Out of Town Edition: Texas Where Everything May Actually Be Bigger and Better

  I just visited my sister in her new abode in Austin, Texas where I was psyched to dive into the local food scene.  I'd heard tales of steaks as big as your face, food trucks as far as the eye can see, and slap yo' mama good barbecue. I was not disappointed.  My first night's meal actual turned out to be by far my best. We drove outside Austin to Driftwood to go to the famous Salt Lick Barbecue. As soon as you walk in you see meats of various kinds splayed over a fire pit in all their smoky glory. Once seated at a picnic table my sister her boyfriend (even pickier than mine if that's possible...) and I all went for the sample plate with a little bit of everything: smoked turkey, smoked brisket, a pork rib and smoked sausage with potato salad, cole slaw, and pinto beans.  Everything was great, but the pork rib beat all. The meat was smoky candy on it's own, but the amazing barbecue sauce brought it to an ethereal plane.  My sis and her man like the brisket better at their local Rudy's, but couldn't argue the superiority of the pork.  Let me put it this way...a little girl vomited at my feet on my way to my table and the food smelled so good it didn't dampen my appetite for a minute...that's saying something.

    I was able to enjoy a good Tex Mex dinner at Matt's Famous El Rancho on what just happened to be the restaurant's 62 birthday.  My sister and I enjoyed the nice outdoor patio and very prompt service.  We loved bright fuchsia Prickly Pear Cactus Margarita.  The old fashioned tacos I ordered had a great slightly crispy texture from the grill. The brisket was a bit dry though, the ground beef version was much better.

    As for the notorious Austin food trailers, I visited The Fat Cactus and Juice Austin, both parked off "SoCo" (or South Congress St.) The Fat Cactus features Navajo fry breads, which are fantastic on their on own, and even better when used as a taco shell.  Most cultures seem to have their own version of fried dough and I can't think of any I haven't liked...  I tried a fat cactus fry bread taco filled with chipotle chicken, cheese, beans, lettuce, tomato and salsa verde.  It was was essentially a chalupa on crack.  Amazing!  The Juice Austin truck wasn't cheap, but the juice was so tasty it re-inspired me to try juicing...yeah we'll see how long that lasts. I ordered the in incredibly refreshing pear, cucumber and mint juice.  I tried to reproduce it with my juicer today, but sadly not the same.



   My last night in Texas we found a compromise between the David Qui food truck East Side Kings that I was dying to go to and whatever burger joint my sister's man had in mind.We hit up the Magnolia Cafe SoCo after watching the bats fly since it was a name I recognized and we knew it would still be open (It' 24 hours) as confirmed by the sign declaring "Sorry We're Open. Even though the diner served up breakfast classics all day and giant bacon cheeseburgers for Tim (who ordered his with a giant pancake on the side and chocolate milk,) they also serve a variety of fresh and creative entrees. My sister had roasted acorn squash and curried vegetables, which were good, but could have benefited from the addition of some rice.
I ordered the chicken picatta with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.  The picatta sauce was a little too thick for my taste, but the potatoes tasted like home cooking might, if my mom made good mashed potatoes, and the grilled vegetables were served up aplenty. The prices were reasonable for the quantity and  quality of the food.