I’m glad I don’t live in the South anymore, I’d be dead. Met up with friends for this awesome chicken joint and was in heaven with every bite. The decor is intentionally kitschy and the food is fantastic. Both the fried chicken and catfish were in the top 3 I’ve ever had. The banana pudding was perfect as well and just like my childhood memories, I had gotten one in Austin that had a layer of syrup in it which was overwhelmingly sweet. I ate way more than I should have and only ate biscuits as sides to fit in more protein.
Couldn’t believe my luck being able to eat at a Waffle House for a 2nd time within five months. I generally don’t eat breakfast but wanted a nostalgic meal but kept it light not getting extra carbs or protein by skipping the hashbrowns and eggs. It was a fine meal although the pecans were unevenly distributed in the waffle.
Before heading to our friend’s family ranch wanted an easy meal and unhealthy. Even though we’d be getting fried chicken for lunch couldn’t resist trying Mike’s near where we were staying. The breading was much closer to Korean style than Southern but the biscuit and slaw were very Southern. Everything is made to order even though it looks like a fast food restaurant and it was well worth the wait to get hot, crispy spicy chicken.
Now that K joined me, went away from BBQ to other types of cuisines available here that aren’t readily available in Seattle. Everything looked good on the menu and we ordered way too much but well worth it and a meal for the next day, especially since it was very carb heavy couldn’t eat as much are my meat centered meals had in the previous days. The crawfish fried rice was incredible, it was described as a crawfish boil paired with fried rice and it was spot on, definitely something I’d like to try making at home. Used to have a lighter preparation of the squash blossoms filled with ricotta instead of a heavy boudin but this was a very good preparation even if a bit heavy. All the dishes had bold flavors as you’d expect from Southern food and we really enjoyed ourselves even if had to waddle out into the Texas heat.
Cast Iron Cornbread – Steen’s Syrup, Smoked Butter, Cran-Strawberry Preserves
Spring Pea Salad – Preserved Lemon, Radishes, Candied Bacon, Burrata
After too much barbecue in Austin was looking for something different and looked up a list of best fried chicken, Slow Bone was on the list and they smoke the water before brining chicken in it. The chicken was very succulent and tasty, the breading was lighter than I expected and very crispy. I couldn’t resist and wanted to try their bbq, the rib was excellent, very juicy, while the brisket was what I now think of as average for Texas. Much needed raw veg and hush puppies rounded out the meal.
I wanted to try a Dallas tasting menu to compare to Barley Swine and there were a lot to choose from. The restaurant scene here has changed greatly since I was here 20+ years ago. Like choosing Tare wanted something with a Texas twist and Carte Blanche mixes local produce and wild game, however reviews were all over the place and they boast about high ratings from agencies I wouldn’t normally associate with high-end dining. The meal was generally good and even great but it felt a bit off, for most of the meal there were only two other tables and there was just three staff on site as far as I could tell, two BOH and one FOH. Some of the plating was off too, the gazpacho and sorbet hid most of the more interesting ingredients, I had to have a few spoonfuls of the gazpacho to show a bit of feta and didn’t even try with the sorbet. My favorite was the crab, the lime really paired well with everything and accentuated the flavors. First time having firefly squid outside of Japanese food and the heat brought with the jalapenos worked well. The best bite was the boar belly, it was 85% fat and just melted in my mouth, but that’s mainly down to the high fat content compared to the leanness of all the other proteins had up until then.
For my last meal in Austin it was back to barbecue and a big challenge of eating a whole beef rib. I only got coleslaw to help cut through the fattiness and barely ate any of it. The rib weighed in at about 1.55lbs and while I managed to finish it, didn’t feel so good from all the sodium. I had forgotten that Black’s rub is much saltier than other joints. Short ribs are superior to brisket to me since there is more marbling through the meat, not just on the edge like in a brisket. I also love all the different textures from the part enveloping the bone. The meat was succulent and melted in my mouth.
Only the 2nd Guyanese restaurant I’ve been to and Canje delivered with the flavors I expected but also different. The spice in the patty isn’t as strong as the Jamaican version and the punch came from the sauce that tasted quite similar to worcetershire sauce, the pastry was so good as well crunchy and flaky. The roti was similarly light and crispy that was perfect for dipping into the pepperpot sauce. Lots of complex flavors in the sauce and the mildly favored boar was a good vehicle for the sauce to shine.
So many options for Mexican food in Austin it was hard to choose. I always like eating carnitas and this place has a spectacular version. I got the mixed plate that has all the bits and not just the meat and it was a ridiculous amount of food: 1/2lb of meat, 5 tortillas, and a fried meat taco. I managed to eat all the succulent meat that just needed a dab of one of the three sauces they had but couldn’t eat it all as tacos, left 2 on the plate. Simple sides to add at your discretion were good, the mixture of cilantro and grilled onions was my favorite along with a smokey red salsa.
Capped off an exciting three days with a fun race. Acosta going for his first win in only his third MotoGP race, Marquez showing he is back and trying to win at a track he’s owned in the past, and ultimately Viñales winning to become the first rider in modern history to win for three different manufacturers.
Random Eating Adventures 
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