Of course, before going I did extensive research of where to go and what to eat. I saw a few food tours being offered, but we decided not to partake because: 1) most obvious reason, there was no availability on the days we were be there, 2) we had specific places we wanted to hit, and 3) they're quite costly, at $65+ pp. Having said that, I do encourage foodies who are new to Austin to take one of these food tours because, based on Yelp reviews, they are delicious, fun and a good chance to explore Austin.
Sadly, we weren't able to eat everything we wanted because we weren't there for very long. We, however, were able to cross a lot off our list. Here are some of our favorite places.
Le Cafe Crepe
We arrived to Austin around mid morning and after checking in to the hotel we went in search of breakfast. This spot is right in downtown Austin. Many years ago I had a crepe with strawberry, banana and Nutella from The French Crepe Company in Los Angeles and ever since I've been searching for the same deliciousness. Le Cafe Crepe is not it, but pretty close. The menu has all kinds of crepes from breakfast to fruits to ones with shrimp or turkey, etc. I went for the one pictured above while my bf decided to go simple with a crepe that has just mushrooms and Swiss cheese. They were both good, but not the kind that curls your toes.
Frank
Speaking of curling your toes, Frank is it! We discovered Frank on our first trip to Austin and this time we went there twice more. The food here is amazing and life-changing. I kid you not!
The first of the 2 visits on this trip we decided to sit at the bar in front. We ordered a couple of alcoholic drinks and espresso drinks and asked the bartender for food recommendations. He told us that the artisan sausages and dogs are a Frank's specialty. After looking through their descriptions, we were sold. I went for the exotic JACKALOPE (smoked antelope, rabbit, and pork sausage on a pretzel bun, topped with cranberry compote, Sriracha aioli and cheddar) while my bf went for the SOUTHERN BELLE (blackened, split Vienna Beef Hot Polish link dressed with pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, Cajun Remoulade and scallions). Initially, I wasn't sure if the cranberry compote is a good idea, but after one bite, I totally got it and wanted more of it. It provides a sweet and tart opposition to the cheesiness of the cheddar. The sausage is very flavorful, except it was hard to tell the kind of meats in it. Not that I even know what antelope and rabbit taste like. I also very much enjoyed the pretzel bun. My bf is not much of a hot dog eater but he enjoyed his order as well.
The very next day we came back to Frank during the brunch hours and totally committed a sin, gluttony. We ordered 3 huge dishes and 2 drinks. Since our last trip to Austin 3 months prior I've been craving the PORK BELLY BREAKFAST TACOS (pork belly, scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar on flour tortillas topped with Chicago salsa), so I ordered it. My bf had his eye on the SHRIMP & GRITS (four large shrimp, yellow cheese grits, smoked Gouda, red eye espresso gravy and crumbled bacon), so he ordered it. Everything on the menu sounds so yummy. We wanted to eat everything! We wanted more! What should we do? In the end we narrowed down to just one more plate. It wasn't an easy decision, but we went with the CHICKEN & WAFFLES (fried chicken and a bacon waffle).
Man oh man, I don't have enough words to describe how delicious these dishes were! The pork belly on the tacos were thick and nicely browned. This is better than any pork belly from all the fancy restaurants I've ever been. The Shrimp and Grits was a bit cheesy for my taste, but it was perfect for my bf. We barely had any stomach room left for the Chicken and Waffles. The fried chicken was crunchy and seasoned perfectly. It tasted like the seasoning went all the way through to the bones. It was such a shame we had to leave some behind. We have never left a restaurant feeling so satisfied as we did Frank. We vowed to be back soon, and next time I'm wearing stretchy waist band.
Roaring Fork
Some friends highly recommended Roaring Fork so we managed to squeezed it in before leaving Austin. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in earthy tones, like bringing outdoors Austin inside. The walls and columns are composed of stones, woods, orange/brown chairs and white table cloth. If you don't want to feel out of place, dress business casual.
After hearing the specials of the day and looking over the lunch menu, I decided on the daily special GRILLED SALMON and a side of MEXICAN STREET CORN while my bf ordered the TORTILLA SOUP, GRILLED FISH TACOS (served on corn tortilla with guacamole, corn pico, remoulade and salsa verde) and a side of GREEN CHILI MAC & CHEESE. My salmon dish was quite good, especially the creamy sauce. The corn, oh the corn, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the corn. I don't know how it was prepared but it has a smokey smell as if the corn was actually grilled. My bf loved his tortilla soup and fish tacos! He was okay with the Mac & Cheese because he felt the cheese was way too dense.
Check out my next post for all the food trucks yumminess.
Websites:
Le Cafe Crepe: http://www.cafecrepeofaustin.com
Frank: http://www.hotdogscoldbeer.com
Roaring Fork: http://www.roaringfork.com
We arrived to Austin around mid morning and after checking in to the hotel we went in search of breakfast. This spot is right in downtown Austin. Many years ago I had a crepe with strawberry, banana and Nutella from The French Crepe Company in Los Angeles and ever since I've been searching for the same deliciousness. Le Cafe Crepe is not it, but pretty close. The menu has all kinds of crepes from breakfast to fruits to ones with shrimp or turkey, etc. I went for the one pictured above while my bf decided to go simple with a crepe that has just mushrooms and Swiss cheese. They were both good, but not the kind that curls your toes.
Frank
Speaking of curling your toes, Frank is it! We discovered Frank on our first trip to Austin and this time we went there twice more. The food here is amazing and life-changing. I kid you not!
The first of the 2 visits on this trip we decided to sit at the bar in front. We ordered a couple of alcoholic drinks and espresso drinks and asked the bartender for food recommendations. He told us that the artisan sausages and dogs are a Frank's specialty. After looking through their descriptions, we were sold. I went for the exotic JACKALOPE (smoked antelope, rabbit, and pork sausage on a pretzel bun, topped with cranberry compote, Sriracha aioli and cheddar) while my bf went for the SOUTHERN BELLE (blackened, split Vienna Beef Hot Polish link dressed with pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, Cajun Remoulade and scallions). Initially, I wasn't sure if the cranberry compote is a good idea, but after one bite, I totally got it and wanted more of it. It provides a sweet and tart opposition to the cheesiness of the cheddar. The sausage is very flavorful, except it was hard to tell the kind of meats in it. Not that I even know what antelope and rabbit taste like. I also very much enjoyed the pretzel bun. My bf is not much of a hot dog eater but he enjoyed his order as well.
The very next day we came back to Frank during the brunch hours and totally committed a sin, gluttony. We ordered 3 huge dishes and 2 drinks. Since our last trip to Austin 3 months prior I've been craving the PORK BELLY BREAKFAST TACOS (pork belly, scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar on flour tortillas topped with Chicago salsa), so I ordered it. My bf had his eye on the SHRIMP & GRITS (four large shrimp, yellow cheese grits, smoked Gouda, red eye espresso gravy and crumbled bacon), so he ordered it. Everything on the menu sounds so yummy. We wanted to eat everything! We wanted more! What should we do? In the end we narrowed down to just one more plate. It wasn't an easy decision, but we went with the CHICKEN & WAFFLES (fried chicken and a bacon waffle).
Man oh man, I don't have enough words to describe how delicious these dishes were! The pork belly on the tacos were thick and nicely browned. This is better than any pork belly from all the fancy restaurants I've ever been. The Shrimp and Grits was a bit cheesy for my taste, but it was perfect for my bf. We barely had any stomach room left for the Chicken and Waffles. The fried chicken was crunchy and seasoned perfectly. It tasted like the seasoning went all the way through to the bones. It was such a shame we had to leave some behind. We have never left a restaurant feeling so satisfied as we did Frank. We vowed to be back soon, and next time I'm wearing stretchy waist band.
Roaring Fork
Some friends highly recommended Roaring Fork so we managed to squeezed it in before leaving Austin. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in earthy tones, like bringing outdoors Austin inside. The walls and columns are composed of stones, woods, orange/brown chairs and white table cloth. If you don't want to feel out of place, dress business casual.
After hearing the specials of the day and looking over the lunch menu, I decided on the daily special GRILLED SALMON and a side of MEXICAN STREET CORN while my bf ordered the TORTILLA SOUP, GRILLED FISH TACOS (served on corn tortilla with guacamole, corn pico, remoulade and salsa verde) and a side of GREEN CHILI MAC & CHEESE. My salmon dish was quite good, especially the creamy sauce. The corn, oh the corn, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the corn. I don't know how it was prepared but it has a smokey smell as if the corn was actually grilled. My bf loved his tortilla soup and fish tacos! He was okay with the Mac & Cheese because he felt the cheese was way too dense.
Check out my next post for all the food trucks yumminess.
Websites:
Le Cafe Crepe: http://www.cafecrepeofaustin.com
Frank: http://www.hotdogscoldbeer.com
Roaring Fork: http://www.roaringfork.com
No comments:
Post a Comment