Austin Edition: Gourdoughs Public House

Top: Ron Burgundy & Mother Clucker
Bottom: Dirty South

I was in Austin for the weekend for Austin City Limits Music Festival. After 2 glorious days, I woke up on Sunday refreshed and full of energy- especially excited for the lineup. However, I was quickly informed of the cancellation. My friends and I went through the stages of grief and when we were done decided to meet up for Brunch. Luckily, one of my friends still lives in Austin and is a foodie so knew just where we should meet: Gourdough's Public House. And so, we drowned our sorrows in DOUGHNUTS!

Austin Edition: ACL Eats

Salt Lick & Chi'lantro Picnic

When you live in Austin, going to Austin City Limits Festival seems like a total pain in the behind. Then, when you leave Austin, you kick yourself in the behind for not going. This year we had the pleasure of attending 2/3 of ACL (3rd day was rained out) with some of my best pals. Here's a look at the fantastic offerings at Austin Eats.

For dinner on Friday, we made ourselves a mini picnic with our friends and shared a Pork Rib Boat, Chopped Beef Sandwiches, and Sloppy Nachos from The Salt Lick with a side of The Original Kimchi Fries from Chi'lantro.

Austin Edition: Guero's

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:


Another local favorite for Tex-Mex is Guero's on South Lamar. It's perfect to stroll up and down looking at the weird & eclectic shops and to pop in to relax for lunch or dinner. This is precisely what we did. Their claim to fame is that Bill Clinton is a huge fan, so the place is littered with pictures of him on his various visits.

Verde Enchiladas

Michelada

I'm not a big fan of their margaritas as I find them far too bitter, but if most margaritas are too sweet for you, you might want to check them out. Instead, I ordered a Michelada, which ironically I only discovered since I've moved to NYC.

Austin Edition: Alamo Drafthouse

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

No trip to Austin is complete without a visit to one of the Alamo Drafthouse locations. I'm also pretty sure that I've watched all the Harry Potter movies at The Drafthouse so I wanted to continue the tradition for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1). "Hold on," you say, "isn't this a food blog? What is an entry about a movie theater doing on here?" Oh dear reader, this is the beauty of The Drafthouse. You can order food & booze to your seat. And it's good food, not just popcorn and soda here. In fact, they often have specials paired with the movie you are viewing such as this creamy Butterbeer concoction I am enjoying: 

Butterbeer

We also split an order of one of our favorites: The Godfather Pizza, but I don't think there's anything on the menu that's not good. If you are in Austin, make sure to enjoy Dinner AND a Movie, all in one fabulous & funky place.

Austin Edition: Conan's Pizza

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:

Old school action figures above ordering counter

We were starving and found ourselves near campus and were frantically trying to decide where to get dinner when we drove past Conan's Pizza. Sold. This is yet another quirky and delightful Austin original. We ordered a deep dish The Savage with their famous whole wheat crust and grabbed a couple of house salads to stave off our hunger while we waited.

The Savage

We devoured The Savage like...well...savages. And left happy and very satisfied.

Austin Edition: Chuy's

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:


You can't go to Austin, Texas and not have some Tex-Mex. Top of our list is Chuy's because of it's delicious, fresh food and wacky, weird decor.

Salsa

 While you wait for your table you can hang out in the bar area and grab a basket of chips & some salsa from the back of an old car which has been converted for this purpose. However, you have to specially request the Jalapeno Ranch. Only true Austinites know this trick. Their tortillas are made on premises which make their chips super tasty. Their chips & salsa are so good that I find it completely impossible to pace myself and am often full once my entree arrives.  Also take note of their signature "Sanitized for your protection" pack that all the silverware comes in. Kitchy and comforting.

Hubcap Room

 Example of the decor that makes this place a true Austin original. Now you're probably starting to understand those "Keep Austin Weird" shirts you've been seeing.

Verde Enchiladas

Personally, I'm a sucker for their verde enchiladas, but everything here is good. Like I said, just try to hold back on the chips & salsa so you can truly enjoy. The good news is that their food reheats very well, so take your leftovers home! More good news: they have locations ALL around Austin, so there is sure to be one near wherever you are.

Austin Edition: Tacodeli

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:

Oooooh Tacodeli. There is nothing like starting your day with a delicious breakfast taco. Sadly, these are very hard to find outside of Texas, even in NYC. You can't go wrong with any of their tacos, but here are our favorites:

Al Pastor, Poblano, Puerco Borracho on Wheat

Veggie Tacos on Wheat
Those salsas are alllll mine

My favorite part are their salsas, especially the creamy, green Salsa Dona. I may or may not eat this straight up with a spoon.

Austin Edition: Trudy's

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:

Bevo @ The University Co-Op Parking Lot

Wasted no time in getting our butts down to Trudy's for Mexican Martinis, Chips & Salsa, Queso, and Chicken Tacos. Normally I order the Stuffed Avocado, but we weren't too hungry and got The Mr's favorite to split.

Salsa & Queso

Mexican Martini

Chicken Tacos

Austin Edition: Epoch

We're in Austin for Thanksgiving so will be visiting some of our favorite restaurants in the Capitol of the Lone Star State:

The Iced Mojo

The Mr. spent a lot of time in coffee houses in Austin, so knows the people who wound up opening up Epoch after Mojo's shut down years ago. They have kept the tradition alive by continuing to serve The Iced Mojo- sweet and caffeinated liquid joy.

Austin Edition: Texas Chili Parlor

In all my time living in Austin, I had never been to the Texas Chili Parlor. They are supposed to have one of the hottest bowls of chili in town, so we decided to go their to satisfy my need for heat.

I enjoyed the meal completely, from the laid back vibe to the friendly waitresses, but am sad to say that I did not find the chili particularly spicy. The waitress was incredibly impressed that I was eating the XXX without flinching, perhaps it just wasn't that spicy of a batch that day? Regardless, it was still a great meal.