Drinks at Josephine House

Peoples Pharmacy

Peoples Pharmacy is another one of those iconic Austin institutions (founded in 1980!) that you hear so much about and ultimately have to make your way there. And when I heard this holistic pharmacy made sandwiches at their in-house deli, I just had to give it a try.

The curry chicken salad sandwich was perfectly flavorful with complimentary flavors to the chicken, all in the right proportions:

And the veggie sandwich did not come light, it was packed full of goodness:

Pop into one of the six different Austin locations to check out some of the great products on display - from food to cosmetics, all sourced with a natural and nutritional approach. And being the holistic wellness center that they are, Peoples carries Kombucha on draft! with free samplings...

And of course, don't forget to refill your prescription while you're at it.

Classic Austin Eatery Instituitions

Austin may have just recently hit the list as one of the top towns in the U.S., but this city has been buzzing for quite some time. And there are plenty of places that have stood the test of time where you can find old Austinites, the true locals. Here are some favorites, just to name a few:

Scholz Garten

1607 San Jacinto Blvd

 

Along with some of the other nearby towns, Germans made their way down to Texas in the late 1800s and thus a pop up of German food and beer took over. Some have stood the test of time, and Scholz is no exception. After all, when you're in Austin and you have food inside with a music venue outside, it's hard not to meet your market. Add the campus next door, put the Longhorns on the TV, and you've got a line out the door.

Sandy's

603 Barton Springs Road

There's a reason Sandy's is frequented by well known names, both celebrity and politician alike. Pull in through the drive thru or walk on up, order a good old burger, fries, and a shake. Finish it off with a custard in a cone, and who isn't smiling from ear to ear.

El Patio

2938 Guadalupe St

In Texas, there are Tex Mex options a-plenty. So when you encounter a Tex Mex restaurant that is over sixty years old, you know it has stood the test of time. And having married into a native Austinite family, I love that there is a place where we can say that family has dined there for at least four different generations. El Patio is well known for the chalupas.

Dirty Martin's

2808 Guadalupe

Then and now, horse carriage aside, not much has changed at Dirty Martin's over the past 90 plus years. When we first moved to Austin, my husband kept telling me that I couldn't call myself an Austinite until I had a burger at Dirty Martin's. So one day we finally went, ordered our food, surveyed the memorabilia on the walls inside, found a seat outside on the back patio, and waited until our number was called. The food came, delicious, and the milkshake was hard to share, although share I did. It was a great experience, memorable, and I appreciated the understanding of why I may now call myself an Austinite.

Quality Seafood

 5621 Airport Blvd

I find joy in hearing the stories of times past. One of my favorite stories is when my mother-in-law tells me about how her sister used to park herself at the wooden bar inside of Quality Seafood and order oysters on the half shell along with a glass of champagne. So nowadays when we stop into Quality Seafood for some fresh deliciousness, unbeknownst to my husband, I look over at the bar and I picture the young version of the woman I knew as Marcia and it makes me smile. There are many things about Quality Seafood that make me smile, but knowing just a mere glimpse of the previous lives once lived there, I find even more respect in a wonderful place.

Grand Reopening of Hudson's on the Bend

*** UPDATE: As of February 14, 2017, Hudson's is closed indefinitely. ***

In a recent exchange of hands, Hudson's on the Bend has made a big come back!

Last week I was able to get a sneak peek at the soon to reopen Hudson's on the Bend and ya'll, the food was incredibly delicious! I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try...

First up, I was greeted with a Venison Tartare served atop a sweet potato chip with fermented chili and black lime. I've had my Tartares, but Venison?! It was truly Hudson's, and it was truly amazing.

Right behind the first tray was a second tray coming around with a tasting of a pop-in-your-mouth sized house Fried Okra. You can't get much more Southern classic than fried okra...

 

Or can you? Coming out of the kitchen next, hot from the fryer, was a perfectly salted buttermilk Fried Chicken. It was addictive, too addictive. And the accompanying tomato was just the right touch.

In true Texas style, another tray carried around a Corn Tamale stuffed with smoked short rib and drizzled in salsa verde and crema. A wonderful bar-be-que Tex-Mex marriage.

The Mediterranean Breakfast at Galaxy Cafe

One of my all time favorites... Scrambled eggs with chopped tomato, feta, and freshly cut basil. Comes with fruit and half of a bagel. Perfectly hits the spot every time.

Kerbey Lane Cafe

If you've seen a movie filmed in Austin, more likely than not you've seen a Kerbey Lane Cafe. It's famous. Of course, the original Kerbey Lane Cafe is located on, obviously, Kerbey Lane, but the one next to the University of Texas along "the drag" on Guadalupe (pronounced Guad-a-loop) runs a close second as far as popularity. And the local business is booming with 7 different Austin locations. But there's a reason... the food is reliably delicious!

The menu itself is quite expansive, offering 24/7 sandwiches, salads, soups, burgers, tacos, tons of southern classics, in-house creations, and my favorite of all... breakfast! I love places that run breakfast all day and all night.

It may not be Bob Dip, but Kerbey Queso is a famous dip in and of itself. Mention it to any UT student and you're sure to bring a smile to their face just thinking about it...

Make it for brunch and order a carafe of Mimosas! Tuesdays kids eat free.

The Cinnamon Roll at Upper Crust

The Cinnamon Roll at Upper Crust Bakery has recently stolen my heart. I've indulged in the pastry more times than I'd like to admit in the past month.

It's just the right combination of butter and sugar and flakiness. Sweet, but not too sweet. Flavorful, filling, but not too full.

Inside it has that gooey goodness that is cooked but not at all over cooked. The long-time Austin bakery really has perfected their recipe, and definitely has me hooked, headed back for more and more...

New Dinner Menu at the Driskill Grill

Listed on the National Register of Historic places and dating back to the late 1800s, there are few places in Austin as classic, sophisticated, and embedded with history as the Driskill hotel. So when I was asked to take part in a sneak peek at the new dinner menu at the Driskill Grill, I jumped at the opportunity.

For inspiration of the new offerings, the team dug into the archives, looking at menus all the way back to the 1930s. One thing that stood out was that the dining experience was always aimed at just that - an experience. Menus would try to offer something new, different, and almost exotic. So, the new menu offers just that - outside the box items - but with a "stay local" twist. For example, the foie gras is French inspired, but all ingredients are sourced locally.

We started the night in Chef Troy's office, which doubles as the perfect chef's table, finely decorated in deep, rich wood and warmth. Bubbly was popped open as we nibbled on some of the classic bar bites, including my favorites like the spiced nuts and bacon wrapped dates.

Waiting at the table was a generous slice of Cambozola Black brie blue cheese with sweet onion jam, drizzled Saba, and topped with house made bread crisps. The cheese had the slightest hint of truffle and just melted in your mouth. The sweet onion jam was a welcome compliment to the flavor.

Next up was the crispy softshell crawfish. Yes, that's right - crawfish. And boy oh boy was it delicious! It had all the taste and crunch one would look for. Served with a classic Texas caviar. 

Keeping with the exotic yet exquisite theme were the Hill Country Wild Boar Chops. Finished with an apple cider-honey glaze and served with a goat cheese pecan cream, it was all very seasonal and local.

Best Mussels in Austin, TX

The best mussels in Austin have to be the Moules Frites at Hopfield's.

Photo taken by Daniel Mora

We've had nothing but great experiences at Hopfield's. From the beautifully cooked eggs at brunch, to a classic French salad or jambon, to the warm and tasty tart, and last but certainly not least, to the entree specials like the house made liver mouse that I haven't tasted something so good since our last trip to Paris.

Hopfield's knows French, but it all comes as no surprise because apparently the owner's mother created all of the recipes for the restaurant and she is from no other than Provence, France. Yep, you can tell. It's French food through and true.

So ATX, if you're looking for a great meal, head over to Hopfield's, order the mussels, and ask for extra bread to soak up all that sauce.

Affogato at Walton's

Starting Wednesday, September 16th, Walton's Fancy and Staple will be offering Affogatos - ice cream served with a side of espresso (and a cookie for dipping!).

My recommendation:

Take the espresso, pour it over the ice cream, spoon a couple of bites into your mouth, allow the rest to melt and then dip with your cookie. Yummm, delicious!

Food Food in Austin, it's a place

The minute you walk into Food Food you are greeted by many things - friendly staff, an aroma of fresh food, and a plethora of sweet treats. 

When it comes to food at Food Food, I don't think you can go wrong, but everyone has his or her favorites... I'm such a sucker for the Curry Chicken Salad. And the gazpacho is amazing. Favorite sandwiches are the tuna melt and turkey reuben. The King Ranch Chicken is a classic, and they make darn good tamales and empanadas, it is Texas after all. 

Aside from the readily available, each day offers different lunch and dinner specials. Wednesday night has always been beef tenderloin, and the sweet little old ladies wouldn't have it any other way.

The desserts smugly tempt you the minute you walk through the door, and once again on your way out. The smiling cashiers always patiently await your decision as to whether or not you want to add to your order. A cowboy cookie, banana pecan bread, or a macaron? Sure, why not...

Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q

With Memorial Day weekend around the corner, my mind is on barbecue. And you can't talk about Texas BBQ without mentioning Rudy's. It's a classic.

Rudy's locations are multi-functional, consisting of both a bbq stand and pump station! The original location, founded in Leon Springs, Texas, was a gas station, garage, and grocery store - hence the "country store" aspect. 

Granted, after it was first introduced in 1989, the barbecue has since taken over both the grocery and gas services. And once you have it, you'll understand why. Rudy's serves up all the basics: red-rimmed smoked brisket, fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs, and house jalapeño sausage.

And plenty of sauce on the side:

With an abundance of oak trees in Texas, Rudy's is unique in using oak wood for their pits as opposed to hickory or mesquite.

When you first arrive inside, it's time to queue in line, but don't worry, there's plenty of entertainment.  First there's the Cutter Cam where you can watch the butchers hack away at all the meats, making you feel even more hungry.

Where to find Classic, Old-School Austinites

Waterloo was founded in 1839 as the seventh, but final, capital of Texas. Shortly thereafter, Waterloo was renamed to Austin, as Stephen F. Austin is to Texas what George Washington is to the United States.

For a while, Austin was a quiet capital, better known as a college town with the University of Texas founded in 1883 and St. Edward's University in 1885. The city was founded with around 500 residents, half of whom fled the city when the government recessed or school was not in session. But once the capital boomed, it boomed! The secret was out - Austin was cool.

In the early 1900s the city's population was around 22,000 residents versus a 656,000 population as of 2000. Nowadays, statistics state that over 100 people move to Austin each and every day. And that trend does not seem to be slowing down or changing any time soon.

But what about those that were here before the boom? The oldies-but-goodies. The "founders" if you will. Well, I’m lucky enough to have married into an “old” Austin family. Most, if not all, of my husband’s family and friends went to the same elementary school together, rooted for one of the only high schools in the city (go Maroons!), and matriculated to the University of Texas, or "UT".  For years they’d go to the same Austin stalwarts, not just to eat, but also to gather, see other friends and family, and dine on what was (and for some joints still is) quintessential classic Austin grub.

When you refer to "the old Austin" many places and nostalgic thoughts can pop into one's mind.  Over the years whenever we've visited a classic Austin restaurant I’ve always listened, knowing that someone at the table had a unique personal memory or story to be told. Below are some of the stories, quotes and places where you're likely to stumble upon old, classic Austin and Austinites:

“For years people have come in on Sundays and stayed for several hours eating and drinking.  You’d see big families that essentially made the restaurant into their own personal dining room, just like home. Matt would greet you upon entering, as he did at the original location on Caesar Chavez. It’s perfect.” - a nostalgic 65-year-old Austinite

"You kids would run around and play while we would sit and eat. It was a mess, but it was like home, we knew everyone at every table so someone was always watching out for one another's kids." - a mom speaking to her 35-year-old son

"To order it right, you always say 'gimme a large bob'" - on the famous Bob Armstrong dip

Matt's El Rancho

2613 South Lamar Blvd

Sunday-Thursday* 11am - 10pm

Friday and Saturday 11am - 11pm

*Closed on Tuesdays

Where to eat Queso in Austin

Texas is known mostly for two types of food: Bar-b-que and Tex-Mex. With BBQ you get your ribs, sausage, and brisket. With Tex-Mex you get your tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, and chips with salsa, or more popularly, chips and queso!

But queso isn't just queso anymore. Especially in Austin, where many places have taken what used to be a cheese dip and turned it into a bowl of many wonders, adding peppers, meat, and most notably guacamole. Austin has become well known for it's queso and here are some of the best places to get your queso fix:

El Rancho

2613 South Lamar, Austin, TX

You don't get more classic Austin than Matt's Famous El Rancho, and you don't get more classic queso than the Bob Armstrong Dip. Authentic Tex-Mex 101, the Bob dip starts with a cheese base, followed by a scoop of seasoned ground beef, and a dollop of guacamole. As the bumper sticker says, "Gimme a Large Bob!"

Best accompanied by: 

a Margarita, of course! Frozen or on the rocks, either one does the trick.

Lunch at Walton's

Walton's Fancy and Staple, the sister restaurant to Bess, serves up breakfast, lunch, and a plethora of sweet treats. Today we stopped in for lunch.

Salads and sandwiches are always freshly made to order.

Some of my favorites being the Pastrami with whole grain mustard on rye...

... the roast Beef Bleu with just the right amount of complimentary ingredients finished with a perfect horseradish aioli...

.. and of course, the Reuben, served here as a healthier version than most.

Last but not least, my favorite of them all, where breakfast meets lunch, the Ham and Egg Sandwich, served open faced with that perfectly cooked fried egg.

Drinks at Searsucker

Austin is HOT in more ways than one... Sure, the summer sees temperatures of triple digits, but it's the city's scene that's driving the force of attention these days.

And adding to the Austin heat - both figuratively and literally when the kitchen caught fire during it's first days of opening - is Searsucker.

So killing two birds with one stone, beat the summer heat at this new hot spot with one of many tasty sips to choose from:

Peter Rabbit (pictured left) - Pimm's #1, basil lemonade
Snake in the Grass - cucumber gin, bruised mint, lime, soda
Pear 75 - Grey Goose le poire, lemon, prosecco
Leopard's Tail - apricot whiskey, all spice, lime, orgeat, pineapple, bitters
Skinny Jenny - citrus vodka, lime, lavender syrup, ginger beer
New Fashioned - Searsucker Angel's Envy, orange, bitters

Searsucker Austin

415 Colorado Street

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 394 - 8000

The Brekky Special at Jo's

It's a "special" so it isn't always available, but man is it good!

Potted Beef Hash with Fried Green Tomatoes, roasted peppers, a fried egg, and Goat Cheese

Jo's
242 West 2nd Street
Austin, Texas