People who don't like Austin......because of the restaurants??? (Mesquite: how much, live)
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white suburban people = bland uninteresting restaurants
It's true. Admit it.
You know what, ACH, it really doesn't have to be, though....
with apologies to Austin, it really is newly cosmopolitan. Until the early 90's, there wasn't even an asian complexity to the city. I think the Asians are making a HUGE addition to the culinary arts in Austin....thats where you have to look, especially in the north and NW......and look for more as californians create their own spin on things edible.....again, its just unfair to compare Austin with the complexities of chicago, NY, or LA, even Houston, for that matter.......I think Austin is a great regional food center, with some mightly fine local eateries.....yes, high-end and a world mix is lacking, but there is progress, and the local fried, BBQ stuff is damn good anyway.
I've lived both in Chicago and San Francisco - great eating cities. I consider myself an equal opportunity eater - I love everything from White Castle and good Chicago Italian beef to high end stuff. Having lived in other cities, I think Austin is doing a pretty good job of trying to build a thriving and diverse restaurant scene! It actually was one of the things that drew us here from Phoenix, where I feel dining of all types is pretty seriously lacking.
Now, I have tried some of the Austin places that have been raved about and been a little underwhelmed: Hut's, The Omelettry, and a highly disappointing meal at Austin Land and Cattle last Friday night, to name a few. But we've had several great surprises as well - Sampaio, Wink, Cafe Lago, Starlite, Eddie V's (not really a local place, but still good), Mikado....I really am very encouraged by what is going on with dining and hope that it continues!
Glad to hear you have had white castle "Sliders"!
Somehow, I think Austin would love a 24 hour white castle..the college kids would be there 24/7, and the older locals would love it!
Such a lovely, goopy mass of wet bun, dehydrated onions, and that lil squirt of Ketchup....
Harold and Kumar recommend it too, even in Guantanamo bay!
Because I travel the state a lot for work, I have already had kolaches in West and in La Grange. Not so delicious to me....
Likely part of the problem is that I am vegetarian, so typically only sweet kolaches are available to me. I have several times in different towns been tempted by what is labeled as a "cheese and jalapeno" kolache, and when I ask if it has meat in it, the answer is always "yes, it's just not labeled like that." Usually all the "cheese and ---" kolaches have sausage in them, unless bacon is specifically called out, it seems. Weird. In my mind, sausage is not a universal given or "understood" thing, but I guess it is in kolache-world.
But... in Taylor, there is a sweet little Czech bakery where everything, the cakes, doughnuts, pies, sweet rolls, and kolaches, are all made from scratch on premises. I was just talking to one of the bakers there last week, and she said that, traditionally, kolaches are ONLY sweet, fruit-filled things (except for cream cheese-filled, which is a new, Americanized thing). She told me that cheese, egg, sausage (i.e. savory) kolaches are not traditional, but a recent American thing. Recent being decades and decades old already, but still....
Interesting.
Another interesting thing, I found: I asked some co-workers for their opinions about the Monument Cafe, as I know they like to eat out a lot. They both told me it's nothing special and they wouldn't go out of their way to eat there. But then it occurred to me that they are die-hard Austinites, in the sense that they are curious about the outside world, but they don't want to live there. They'll just pass through, thank you. (When I told them several months ago that I was moving to Taylor, they couldn't believe it!) They like the hip, happening stuff of Austin. They recommend restaurants in Austin, and in San Antonio, but according to these two, there are no places worth checking out in Williamson County. I'm incredulous, because these are smart people! But Georgetown is "far" for them, I guess, in Rosedale and Crestview.
It reminds me of the saying that New Yorkers are the most provincial people in the world, because they truly believe that New York has everything, and if it's not in New York, it's not worth much. A museum exhibit that's not from New York, or doesn't travel to New York, is not much of an exhibit, for example. Couldn't be good. The best opera, theater, etc., is from the city. Nothing in the hinterlands except a big WHOOOSH sound of the void. That attitude drives me nuts. I kinda do think that dyed-in-the-wool urbanites are just as provincial as the "hicks" they decry.
But I ramble and rant. Sorry.
Another coworker recommended an Italian place in Williamson County called Nonna's, I think. So I've got two places to check out at some point....
I don't think I can eat another enchilada for a while. I'm Tex-Mexed out.
I would love anyone's recommendations for Thai and Vietnamese in the Austin area.... Texas Horse Lady, you've recommended one.
Oh, and the bialy at Sweetish Hill, is also not a good bialy. I guess we need to import them.... They have a very particular texture, it cannot be compromised! It doesn't matter where it comes from, NY, Chicago, Boston, Florida, Alabama, it just needs that texture!
East European bakeries rule..ask twange about the ones he grew up with in Cleveland.....Pittsburgh has great east euro bakeries as welll.....lots of czecks and serbs and poles there..the Deer Hunter was filmed there after all....and during lent they come out with those little Punchkis, or what ever they call them...high-end donut holes actually! LOL!
East European bakeries rule..ask twange about the ones he grew up with in Cleveland.....Pittsburgh has great east euro bakeries as welll.....lots of czecks and serbs and poles there..the Deer Hunter was filmed there after all....and during lent they come out with those little Punchkis, or what ever they call them...high-end donut holes actually! LOL!
Funny thing but when we came here and saw the word "Kolache" we thought it was just another spelling for "kolachky", which is a Polish sweet pastry(apricot, raspberry, prune, sweet cheese). When we saw that they had sausage, ham, cheese etc...there was definitely a "WTF?" moment
There was 2-3 great Euro-bakeries within walking distance of our house that right now I'm thinking we took for granted
schoenfraun, when did your friends last eat at Monument? It underwent a change a while back - kept the same "home cooking" style, but upgraded the ingredients to local as much as possible, including the Kobe beef which is grown locally. There was a distinct difference in the results using what appeared to be the same recipes (and I'm one of those people who will eat new dishes trying to figure out what's in there, what IS that space, etc.).
Funny thing but when we came here and saw the word "Kolache" we thought it was just another spelling for "kolachky", which is a Polish sweet pastry(apricot, raspberry, prune, sweet cheese). When we saw that they had sausage, ham, cheese etc...there was definitely a "WTF?" moment
There was 2-3 great Euro-bakeries within walking distance of our house that right now I'm thinking we took for granted
And, Twange, they start making their stuff around midnight...I used to get off the train in homewood(southern burb), and walk past the polish bakery
at 1 AM, already at work rolling dough, with all those smells....yes, ol fashioned bakeries, the kind NOT inside H-E-B's, rule!
Austin will get them soon enough, though!
Likely part of the problem is that I am vegetarian, so typically only sweet kolaches are available to me.
Off the Kolaches for a moment...have you tried Casa de Luz? It's not vegetarian but vegan and macrobiotic, is a very beautiful place with classes, etc...Their menus change every day so I suppose it could be hit or miss on whether you like what they're serving. A really interesting place.
Funny thing but when we came here and saw the word "Kolache" we thought it was just another spelling for "kolachky", which is a Polish sweet pastry(apricot, raspberry, prune, sweet cheese). When we saw that they had sausage, ham, cheese etc...there was definitely a "WTF?" moment
There was 2-3 great Euro-bakeries within walking distance of our house that right now I'm thinking we took for granted
maybe a Kolache is just a breakfast burrito version of a Kolachky....sounds pretty yummy to me anyway....and isn't it crazy how many calories are in rich pastries? I used to like those lemon custard filled ones from dunkins, and each one a sinful 400 calories.......but so much worth every bite, specally when you get down to the custard!
Off the Kolaches for a moment...have you tried Casa de Luz? It's not vegetarian but vegan and macrobiotic, is a very beautiful place with classes, etc...Their menus change every day so I suppose it could be hit or miss on whether you like what they're serving. A really interesting place.
Yeah that DOES seem like a cool, experiential place, and right by Zilker Park as well....and all those Chuy places.....nice counterpoint, like paying pennance for eating at Shady Grove, or that Green something or other place...with the chicken fried steak.
Though it looks like they get a bit naughty on wednesdays on "Mexican night".....hey, even vegans need to pig out sometime!
Yeah that DOES seem like a cool, experiential place, and right by Zilker Park as well....and all those Chuy places.....nice counterpoint, like paying pennance for eating at Shady Grove, or that Green something or other place...with the chicken fried steak.
Though it looks like they get a bit naughty on wednesdays on "Mexican night".....hey, even vegans need to pig out sometime!
Don't forget P. Terry's burger stand!
We took a vegan friend there from out of town(this reminds me of the Carl Sagan book "Contact", where the radio message from space comes from the star Vega, and they refer to them as "Vegans")....anyway, he raved about it, and said that place alone made him want to move here. Macrobiotic food can be odd if you're not used to it, especially if you're used to dairy, but there is some very tasty things to be had there. I think it was $12 all you can eat.
BTW, it's Green Mesquite you're thinking of...
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