Soursop Asian Trailer

Despite the fact that my friend Jennie blogged about Soursop's soft opening back in early November, word seems to be trickling out slowly about this outstanding trailer serving Asian fusion goodness (only four reviews on Yelp at the time of this post). I promise you that it is not because Soursop is in any way lacking in the quality department - everything I tried there last week was unique and exceptionally delicious.

I got to try them recently thanks to a little gathering of friends we attended at St. Elmo's Brewing. We were hungry, so we wandered over to Soursop (which is nestled on St. Elmo's patio) and ordered a few things to try. Word to the wise: if you're there on a busy night, it might take a reallllllllllllllllllly long time to get your food. I didn't look at the clock when we ordered, but I am quite sure it took over an hour before our meals came out. Others who ordered much earlier and much later than we did got their food quite a bit more quickly, though, so we must have just hit it at a particularly busy time.

It was worth the wait, though. I ordered the panang curry ($10) with a side of jasmine rice ($3). The curry was vegetarian - loaded with eggplant bathing in an impossibly creamy panang curry sauce and garnished with Thai basil and peanuts. The curry was so luscious that it almost felt like eating dessert, only it was appropriately savory with just enough kick to remind you that no, this was most decidedly not dessert.

I also stole a bite (or two) of my husband's fried chicken sandwich ($8.50), which eschewed banality by incorporating green curry, fermented green tomato, and burnt scallion aioli.

Our meals were plentiful even despite our hunger level by the time we arrived, so our order of fries ($8) was sort of superfluous. They got eaten anyway, though (oops)! I thought these were nicely seasoned, but a teeny bit less crispy than I prefer. Again, however, they kicked up the interesting factor by serving these with a side of banana ketchup.

My favorite carb of the evening had to be the roti, though. This flaky fried bread reminded me of really good scallion pancakes from a texture perspective. They serve this with curry dipping sauce, but it's flavorful enough to be eaten plain, too.

No need to go thirsty - St. Elmo's has you covered with a nice selection of beer. I washed down my food with a wonderful hefe-barley called Dampf that paired beautifully with the Asian flavors at Soursop.

Given the relative dearth of interesting Asian food down in south Austin, Soursop has every reason to take off. Add in the fact that you can enjoy a great brew with your meal, and it's worth going out of your way for a visit.

Soursop Austin

440 E. St. Elmo Rd, Bldg G-2 (patio of St. Elmo's Brewing)

Austin, TX 78745

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Veracruz All Natural

I recently discovered what may very well be my favorite tacos in town. I'd heard many raves about the charms of Veracruz All Natural, and finally made my way to their trailer down south for a late lunch one Sunday afternoon. It was well after 2:00 and I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I'm afraid my usual propensity for copious photo-taking was a little hampered. But don't let my lackluster photos dissuade you. These tacos are amazing, featuring fantastic tortillas (both flour and corn are housemade), flavorful fillings, and addictive sauces that almost make you wish the fillings were ever-so-slightly less flavorful, so as to justify more sauce usage.

Migas

Al pastor

Rich & luscious chicken mole

Full o' flavor fish

The tacos run around $3ish apiece; an absolute steal. And the south location is conveniently located outside the lovely Radio Coffee & Beer, so you can order any number of caffeinated or adult beverages to complement your taco goodness. I fell madly in love with this white blueberry tea made by one of my favorite local companies, Zhi tea, as well as the sweet infuser pot it was served in.

Veracruz All Natural has quickly earned a spot on my shortlist for a freshly prepared, very reasonably priced meal. Enjoy it on Radio's patio while basking in this absolutely gorgeous fall weather, and you have the recipe for a perfect Austin meal. 

Veracruz All Natural

1704 E. Cesar Chavez

Austin, TX 78702

or

4204 Manchaca Road

Austin, TX 78704
Hours at Manchaca location: 
6:30a - midnight (weekdays)
7:30a - midnight (weekends)

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T-Loc's Sonora Hot Dogs

"Man is only great when he acts from passion." ~ Benjamin Disraeli

If Benjamin Disraeli is to be believed, Miguel and Zulma Kaiser are pretty damn great. One has only to visit with them for a few minutes about their three-week-old business, T-Loc's Sonora Hot Dogs, to become firmly convinced of their deep passion for the food they're serving from their little trailer on Burnet Road.

Miguel graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Arizona and started his career with a bang as a commis at Thomas Keller's Per Se. He's held a number of jobs since then, most recently in a local hotel, working hard to hone his skills both in the back of the house and the front. He recently put in his two-week notice at his day job so he can focus on T-Loc's, which means that they will soon be able to provide lunch service in addition to their current dinner hours (EDIT: They are now open for lunch!).

Miguel and Zulma met while they were both working at a restaurant in Tucson. He was in the kitchen, she was bussing tables, and he was attracted to her work ethic. "She was always hustling," he says, with a note of great respect in his voice. She worked the morning shift and he worked nights, and he started going out of his way to say hello to her when he left. Years later, he proposed to her atop a pyramid in Honduras. They plan to marry later this year.

So, what's a Sonoran hot dog, you ask? You video-lovers can check out this clip from Man vs. Food; you readers can instead devour this short piece from Sunset magazine. Or, in case you don't feel like doing any homework, just drive on over to T-Loc's and check out their graphic menu:

Better yet, don't bother with the menu and dive into the real thing.

Sonora Hot Dog, just $5.

About to Bite Cam

I'd never tasted a Sonoran dog before, and I was instantly smitten. The combination of flavors and textures just works - the soft, steamed bun and the earthy beans serve as mellowing influences to the bite of the mustard, the tangy jalapeno sauce, the sharpness of the raw onions, the acidity of the fresh tomatoes, and the salty, bacon-wrapped dog. The crowning slathering of mayonnaise just pulls it all together and, as Miguel put it, "helps it go down a little easier."  This is a hot dog.

After tasting the Sonora dog, I would never have given anything else on the menu a second glance. But my husband wanted to try the carne asada burrito. He loved it so much that he ate three of them this week alone.

I am pretty sure my husband finished the other half of this burrito 

before I finished taking this photo.

After the carne asada success, of course I had to try the bean and cheese burrito on my next visit. This is not a dish I would typically order, but after trying the one at T-Loc's, I just may have to start.

Bean & Cheese burrito - ridiculously cheap at $4.

Despite their incredibly affordable prices, Miguel refuses to skimp on quality. He insists on getting the ingredients right and in order to ensure that he does, he has buns and tortillas Fed Ex'd to him from Tucson. He and Zulma make their own sauces and their own beverages, which include a rotating selection of homemade agua frescas and horchata (my husband is completely addicted to the pineapple agua fresca).

In short, T-Loc's Sonora Hot Dogs offers wonderful food at excellent prices. Best of all, you'll be helping a very sweet, exceedingly hardworking couple realize their dream.

Miguel and Zulma Kaiser, owners of T-Loc's Sonora Hot Dogs

T-Loc's Sonora Hot Dogs

5715 Burnet Road (across from the HEB at 2222 and Burnet)

512-994-8982

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More Trailer Treasure: Odd Duck Farm to Trailer

I've been hearing rave reviews from all sides about the recently-arrived Odd Duck Farm to Trailer. Yelpers love it; my foodie friends on Twitter love it - it was high time to go.

I finally trundled over there for lunch today with my friend Mike, who was gracious enough to relent when I asked to change our previously-agreed-upon lunch venue at the last second. I think all the food bloggers had the same idea this week; we ran into Marshall from Eat This Lens there, I heard that Peter of Tasting Buds had been there too, and after I returned to the office, I saw several other food bloggers on Twitter arranging a meeting there tomorrow. Open the floodgates!

Odd Duck is at 1219 S. Lamar Boulevard;
it shares space with trailer brethren Gourdoughs and Austin Brevita.

Odd Duck Farm to Trailer is the brainchild of Bryce Gilmore, whose restaurant experience includes stints at Z Tejas Grill, Wink, and Moonshine, as well as a number of establishments outside the Austin area. Bryce also probably had some cooking juju in his genes, as he happens to also be the son of Jack Gilmore (the founding chef of Z Tejas, who just opened his own brand new venture, Jack Allen's Kitchen).

Whatever the source of his skills, they are certainly in fine form here. Everything we sampled from the menu was delicious, and Bryce's focus on locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients guarantees that everything is fresh and good for your soul, too.

Portions here are on the small side, so I'd suggest ordering at least a couple of things per person. For the two of us, we ordered two sliders, a salad, a soup, and an order of polenta, and it was just about perfect.

We started with a cup of cauliflower soup ($3) and a grilled romaine salad ($5). The salad was, in a word, groundbreaking. I've never had grilled romaine before, and was completely taken by the wonderful smoky flavor that it imparted to mere lettuce. The goat ricotta was incredibly creamy, and the farm egg was poached just right and oozing with freshness. My only complaint was that the only utensils they gave us to eat this salad with were plastic soup spoons. Laughably inadequate. We ended up just picking up the lettuce with our hands.


Grilled romaine salad with goat ricotta and a poached farm egg.

The soup was also wonderful, although less innovative. At first I thought it was a hair on the bland side, but as we got deeper into the bowl, it got more flavorful. Maybe it just needed a tiny bit of a stir.


Cauliflower Soup.

Next up was an order of polenta with turnips, mushrooms and pulled duck leg, topped with a soft duck egg ($6). Again, wow. This man can cook an egg. And the polenta was smooth as silk and made a delightful base for the smoky duck, the earthy mushrooms, and the soft turnips.



Finally, we each devoured one of these wonderful sliders ($5) - filled with coffee porter braised pork, paprika roasted carrots, and some sort of delightfully garlicky sauce that I think was an aioli. Insert snarfing noises here.



The entire meal for both of us set us back just $23 including two bottles of ice cold Topo Chico. This may sound like it's on the high side for trailer dining, but trust me - it is well worth every penny.

Menu changes daily and is diligently updated on their website, so if you're going with a picky eater or somebody with dietary restrictions, check it out here first. If they decide not to join you, give me a call.

Odd Duck Farm to Trailer
1219 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704

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La Boîte - a Container of Deliciousness

The recent proliferation of mobile and mobile-ish food purveyors around town has sparked a lot of discussion amongst Austinites about whether trailer dining is just a passing fad or an ingenious (and lasting) way for worthy restauranteurs to launch eateries in a relatively inexpensive manner. A few of my early outings suggested that perhaps some folks were capitalizing on the novelty of it all to sell mediocre foodstuffs at a ridiculous markup. However, a few trailers have popped up along the way that restored my faith in the Airstream - notably, Sushi-a-Go-Go (which is on my "to blog about" list) and Crepes Mille, and I've been hearing raves from reliable sources about Odd Duck Farm to Trailer and East Side Kings.

As a result, I'm optimistically open-minded about such things, these days. This morning, that optimism paid off. I had an early errand at the courthouse that was finished quickly, so I thought I'd pick up some treats on the way to the office. I passed by a couple of obvious choices - Sweetish Hill and Whole Foods - racking my brain for something new, when La Boîte popped into my head. La Boîte ("the box" in French) had been garnering some great reviews on Yelp, so I was excited to check it out.

As I pulled up to the place, I was immediately taken by its lovely aesthetic. La Boîte is built from a reused shipping container, but the design geniuses behind this venture have managed to somehow make that look good. It all looks very intentional and well-thought-out; there's even a lovely sitting area outside with a modern-looking canopy surrounded by several strategically-placed planters.

As with so many things I photograph, it looks better in real life.

I was caffeine-less at that point, so I completely neglected to photograph the interior. Or maybe I was just distracted by the pretty pastries. The selection wasn't huge at 9:15ish a.m., but I managed to snag two kinds of croissants (almond and butter - which one of the co-owners, Dan, assured me were "the best you can get outside of Paris") and two varieties of brioche (sausage and chocolate). Eight pastries set me back less than $20 before gratuity.

Hungry vultures were waiting at my office, so I only managed to photograph and try the almond croissant and the chocolate brioche. Both were absolutely outstanding.

I tasted the almond croissant first. At first bite, I had one of those moments of being transported to another plane by sheer virtue of the deliciousness exploding in my mouth. I literally had to close my eyes to block out other stimulus so I could properly savor it. The exterior was laden with slivered almonds and had the crispy texture of pastry that is coated with just a hint of carmelized sugar...the interior was buttery-moist and fragrant with the scent of almond extract. Pure heaven. I had every intention of just tasting a small bite, but I kept going back in the kitchen to cut off additional chunks.


Go ahead. Lean over to your screen and take a whiff of this beauty.


Watch that powdered sugar, though.


Many-layered goodness.

I had purchased three of the almond croissants, so I was sorely tempted to keep cutting off bites of those and pass on the chocolate brioche altogether. It couldn't possibly be as good. But, ONLY because I am a good blogger and wanted to report on my findings, I took a bite.





And whoa. I don't know what kind of chocolate they put in these, but it is fantastic - very intense and totally deserving of eating plain, which I don't say lightly. Chocolate is a very serious matter.

La Boîte also offers a small selection of sandwiches at lunch, which I need to go back and try as soon as humanly possible (there is a photo of one along with a terrific writeup of La Boîte by Natanya of Fête and Feast here. And to satisfy your environmentally-conscious side (you are an Austinite, after all!), La Boîte serves primarily local and sustainable products, including Owl Tree Coffee.

Further proof that thinking outside La Boîte can lead to unconventionally wonderful results.

La Boîte Café
1700 S. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78704

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Chris' Little Chicago

The very large majority of my restaurant reviews reside on Yelp.com, which is where I first started writing about food. When I started this food blog, I grappled a bit with whether to put new reviews here, instead; I ultimately decided to leave them on Yelp, because I think it's very useful to have a pool of information about a restaurant in a single, easily-accessible place.

However, because Yelp doesn't allow me to integrate photos into my reviews the way I can here, sometimes the temptation to cross-post is just too strong. So, below is a verbatim cross-post of my new Yelp review of Chris' Little Chicago - seen here with the photos, for your viewing pleasure.
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I was first introduced to Chicago style hot dogs at my beloved Red Hot Lovers in Ann Arbor, where I went to college. It was love at first bite; the big, juicy dogs smothered in toppings I'd never even heard of (hello, sport peppers and celery salt) took my breath away. And the waffle fries...ohhhh, those perfect, perfect waffle fries...

But I digress.

Since moving to Austin, I have many times bemoaned the fact that there aren't any good Chicago dogs to be found here (or Jewish deli sandwiches...what is up with that?). So when I heard about Chris' Little Chicago, I hurried down for a visit just as quickly as I could.

Chris' Little Chicago is just a little red trailer in the middle of a totally overgrown field off S. Lamar. There are a couple of ramshackle tables surrounding it...definitely not an upscale dining experience.

Service was extremely friendly, and I was able to place my order very quickly and with little fuss. I had eyes only for the Chicago style dog - an all-beef Vienna dog covered in tomato wedges, a pickle spear, day-glo-green relish, chopped onion, mustard, sport peppers, and celery salt. The sweet woman working there told me that Chris went through 25 bags of fries before he found the right ones, so I had to order a side of those, as well. The combo - dog, drink (canned soda or bottled water), and fries - cost $6.50.



I thought the dog was very good. The toppings were perfect, really; my only minor beef (rimshot) was with the dog itself. It was a little on the small side and kind of watery - I really like my hot dogs to have a firmer, more dense texture. The fries were perfectly cooked and tasted great, as advertised, although I'll admit that I personally prefer plain fries to seasoned fries, particularly with a very flavorful dog (like those waffle fries at Red Hot Lovers...ohhhhhh). But if you like seasoned fries, these were a nice representation of that genre.

The dogs at Chris' Little Chicago don't quite live up to the Chicago dogs I hold so dear in my memories, but they're about as good as any you'll get in Austin.

(4/5 stars)

Chris' Little Chicago
3600 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 300-1791

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