bluegrass to lonestar

A new burger joint opened up on Cesar Chavez and it’s been getting good word of mouth from cyclists because they give discounts to those of the pedaled persuasion.  We had tickets to the Thin Man double-feature at The Paramount so we stopped for burgers beforehand.  It’s a small space with a counter inside and a patio to the side.  The flies were rampant outside so we sat at the counter.  They make stuffed burgers with the cheese on the inside.  Lauren got the Norma Jean a classic american cheeseburger and I had a Frida Khalo.  A burger, stuffed w/ chorizo and pepper jack, and topped with a fried egg and avocado.  It’s a heart attack waiting to happen but it would be tasty heart attack.  The only let down were the onion rings.  I don’t think they had the fryer grease hot enough because they were soggy and soaked with oil.  In conclusion: 10% off for cyclists + BYOB + artery clogging creations = awesome!

A mack truck painted with murals has set up shop across from Lauren’s school.  They call it The Jalopy and they sell rotisserie chicken sandwiches.  We stopped by on Saturday after Frankenbike to eat some lunch.  The guy taking orders, I assume he’s the owner, was super friendly and chatty.  He gave us free Jalopy Mimosas (orange MD 20/20 & tonic).  It was actually much better than it should be but it still pretty foul.  I’m not usually a fan of hot sandwiches but these were pretty good.  The onion marmalade and demi-glace on the “original” were awesome.  The “caprese” was good too, but it’s hard not to like anything when it’s covered in pesto and cheese.

The trailer scene is blowing up in Austin.  It seems like I hear about a new trailer every week.  Most are disappointing.  A few gems do turn up though, like Naranja Mobile.  Odd Duck is definitely in the success category.  They use local farms for their seasonal menu ingredients and emphasize whole animal usage.  Two things I highly support.  The results are fantastic.  They make a variety of small plates daily so we tried an assortment.  Also, BYOB!

Pictured below: 

green beans with tarragon crema, pork loin and sweet corn ricotta

slow cooked rabbit leg on ciabatta, capers, parmesan and grilled squash

grilled quail with salad of potato, cheddar and arugula

pork belly slider with pickled onion

grilled zucchini bread with grilled peaches and salad with goat cheese

Behind the place I buy my coffee beans, a BBQ Trailer has taken up residence.  The last time I talked to the roaster he recommended it, so we decided to give it a whirl.  Everything sounded good so we ordered 2-meat plates to get sampling of brisket, ribs, and pulled pork.  They gave us a sample of the sausage while we waited so we ended up with a taste of everything.  This is some damn fine BBQ and a ton of it.  The plate could easily be split.  The brisket had some of the best bark (the dark outside area) I’ve ever tasted.  The sides were pretty average, so maybe next time we’ll skip those in favor of some pie.

Sitting in the parking lot of Freewheeling Cycles is a small coffee trailer called Good Bike Cafe. I read about it on one of local cycling blogs and decided to check it out Saturday morning. The guy working was just opening for the day and gave us 25% because we rolled up on bikes. Awesome! We ordered 2 croissants (chocolate & almond), a Cuban coffee and an espresso. I have never had espresso, but it was damn good, a nice crema on top. Lauren’s Cuban coffee was even better. The croissants were super flaky, not quite as good as the one’s at the farmer’s market in DC, but close.