or cheese by the time you’re finished here.

Guac N Roll – Website | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
A green truck, with a mohawk, and a clever name — talk about a winning combination!  Plus most of their guacamole menu –yes, a whole section of different guacamole options– is based on musical puns (Guac The Casbah, anyone?).  It’s just outside of the North Loop area, and worth a stop on your way to or from downtown.  Follow them on Twitter, since rumor has it they may be going more mobile soon.

SOUTH

Little Big Mike’s – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Pizza in Austin has seen some relative improvement recently, but is still a veritable dead zone in the land of Tex-Mex and BBQ.  Little Big Mike’s, located on South Congress, offers a new style to the city by featuring individual pan pizzas with all kinds of unique flavor combinations.  Hatch Green Chile & Avocado, anyone?

Burro Cheese Kitchen – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
If there’s something more comforting than a grilled cheese sandwich, I’m not sure I’ve found it.  Burro Cheese Kitchen elevates the grilled cheese to the next level, while staying true to its roots.  The cheese is the star of the show, made obvious by the impressive list of options listed on the menu.  Check them out on South Congress until the trailer park closes down.

Waylon & Willie at Burro Cheese Kitchen

Waylon & Willie at Burro Cheese Kitchen

Yeti Frozen Custard – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
You say “frozen custard”; I say “ohmygodgetoutofmyway”.  With that said, true frozen custard is rare find, kind of like a Yeti.  Swing by Yeti Frozen Custard on South 1st for a real treat.  Even better idea?  First grab some La Barbecue (scroll way down) and follow it up with some Yeti dessert.

Concrete at Yeti Frozen Custard

Concrete at Yeti Frozen Custard

Tommy Want Wingy – Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Although I question the name choice, the premise is solid.  The worst part about chicken wings is the mess.  TWW does the prep work for you and you’re left with chicken wing popsicles.  Think of them as wings in drumstick form, like this.   Find them at the Barton Springs Neighborhood Food Court.

Honky Tonk Hot Dogs – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Sometimes you need a good ol’ fashioned hot dog, dressed how you like it, and served with a punch of live music.  Honky Tonk Hot Dogs delivers on all counts, including performances from the very talented owner Scott.  Drop by for a dog, some tunes and, as is typical with many food trailer parks, be sure to BYOB.  They’re next door to Tommy Want Wingy.

Honky Tonk Hot Dogs

All-American w/ sample of chili at Honky Tonk Hot Dogs

Lard Have Mercy! – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Probably the best name for a trailer, ever.  Specializing in deep fried everything, Lard Have Mercy! is a great late-night snack place — y’know, when that fried Twinkie doesn’t sound quite so bad.  Find them on South 1st.

NORTH

One of the most noteworthy trends this past year has been the expansion of food trailers to the greater Austin area.  Now Round Rock and Pflugerville each have their own dedicated food trailer parks serving the underserved and doing it quite well.  From my experience, both of these mentioned BBQ trailers can hold their own against any barbecue found in the greater Austin area.

UPDATE: THE ROUND ROCK FOOD TRAILER PARK IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.

Round Rock isn’t just home to Dell and giant donuts anymore.  The Round Rock Food Trailer Park is the first food trailer park to set up in this Austin suburb.

UPDATE: CURLY’S PERFECT PIG AND HALL OF FLAME BBQ HAVE CLOSED THEIR TRAILERS AND HAVE OPENED A JOINT VENTURE BRICK-AND-MORTAR RESTAURANT CALLED CURLY’S CAROLINA, TEXAS.

Curly’s Perfect Pig – My Reviews One Two | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Sure, Curly’s serves barbecue, but this isn’t like any Q you’ll find in Texas.  Here pig is king.  At this Carolina style BBQ you’ll almost forget you’re in Texas with the first bite of pulled pork.  Get it on a sandwich, baked potato, or just on a plate.  No matter how you order it, you’ll be impressed.  Right off of I-35, it isn’t really that far to pay a visit up to Round Rock.

curlys baked potatoes

Pulled Pork Baked Potato at Curly’s Perfect Pig

A little northwest of Austin you’ll find the new Pflugerville Pfood Ranch serving the outer edge of Austin to those who don’t want to fight I-35 traffic to get deep into Austin.

Hall of Flame BBQ – My Review | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Technically not new, but new to the mainstream scene, Hall of Flame BBQ knows how to cook meat.  With brisket that rivals the best in town and a wasabi cole slaw that will blow you away, it’s worth the trip away from downtown just a bite before heading back.  Currently only open on Saturdays, they’re hoping to expand hours and locations soon.

Hall of Flame BBQ

Beef Ribs and Sausage at Hall of Flame BBQ

SCATTERED

Little Fatty’s – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Serving up gorditas (which quite literally translates to little fatty), these guys are taking to the streets in a seriously mobile way.  At five bucks apiece, you’ll be handed an extra large arepa-like pocket packed with big flavor.  Easy for on-the-go mouth filling.

EAST

Fried and True – My Review | Website | Facebook | Twitter
Oh boy.  Decisions, decisions.  Funnel cake or fried Oreos?  Chocolate-covered candied bacon or deep fried Sriracha grilled cheese sandwich?  If you’re like me, the only choice is to get all of it.  Want it for half the calories?  Go with a friend and share.  Open late on the East side, perfect for post-drinking refueling.

Deep fried Oreo and Funnel Cake at Fried and True

Deep fried Oreo and Funnel Cake at Fried and True

Lastly, I want to mention two (three?) trailers that have reinvented themselves in the last year.

East Side King @ The Grackle – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Never content with success, (Top Chef) Paul Qui has rebuilt one of the East Side King trifecta.  The Grackle location has a new truck and new menu, making it as new as an old trailer can be.  The menu is just as inventive as the other spots, but remains heavily focused on utilizing it’s big grill.  A great stop at the easternmost stretch of East 6th St to either start or end your night.

J Mueller BBQ –> La Barbecue “Texicana Cuisine” – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Food Trailers Austin
Thought of as one of the tops in the city, J Mueller BBQ has been rebranded as LA Barbecue Texicana Cuisine (don’t even get me started on the name).  The change came after John Mueller was unceremoniously relieved of his post as pitmaster and replaced by Franklin BBQ alum John Lewis.  It’s still turning out some of the finest BBQ in the city under John Mueller’s sister (LeAnn)’s watchful eye. (My Review of J Mueller BBQ)

Beef Rib at LA Barbecue

Beef Rib at LA Barbecue

JSM Meat Market – Website | Facebook | Twitter
John Mueller is the pitmaster you love to hate.  Not one to shy away from controversy, one thing most people can agree on is he makes some mean BBQ.  Perhaps best known for his beef ribs, go grab a sampler from his new location out East.

JMueller - Meat Plate

Sampler at J Mueller BBQ

Via 313

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Authentic Detroit-style pizza.  Yes, it’s a thing.  I was recently introduced to it by way of via a new food trailer on East 6th called Via 313.  It’s a black trailer parked in front of the Violet Crown Social Club and across the street from quite a few other food trucks.  It’s run by two brothers (Brandon & Zane) out of Detroit who couldn’t find good pizza in Austin.  Well they know how to make some mean “Detroit-style pizza”, or as they know it, “pizza”.

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Let the Battle(s) Begin!

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I’ve gotten the urge to do some real scientific, in-your-face, who’s-king-of-the-castle, head-to-head(-to-head) taste tests between some of our favorite trailers. This post is just a preview of what I have on deck. The rules are simple: 1) Each place needs to offer up a similar, nearly identical menu item for a fair competition. 2) The food needs to come from a trailer. That’s it. Let the battle(s)… BEGIN!

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Bola Pizza for Breakfast (again)

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Pizza for breakfast is a beautiful thing.  In a land where tacos topped with eggs, potatoes, cheese, bacon, peppers, cheese, and/or even pulled pork sometimes, are served for breakfast and considered normal, it’s amazing how many funny looks you get eating a pizza at 9:20 in the morning.  After a punishing character-building 15 mile run, I needed some recovery food.  What better than carbs (dough), protein (eggs and ham), veggies (onions), and ooey goodness (cheddar cheese) served in the form of a pizza?  Nothing, that’s what.

I’ve talked about Bola Pizza before, and specifically this exact breakfast pizza.  But it is just so good that it deserves a second post just for being so amazing.  The crust is crispy and chewy with a few air bubbles and nicely charred.  The speck (ham) is salty and meaty.  The onions are mild and slightly sweet.  The cheese is melted and never stands a chance against the 900 degree oven.  And the eggs, oh the eggs, are the perfect addition for a proper breakfast.  It just doesn’t get any better than this pizza.  Expensive?  Well that depends.  How much would you pay for perfect?  Go find them at the Farmers’ Market downtown on Saturdays from 9am – 1pm, but get there early if you want this breakfast pie.  And trust me, you do.

Bola Pizza

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Close your eyes for a moment (figuratively, or else how would you read this?).  You take a bite of [something].  Wow!  That’s the best [something] you’ve ever eaten!  Now take another bite.  Whoa, could that be the best anything you’ve ever eaten?  On one fateful Saturday after a blustery 12 miles in the wind and rain around Town Lake I stopped at the downtown farmers’ market.  For weeks I’d been eyeing the blue mobile brick oven stationed at one end of the vendor strip.  Well this day was the day I’d get me some mobile pizza.  Fair warning, if you’re prone to getting jealous easily, now would be a good time to stop reading.

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