Foodcrawling; Austin’s Culinary Playlist

Best known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin, Texas is normally spotlighted when the thumping Austin City Limits Festival sets up shop within the grounds of expansive Zilker Park or when talent-heavy South by Southwest breezes through town. These days, however, Texas’ most liberal city has solidified its reputation not just for a stellar musical landscape, but also for its food culture. James Beard Foundation nominations and wins have piled up, Food and Wine best new chefs have been crowned, Bon Appetit and GQ regularly include Austin eateries on their top ten lists, and of course, there’s last year’s Top Chef: Texas run—with the winner, Paul Qui, hailing from Austin. When 2012’s inaugural Austin Food and Wine Festival became one of the city’s hottest tickets, it was clear that this music town had earned its bragging rights.

This weekend, April 26 – 28^th, the food frenzy commences as the second annual Austin Food and Wine Festival rolls into town, offering more than 40 gastronomic events from grand tasting tents and seminars to chef demonstrations, and of course, live music acts. “It’s recognition that there is something going on here; a major collaboration between incredibly talented Austin-based chefs, restaurant owners, vendors, suppliers, growers, producers, and musicians. It is a celebration of Austin culture,” explains Jesse Herman, owner of La Condesa, and Co-Founder of the Festival. Cooking world personalities include Susan Feniger, Tony Abou-Ganim, Tim Love, Marcus Samuelsson, Marc Murphy, Christina Tosi, Jonathan Waxman, Jesse Perez, Brian Malarkey and locals like Tyson Cole, Paul Qui, Bryce Gilmore, Aaron Franklin, Rene Ortiz, and Jeff Martinez.

Tickets are still available online, but if you have some time away from the festival to explore this great city, we figured we’d offer up our favorite culinary hotspots for your weekend consideration.

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The BBQ

Visitors to Texas know there are few better states to indulge in smoky barbecue and spicy Mexican, and Austin’s many restaurants celebrate this idea. For barbeque, head to Lambert’s, housed in a historic brick building complete with live music venue.  The warm space features oversized booths and an open kitchen; laced with aromas of bacon and brown sugar it’s hard to think straight. Start with the crispy wild boar ribs (left), a play on buffalo wings, fried green tomatoes, or Gulf Coast oysters, and finish with a heaping plate of one, two, or three smoked meats like maple and coriander pork ribs, achiote and lime-rubbed chicken, or brown sugar and coffee marinated brisket with a side of mac ‘n’ cheese and collard greens. On Austin’s grittier East Side, scratchy old school joints meet the tragically hip and Franklin BBQ has a cult-like following—including a You Tube video homage. Named “Best Barbeque in America” by Bon Appetit, the line forms two hours before opening, but the perfectly smoked, gently crisped brisket and pulled pork by the pound is worth every long-suffering minute of wait. Plates include succulent meats like brisket, ribs, pork, sausage and two sides that range from slaw to salad. Sandwiches pile the meats up high. Don’t forget to save room for the pecan pie!

The Mexican

If your palate skews Tex-Mex, Rene Ortiz’s La Condesa serves both modern and traditional Mexican in a swanky downtown space. Stiff margaritas are the house drink, but fresh ceviches like the excellent cobia with spicy aguachiles, and a vast array of tostadas and taquitos round out the menu. Traditional dishes like tortilla soup, chile relleno, and duck in mole sauce are featured nightly, and with three days notice, cochinillo, or a whole roasted suckling pig can be served family-style. New to the scene is Oaxacan chef Iliana de la Vega’s casual El Naranjo, which began as a truck selling salsas, moles, and homemade tortillas out of her driveway. If real deal Mexican is what you crave, trust us, El Naranjo is it. At East Austin’s Cisco’s (1511 East 6^th; 512-478-2420), a dingy storefront gives way to a back room where Willie Nelson snapshots hang on the walls, and cheap breakfast tacos stuffed with eggs, chorizo, and cheese are served as hangover remedy. Locals prefer the migas, scrambled eggs with all the fixings, biscuits smothered in gravy, and the refried beans. No matter what you have, it’s the best Mexican breakfast institution in Austin. Period.

The Trailers 

From stand-alone trailers to large trailer parks, Austin is currently home to more than 1500 mobile eateries giving eaters A.D.D. with choices from Asian to kebabs to chicken and waffles. Now a nationwide phenomenon, Austin’s trucks are legendary, and one can’t-miss spot is Torchy’s Tacos for messy offerings like the Green Chile pork taco, the Trailer Park made with fried chicken, the Brush Fire featuring Jamaican jerk chicken, or the Mr. Pink made with tuna and red cabbage. G’Raj Mahal is Austin’s premier Indian trailer, known for a killer chicken tikka masala that you can’t help but inhale in a few bites, but East Side King is where Asian street food reaches new heights with tongue, chicken, and pork belly buns, yakitori with rice, sweet and spicy Brussels sprouts, and various karaage, or deep fried, chicken dishes—all for under $8, no less. Prefer it sweet? Hit Gourdough’s where killer donuts like the Funky Monkey are topped with caramelized bananas.

The High-End

Make no mistake; not all trailers serve fast food fixes. Odd Duck Farm to Trailer began as an experiment by Chef Bryce Gilmore, focusing on dishes like slow-roasted pork belly sliders rubbed with coffee. Gilmore now owns Barley Swine, an extension of the original Odd Duck truck that serves small plates of rich ingredients like cauliflower and foie gras, grilled sweetbreads, and brisket and barbecued beans. Though all trailers don’t aspire to evolution, many, like Odd Duck, are the breeding ground for larger concepts. “For me,” says Gilmore, “my trailer and restaurant were meant to coexist but the goal was always to go brick and mortar.”

In addition to Barley Swine, another can’t-miss visit is to Tyson Cole’s Uchi or sister spot, Uchiko. Cole put sushi in Texas right up there with barbecue when Japanese restaurant, Uchi, opened in 2003. Set in a small bungalow that feels cozy yet modern, Uchi presents diners with mind-boggling sashimi and sushi dishes that mix flavors like hamachi and pear to mouthwatering result. Uchiko, Cole’s second restaurant featuring a similar menu, came alive in 2010 with Top Chef’s Paul Qui at the helm. With Uchi and Uchiko, presentation is flawless, reservations are coveted and flavor pairings that seem off—tuna and goat cheese, for example—are sublime.  

For a touch of the elegant, it’s all about Chef David Bull’s Congress, once named Best New Texas Restaurant by the New York Times. Set in a lush crème colored formal dining room, Congress’ tasting menus are presented nightly and feature locally sourced ingredients, as well as meticulously paired wines. A recent tasting menu featured scallops with cocoa and coconut cream, a prime ribeye cap with black truffle puree, and rabbit agnolotti. 

What’s completely new on the hot chef scene in Austin, you ask? Check out Sway, Rene Ortiz’s latest spot, which focused on Thai flavors and dishes derived from his time in Sydney, Australia, and Southeast Asia. Also, don’t miss Paul Qui’s eponymous Qui, which should be open any day.

Where to Stay

Driskoll Hotel

Rumor has it that this landmark is haunted, thought it merely evokes the Austin of 1886 when it belonged to a cattle baron. Now a centrally located option featuring one of the city’s coolest bars, if you don’t stay here, at least drop in for a drink.

Hotel Saint Cecelia

Set in a wooded estate off South Congress, the funky bungalows, studios, and suites that derive inspiration from legendary poets, writers, and musicians like William S. Burroughs and the Rolling Stones make this place the place to stay in Austin.

W Austin

Contemporary luxury, Bliss Spa products, and restaurant Trace, which backs the iconic Austin City Limits’ music venue, make this a perfect place to set down nightly roots.