Food & Drink Archives - Page 70 of 71

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge #3: Chuy’s Tex-Mex

May 1, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 22 Comments

I am sure you’ve heard of Chuy’s. It’s basically a household name around Austin. Beginning in 1982, Chuy’s Tex-Mex was formed from the remains of an old barbecue restaurant on Barton Springs. Two friends named Mike and John barely scraped together enough cash to buy the building, much less fill it with decorations. So the guys thought for a second and bought the first cheap decor they saw, which happened to be paintings of Elvis and Stevie Wonder. Thus an avalanche of color and diversity flowed into Chuy’s Tex-Mex…that hasn’t stopped yet. Today, you’ll find Chuy’s spreading Austin Tex-Mex to various states beneath the Mason-Dixon line.

Walking into Chuy’s N. Lamar location for the first time was a shocking experience. [Read more…]

Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge: Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar

April 23, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 16 Comments

Today marks another leg of my journey to discover the best Austin Tex-Mex. When I first wrote about Maudie’s, I asked you to recommend restaurants that I should check out. Instantly, you blew up The Austinot’s Facebook, Twitter, and email accounts.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Hopefully you can see that I’m doing my best to make it to your favorite places in Austin. Due to popular demand, I most recently checked out Trudy’s Tex-Mex and Bar.

Trudy’s may be the most controversial Tex-Mex restaurant on my list. Small verbal skirmishes erupted whenever somebody mentioned its name. Our readers either praised it or condemned it for various reasons.

A business doesn’t attain that level of [Read more…]

Where Is the Best Thai Food in Austin?

April 16, 2012 by Eric Highland 57 Comments

Editor’s Note, February 26, 2014: Titaya’s is back! It took forever and I seriously lost hope that it would ever open up again. But it has and – in renovated form – it is absolutely beautiful! I tried it out to make sure the quality of the food didn’t bite the dust with the demolition of the old space. I liked what I saw and tasted. The world is right-side-up again.

Editor’s Note, September 20, 2013: To our immense disappointment, Titaya’s shut down for “temporary renovations” in December 2012 and has yet to reopen. Our hopes of tasting Titaya’s tempting cuisine has faded over the past months, and we’ve found ourselves hiding under the eaves of Thai Cuisine for solace.

At the Austinot, we are always searching for the next Austin gem. Just recently, we were wondering the answer to this question:

Where is the best Thai food in Austin?

I’m going to share my pick with you in this post. I know that our readers might disagree, but let me challenge you to comment if you disagree, and tell me your favorite. We’d be happy to go check out your recommendations because we love Thai food. And to say that we love exploring new restaurants in Austin would be an understatement.

Ready for my thoughts on the best Thai food in Austin? Check this…

So the other night, Brittany and I had a hankerin’ (this is Texas, you get hankerin’s ’round here) for some [Read more…]

The Austinot Tex-Mex Food Challenge: Maudie’s Tex-Mex

April 15, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 21 Comments

Sit down a moment and let me tell you a story — nay, an epic — of one blogger’s quest to find the best Tex Mex food in Austin. This harrowing journey began seven years ago when I, a young soon-to-be-Austinot, first moved to Texas.

Having been born and raised in Hawaii, I had never experienced the symphony of flavor contained within the humble enchilada or fajita plate. My world changed, however, when I first stepped across the border of the Lone Star State.

Imagine my excitement when I was given the chance to review the best food in Austin. This is the place where Tex Mex is born. Texas and Mexico have risen and collided like two cultural waves throughout the past couple hundred years, and luckily for us the falloff includes some of the most delicious food in this [Read more…]

Austinot Podcast, Ep. #5: Top 5 Austin Date Ideas

March 30, 2012 by Brittany Highland 7 Comments

Austinots Eric and Brittany are newlyweds, so who better to trust when you’re looking for the best Austin date ideas?

Planning dates can be a sticky business. You want to get it right every time, and we want to help!

In Episode #5 of the Austinot Podcast, your friends at the Austinot present their top five Austin date ideas:

Mozart’s Coffee Roasters
[Read more…]

Black Star Co-op Serves Austin Food, Beer and Democracy

March 28, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 7 Comments

Black Star Co-op is a revolutionary new Austin brewpub. So when I was told to review their food and beer, I solemnly bowed my head to the orders of Austinot Eric.

What can I say, we all must sacrifice occasionally. Neither stout nor IPA nor pilsner nor gloom of porters will stay this blogger from the swift completion of his appointed rounds.

Since its opening in 2010, Black Star Co-op has built its reputation around mixing the novel and traditional.

First, the business is a co-operative. All of its members, from top to bottom, own part of the business. All decisions are made through a democratically-controlled voting system. The first community-owned brewpub in America, one of Black Star’s tenets is to pay each employees a living wage, so they will respectfully decline if you try to tip them.

And you can become a shareholding member of Black Star as well! A hundred and fifty bucks gets you a membership. That means voting power, patronage ref [Read more…]

Kick Butt Coffee Closed In Triangle; Still Kickin On Airport

March 26, 2012 by Dustin Vegas 16 Comments

In the words of Douglas Adams: “Don’t panic.” Kick Butt Coffee is not closed for good. It just left The Triangle and went back to its roots.

Kick Butt Coffee’s empty space in The Triangle stands out like a missing tooth. The coffee shop’s here-today-gone-tomorrow departure has left a lot of people scratching their heads: “Is the business gone forever?”

Thankfully, the answer is no. Kick Butt Coffee’s Triangle location is gone, due to unfortunate financial circumstances. However, their Airport Blvd. location remains all the more kickin’.

I first wandered into the doors of Kick Butt Coffee on Airport almost three years ago. I was in the throes of a hard night’s [Read more…]

BrouHaHa Serves Up Non-Traditional Renaissance Fair Fare

March 19, 2012 by Eric Highland 9 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I really love traditional fair food: roasted corn, scones, turkey legs and funnel cakes. Just thinking of these things makes my mouth water, and I immediately want to pack the car and head to the nearest fair.

But what if I told you that perhaps the most popular dish at the Sherwood Forest Faire, named one of the country’s best Renaissance fairs and located just 35 miles east of Austin on Hwy 290, was not any of these traditional favorites…but – instead – an Ogre’s Toe.

Would you dare eat an Ogre’s Toe?

What if I told you that for 3 weeks, by far, it was the most widely talked about food item that I heard of while walking around the 25 acres of the Sherwood Forest Faire? Would you give it a try then?

Never in a million years would I have thought of an Ogre’s Toe as fair food, let alone something that I’d consider putting in my mouth. But read on my friend…if you want to try some of the best Renaissance fair fare ever invented, [Read more…]

The Austinot Podcast Highlights Delish Austin Restaurants

March 16, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

SXSW has been the perfect time for the Austinot to discover new favorites in the Austin restaurants scene, as well as suggest old favorites to out-of-town visitors we’ve been meeting. Running around to concerts and films all day leads to a major appetite. Never fear! We’ve done the research for you.

Are you looking for some new food rec’s? Listen to our latest podcast episode to hear the down-low on…

The Salt Lick
Kerbey Lane Cafe
Fran’s Hamburgers
Marcelino Pan y Vino
The Jackalope
Wholly Cow
Way South Philly
Milto’s Mediterranean Cafe

For more local tips and maybe even some best-kept secrets, join us on Facebook! Click HERE to find the Austinot on Facebook.

Way South Philly Possibly The Best Philly Cheesesteak in Austin

March 15, 2012 by Eric Highland 6 Comments

When it comes to filling food for the working crowd, the party crowd, and the foodies in Austin, very few places compare to Way South Philly.

Possibly the best Philly Cheesesteak in Austin has been discovered by the Austinot.

First let me just say that if you know of a better Philly Cheesesteak joint in Austin, I’d like to hear about it. Until you prove me wrong, I’m going to have to give the nod for best Philly Cheesesteak in Austin to Way South Philly.

Located in a food truck lot on East 6th and Waller, just east of I-35, is a little red food truck. This little red truck packs such an authentic Philly flavor, it will have you humming the Rocky theme and looking to ring the Liberty Bell.

What makes this little truck so unique? Well honestly the lengths that Willy and Rich have taken to bring you the authentic Philly Cheesesteak experience. Check this out… [Read more…]

Recent Posts

Welcome to The Austinot