A Mexican breakfast in Austin.
Tacos and tamal plate.
Looking for some food trucks for lunch was actually harder than expected - probably a combo of it being 3pm and many places not yet reopened perhaps? This food truck area only really had two of the stalls open, and the most interesting was a hot dog stand. They also happened to have a special appearance by Wunderoots who explained they were doing a free promo for their vegan hot dogs, essentially a large boiled carrot cut to a hot dog shape.
It was healthy, tasty and free. A fine option if you're vegan, although I suspect the original sausage would have been more flavoursome.
After the incredible lunch at Terry Black's, and a couple of drinks listening to a bit of country swing at The Continental Club along Congress Avenue, the hot weather meant for a nice gelato stop.
There were a few options in the area and kids seemed to be queuing at a corner shop one, but Paradiso off the main road and with a better rating and a more mature looking option was for me.
Coconut and pistachio (small cone USD6) were both good and a nice way to wind down the evening.
After failing to secure some of Franklin's famous brisket by their need to pre-order for takeaway (they weren't allowing eat-in diners) and a minimum 3lb (American) size of meat, I had to look to others. After the disappointment of missing brisket at La Barbecue, we made our way to Loro for dinner, which is Franklin's meats with an Asian spin.
There was a very long queue for a table on this Friday evening (1.5h). Instead we were allowed to order takeaway and it was ready in about 5 minutes, which was amazingly fast. There's a lot of seating outdoor where people drink and wait for tables, but you can also eat there. The staff were very friendly and helpful, giving us options for ordering and keeping me updated as to it's progress.Of course I had to get Smoked Beef Brisket (chili gastrique, Thai herbs) USD17.75. The Asian flavours add a nice touch to the meat, although the brisket itself had some soft parts, but a good amount was also quite dry and chewy which was disappointing. They recommended I try the Smoked Prime Bavette (shishito salsa verde, cilantro, pickled onion) USD18.75 which was cooked perfectly and had a beautiful intense smokiness to it. It was definitely better than the brisket.
Sesame rice noodles (chili vinaigrette, black sesame, green onion) USD4.75 and oak grilled snap peas (kimchee emulsion) USD6.75 were fine sides.
I used Loro partially as a surrogate for Franklin's. Not sure how they actually directly compare. But the brisket at Terry Black's was better if this is anything to go by.
In my short Texas weekend, I had a beef plan but due to Franklin's online order only system I had to look elsewhere.
La Barbecue is also decently reputed and owned by a female (which is unusual). I tried to make an online order in advance, but it didn't accept my non-USA cards. It was a short queue but really, really slow as 1 person takes the order, 1 person serves, and 1 person takes payment. Very inefficient and just our luck they ran out of brisket as I was front of the line.
In my disappointment, they stared at me waiting to hear what I wanted to eat, which honestly at that point was nothing.
We ordered a bit of the pork rib (the only other thing left was sausage) and the rib was fine, but not Memphis quality.
But the Texas winner was clearly Terry Black's (https://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/terry-blacks-barbecue-austin-07-2021).
After a decade of enjoying smoked meats from London and Melbourne, I couldn't wait to go to the mothership - Austin, Texas - where beef reigns king. It was a short weekend there, but my start was less than successful initially.
Franklin's is the most well known place, however at that point in time, it was only doing takeaway orders, with strict limitations such as you must order online with a forced tip, minimum 3lb(!!!!) meat, need to do it about a week in advance to get brisket. I couldn't get the brisket and didn't want the other items by themselves.
La Barbecue is also decently reputed and owned by a female (which is unusual). I tried to make an online order in advance, but it didn't accept my non-USA cards. It was a short queue but really, really slow as 1 person takes the order, 1 person serves, and 1 person takes payment. Very inefficient and just our luck they ran out of brisket as I was front of the line. The pork rib was fine, but not Memphis quality.
Brown's is in the carpark of a petrol station. It was closed that week for a fishing trip.
Loro's is co-owned by Franklin's but with Asian influence, and so it was the closest I could get to the original. There was a long dinner wait, so we ordered very fast takeaway and sat outside to eat. Brisket was part soft and part really dry, whereas the smoked bavette was better.
Finally that left Terry Black's. A large carpark houses two buildlings, one for the restaurant/dining area, and a large shed with lines of smokers that house lines of meats. One of the cooks was happy to show me and let me take a few photos. It was a very long queue (35mins from queue to food) and I chatted to a local paramedic in line who told me just how many shootings they attend to.
Anyway the queue moves reasonably well and efficiently. First comes what sides you want (cornbread, green beans, pinto beans USD3.75 per single serve). Staff ask which cuts of brisket (USD31/lb) you want, the fattier one or the leaner one (and recommended to me the fattier one). It was excellent, soft, tender, moist and delicious. Even better was the beef rib on the bone (USD30/lb) with it's huge slab of meat on a bone handle charred brilliantly with a delicious bark. The sides, pickles and sauces complemented the meat well. The white bread was... well, as expected and not worth eating much of it.
In addition to the excellent food, cleaning staff work hard and are polite.
An unforgettable local experience.