Austin Eats

            Last week we offered some restaurant recommendations for Texas’s largest city: Houston. For this week, we thought we’d take a look at some spots to eat in Texas’s weirdest city: Austin. The city’s unofficial motto is “Keep Austin Weird.” As the capital of Texas, Austin features some unmistakable signs that you’re in Texas—cowboy hats and boots, seersucker suits, an obsession with football—and some that would make you think you weren’t—the influx of tech companies and international cuisine. Yet there is something undeniably charming about this welcoming city that features the best Texas has to offer. 

Torchy’s Tacos: This small Austin-based taco chain began in a food truck on South 1^st Street. Owner Mike Rypka had grown tired of life as a high-end chef and mortgaged his house to buy a food truck and set up shop in Austin. The menu features a wide range of tacos and a not-so secret menu of special tacos. For breakfast, we recommend the Migas taco. Migas tacos, which are an Austin staple, feature scrambled eggs, crispy tortilla strips, and tomatillo sauce. From the regular menu, try a Green Chile Pork taco—pork carnitas with green chilies and topped with cojita cheese and tomatillo sauce. Really though, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu at Torchy’s. 

Torchy's in its glory 

L'Oca d'Oro: If you’re looking for a restaurant serving homemade pastas and Italian cuisine in a comfortable neighborhood setting, then L’Oca d’Oro is for you. The kitchen prepares the pastas, breads, cheeses, vinegars, and liqueurs in house. They have an expansive wine menu and warm and friendly service. The chef, Fiore Tedesco, first started to learn to cook in his uncle’s deli before working at some of New York and Austin’s finest restaurants including Grammercy Tavern, Roberta’s, Franklin BBQ, and Bufalina. Adam Orman, the restaurant’s GM, worked in San Francisco and New York before settling in Austin and working with Tedesco to open L’Oca d’Oro. 

Franklin in all of its glory 

Franklin BBQ: Opened in 2009, Franklin BBQ quickly took the barbecue world by storm. Led by pitmaster/owner Aaron Franklin, the restaurant offers a range of barbecue and sides. The fatty brisket melts in your mouth and tastes a little like foie gras. The ribs are tender and fall off the bone with the slightest tug. Even the turkey and sausages are packed with flavor. Be warned, the lines at Franklin are famously long. So if you want to make sure you get your share of these heavenly delights, make sure you get in line by 8 or 8:30 in the morning. Have no worries, the staff checks in with patrons and gives you an estimate of when you’ll eat. Also, it’s Austin, so patrons are encouraged to bring snacks and drinks and make a morning of it. 

Micklethwait in all its glory 

Micklethwait Craft Meats: About a half mile down the road from Franklin is one of Austin’s hidden BBQ gems—Micklethwait Craft Meats. In an unassuming little trailer that features free coolers of beer—the restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license—Micklethwait’s has some of the best BBQ in Texas. The brisket is mouthwateringly succulent and the pork ribs are tender and rich. Micklethwait’s also shines with its side dishes. Make sure you order the coleslaw—shockingly bright and refreshing and a nice contrast to the barbecue—and the jalapeno cheese grits. The grits are packed with a blend of cheese with a smokiness and texture that is reminiscent of queso. Also the lines at Micklethwait’s are nothing like those at Franklin. Where Franklin can take hours, you can count your wait at Micklethwait’s in minutes. 

Austin Cake Ball Shop: We’d be remiss if we didn’t offer you some kind of dessert option. Austin resident Stacey Bridges began experimenting with cake balls in 2008 after spending years as a costume designer. The resulting creations, little balls of cake covered in different coatings and frostings have become locally famous. The Austin Cake Ball shop features a rotating menu of flavors including chocolate, vanilla bean, red velvet, Mexican chocolate, birthday cake, chocolate mint, and s’mores. Best of all, you can order cake balls online and have them shipped anywhere in the United States.