What’s in a name? With Snarky’s MOO BAWK OINK there’s both confusion and clarity. When I tell people about Snarky’s, I invariably get a puzzled look and need to repeat myself. On the one hand this is good. It means I got their attention. On the other hand, it isn’t initially clear that I’m speaking English. And on the other hand, it says exactly what they make. Confused? Read on to learn all about some outstanding sandwiches.
Update: Unfortunately, due to extenuating circumstances with their location, Lizzie’s Lunchbox is permanently closed.
My contributor status to Food Trailers Austin has its perks. Thanks to my involvement I recently learned about Lizzie’s Lunchbox food truck currently set up near my office (North Austin ftw). They’re doing “Tex Med”, which is basically Mediterranean flavors with some Texas charm sprinkled on top. The bright pink truck, set up in a parking lot near a Blockbuster (still exists?) and a car wash, seems to be firing on all cylinders.
It’s not often I find myself downtown around lunch time on a weekday. That whole 9-5 8:30-5:30 job in North Austin has something to do with it. So when I conjure up an excuse opportunity to indulge in some downtown street food, I jump on it. This time around I had a half day at work to make up for the fact I’d be working Sunday at 1am (until 5am), so I headed downtown and swung by a tried-and-true favorite for some exceptional mobile lunch.
I’m no rookie when it comes to eating at the Jalopy Rotisserie and Press. The giant truck parked just north of downtown has been sitting pretty sliding out some amazing sandwiches since day one. The menu is diverse, chock-full of homemade sauces that push the boundaries on what a sandwich shop should be doing, but that sort of inventiveness has been baked into the Jalopy since day one. And it’s that same sense of “don’t get too comfortable” that drives the owner, Nic, to keep trying new things. And that’s exactly what warrants a fourth blog post on the same trailer on this blog.
In the land of endless Tex Mex, true Latin food is hard to come by. Sure, there are a handful of restaurants that serve South American cuisine, but only one trailer (as far as I know) that specializes in Latin-Cuban food. Don Churro has a menu full of Cuban goodness including sandwiches, churros, and other traditional fare that sets it far apart from the other trucks in town.
I’ll keep this brief. I’ve visited Short Bus Subs many times now, always impressed by their educationally humorous (yet appropriate) named offerings. Instead of my usual Summer Vacation, my most recent visit for lunch took me to a new-to-me sandwich that left me reaching for water after every bite. Saying it was spicy is an understatement.
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!
Last Tuesday Food Network’s Eat St. came to Austin to kickoff their five-trucks-in-five-days profile of Austin’s mobile food scene. They’re here filming for Season 2 of their show, after having already profiled ChiLantro BBQ and Lucky J’s last year for Season 1. Their first stop was at the Jalopy Rotisserie and Press, profiling Nic, his truck, and his delicious food. Lucky for me I was able to swing by and even make an on-camera appearance!
We have a lot of fun here on this blog with wordplay, double entendre, and of course, puns. You’d be hard-pressed to find a blog post without at least a little implied double meaning. As proof, Google finds 22 mentions of the word “pun” in my blog (not counting the 3 in this post)! What we’re celebrating today, however, is the literal nature of the blog’s name. The real intersection where running meats meets eating.
Roaming the streets in their diminutive school bus, Short Bus Subs has grown quite a following in a relatively short amount of time (enough to rev up a second bus). Offering a variety of sub sandwiches on their fresh baked bread has filled a big hole in the Austin food truck scene. I didn’t realize how much I was missing a warm, toasty sandwich until Short Bus Subs brought it to my attention.
