Austin Eats & Treats

Normally when I travel, I'm in and out of a city with little time to spare. I drive in the night before, crash at a hotel, do my hearings, and race back home. Or if the hearings are in the afternoon, I'll do all my traveling in one day. It is not uncommon for me to drive eight hours round trip in one day for one hearing. This often occurs on more than one day of the week. So when I get to spend two days in a row in the same city, it's a rare treat.

This week I got to spend an extra day in Austin and I was determined to find unique places to eat. With the help of some friends (thanks Mark, Macie, and Chloe), I found the following three.

1. Torchy's Tacos

For lunch in between hearings, I headed over to the South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery located on South 1st Street.

Inside this trailer park of food trucks, I easily spotted Torchy's Tacos as it was the only truck with a line at 11:00 a.m.

There was a cupcake trailer next-door but it wasn't open for the day yet. There was another non-descript lunch trailer, but it received no attention for the 45 minutes I was at the park.

The trailer park is located right next-door to the Texas School for the Deaf. The man ordering in front of me was deaf and I thought about striking up a conversation in my limited sign language, but decided against it.

I ordered the taco of the month, Scarecrow. Torchy's Tacos describes this taco as "pumpkin-seed breaded chicken tenders and roasted poblano peppers, escabeche carrots, queso fresco, cilantro, and creamy Chiptole Ranch." It. Was. Delicious.

 

For all my Houston friends, there's good news. Torchy's Tacos has a trailer in Rice Village and last month, one opened up in the Heights. Check it out.

2. Hopdoddy Burger Bar

For an early dinner, I headed over to South Congress, which was pretty happenin' at 3:00 p.m. on a Tuesday. Parking is limited on the street and I ended up parking in the garage behind the restaurant. (Parking is free for the first two hours so long as it is validated.)

Hopdoddy is named is named after a hand-crafted beer (hop) and a nickname given to the native cow of Aberdeen, Scotland (doddy). Burger choices include: angus beef, bison, lamb, turkey, tuna, and black bean-corn. I opted for the classic and a chocolate shake.

The shake I ordered was called Chocolate Stout. I thought nothing of this. Stout is after all an adjective. I though it must be a funky Austin way of describing a chocolate shake that is thick and full and decidedly delicious. I found out the hard way that the word stout is not only an adjective, but is also a noun. A noun referring to a type of beer.

Despite my degrees, I have a very limited knowledge of all things alcoholic. I have chosen to live my entire life alcohol free (yes, I graduated from undergrad and law school stone cold sober). I, therefore, find it imperative to impart this valuable lesson to my sober friends who have made similar commitments and may be similarly naïve. Be forewarned. Stout is beer. So stay sober my friends. And if there is a word on the menu you think is merely an adjective, you might want to double check before ordering.

3. Gourdough's

To recover from my previous day's follies, I stuck to something familiar for Wednesday's lunch. Partly for punishment and partly for fear. But I did pick up some treats before heading out of town.





Gourdough's, which sounds like the Spanish word for fat - gordo, is another food truck located on South 1st street, just a block or so from Torchy's Tacos. They specialize in donuts. Big. Fat. Donuts.




That's me in the reflection.

Walking up to the truck, I see three people sharing one donut. Uh-oh. Could I handle one donut all by myself? I was heading back to Houston to share this treat with a good friend (and loyal dog-sitter) and wanted donuts that would make the 3 hour car ride back. I chose Miss Shortcake and ODB (which I think stands for "oh dear, beck!" because that's how good it was). Other random flavors include: maple & bacon, PBJ, fudge & marshmallow, etc. It's pretty much donut heaven.




ODB: Cream-filled donut holes with icing rolled in coconut

Miss Shortcake: Cream cheese icing with fresh cut strawberries

Disclaimer: Lest you think I eat like this on a regular basis, I want to clarify that this was not typical behavior. I am a girl who watches her carbs (even gluten and dairy) and eats meat sparingly. Not because I'm watching my weight (although that is an added benefit), but because I feel better and cleaner when I avoid those things. I do believe in self-indulgence from time to time. This was one of those times. I will now go back to rice and beans for the remainder of the week.