We picked Austin because it’s not a ridiculous drive and they love dogs and they make food! What follows is going to be shameless plugs for the places we went!
Of course BBQ was tops on the list but really it was a very open and long list. We did decide to not really look for the Asian things we eat all the time here at home. It sucks to fall in love with a dish you can’t have readily. I did fall in love with a salad dressing that we had and figured out how to make something close. I will start at the beginning and try not to get too off track on the way to the end!
Our Air B&B was fantastic! It was called Home in Austin. It was a block off of 6th Street which is the best street in town. All the bars, clubs and restaurants you can think of are on 6th. We didn’t realize how prime our location was until we got there. It was a cozy tiny home in the backyard of a beautiful historic home. The backyard was a lovely oasis that was filled with history. The tiny house has windows and tiles from a church and a set of authentic mission bells. We also had a full kitchen plus laundry! It was perfect for the 2 of us and the puppy.
We got into town early afternoon and the first plan was a nap. As we had a full kitchen I brought groceries so I was ready for dinner in. I woke up cranky and decided not to cook so we both got on the Uber Eats to start exploring. Total side note, I pay for the Uber subscription and he doesn’t. He got different restaurants than I did. We did have some of the same but he had places that I didn’t and vice versa.
We ended up deciding on Spanish cuisine. He spent several years in Panama and Venezuela and this menu had him reminiscing. He doesn’t get excited about food very often so this was a win-win. Good food that I didn’t have to cook! This was just the first round of amazing food we had. If we had gone to the restaurant I am sure my feelings would be feeling. This was hands down the best take away I have ever gotten. Here comes our order!
1Croquetas de Jamon Iberico
1Albondigas
1Patatas Bravas
1*Selection of three*Jamon Serrano • Salchichón Ibérico • Chorizo Ibérico pork
1Paella de Setas y Verduras
I have only seen this food on TV, which is kind of how I ordered. He ordered his past. I don’t have words for how good all of the things were. The Albondigas blew me away. Croquetas are magical. Of course the cured meats were perfect, the Chorizo seasoned one was our favorite. The Paella was very, very tasty. I hadn’t ever had it so I got to try with a fresh palate! I do so love to try all the things. Just because I didn’t like it when I was 14 doesn’t mean that I don’t like it now.
Our first meal outing was at Loro Asian Smokehouse and Bar. I know we didn’t want to go Asian but I couldn’t not try something new! We started with smoked shishito queso and smoked salmon dip. We followed with charred broccoli and char siew pork belly. I had the ginger old fashioned, he had a Sapporo and they brought the pup a huge bowl of cold water.
There was a great little place about a block away. It was also pet friendly. We went there three times. We did happy hour and a dinner. For happy hour we had an amazing stone fired pizza topped with shishito peppers, shoestring fries and fancy hard boiled eggs called Oeufs Mayonnaise. They are topped with caviar and herbs. I had the most amazing bowl of lettuce! They call it Local Lettuces and the dressing is out of this world perfect. We also had a few cocktails. Dinner was fantastic! We both had the Gazpacho, it was cucumber and had a yogurt drizzle. It was so hot so the cold soup was nice. I had another bowl of lettuce and an agnolotti dish that is not on the current menu, the fried rabbit that he ordered is also not listed. We also had Mezcal based drinks. I didn’t fall in love with the drinks. I had high hopes but I just didn’t enjoy the Mezcal.
We did have BBQ but it wasn’t really life changing. It was a cool place to see. More like a factory than a restaurant. Terry Blacks.
We decided to be super fancy and eat at the 1 Michelin starred Hestia. This was life changing food! We started with the hearth dried beet and caviar tart. The menu says its a pickled beet with sweet miso. Sounds simple? It was the best most complex pickled beet I have ever had. His tart also had halibut, it was very fresh and tasty. We moved on to the scallops and tartare. I don’t care for scallops but the broth they were in was so beautiful I almost cried. They list beef tallow, green tomato kosha and mushroom gelee. I had to ask about the tomato kosha and the server said something about it being spicy. The tartare came with a lovely smoked aioli and these amazing crackers. They looked like tiny waffles and tasted like rosemary. For the mains he chose halibut again and I got a pork chop. This round of fish had shiro dashi, beuree monte, fresh corn and he chose the trout roe topping this time. Shiro dashi is a Japanese soup base and beuree monte is that magic butter sauce we talked about before. My chop was dry aged for 65 days. It was served with charred shishito peppers, mole negro and fermented green tomatoes. Again such a simple thing but it was made in a way that was outstanding. My appreciation for food was forever changed by this meal.
I planned this vacation around food and being able to bring the dog and it was a success! I am already planning our next trip and it will include Franklin’s BBQ. No matter how early we have to get up or how long we wait on line. We are also going to find all the food trucks. Some of the best food I have had in my city has been from trucks so I want to try them all! We may do a bar crawl as well. We are a bit old for night clubs but we do enjoy cocktails.
Go to Austin! Eat the food!
Ali's Kitchen 