Edible Austin

When you think of Texas cusine, Tex-Mex and barbeque come first to most everyone's minds. Of course these foods are probably the most prevalent and well-known, but in Austin there is also a great sample of diversity as well. Since there is a multitude of cultural influences here, a large availability of fresh ingredients and many people that love to dine out there are large numbers of excellent restaurants. You can go one evening from a menu of fresh sushi, to Italian, to Indian and then to Polynesian. I have recently heard that being a restaurant owner is one of the most difficult occupations to have in Austin strictly because of the extreme competition.

Quick Tips:

Try to take advantage of the availability of many differnt types of great foods while in Austin. Of course, try some of the authentic Texas foods as well. Barbeque is meat that is slow-cooked with indirect heat over wood coals, usually mesquite. Brisket is a particular cut of meat that is rubbed with spices and slow roasted. Mexico's culinary influence can be found in the Tex-Mex foods. Try some Texas enchiladas, fish tacos, chalupas or fajitas. Other favorites for the morning are breakfast tacos (flour tortillas, stuffed with potatoes, bacon, chorizo-sausage, scrambled eggs and salsa) and migas (eggs scrambled with tortilla chips). Of course, I can't forget to mention my favorite food... spicy, steamed crawfish. They aren't as common as they are in Houston, our neighbor 2 hours east towards the coast, but still quite delicous when they are in season from May to July.

Best Way To Get Around:

Austin is dotted with delicious restaurants everywhere. The majority are homegrown local places, but the tried-and-true chains can be found too. Austin's layed-back attitude carries over to their casual restaurant attires and atmospheres. Pants, a shirt and shoes will get you in just about anywhere, even the more posh establishments. Depending on your location and where you want to go in Austin would determine the best way for you to get around. Happy Eating in Edible Austin!

When you first arrive at the Boiling Pot the waiters and waitresses will completely cover your table with white butcher paper, tie plastic bibs around your neck and supply you with wooden shell-cracking mallets. Then when your food order is ready they will dump it's contents out right in front of you from a large steaming silver bowl! Time to dig in to this delicious Cajun/Creole style seafood. And yes, everything at the Boiling Pot is boiled.

The menu consists of snow crab, blue crab, king crab, spicy shrimp and spicy crawfish, all served with spicy flavored sweet corn and spicy new potatoes. You can also order boudain (cajun sausage), gumbo, red beans and rice or oysters. It's a great place to come with a group of friends and hang out while getting messy with your hands in the food.

The restaurant is fairly small so it gets pretty busy and therefore service is know to be very slow. No worries though, if you have the time. Just try one of the brewskies from their many choices...they claim to serve 87 different types.

This is definitely my favorite restaurant in all of Austin! Why? The food is always mouth watering, the staff is always happy, the atmosphere is laid back but, lively and the scenery is pleasing.

As the name hints, the Hula-Hut is a Polynesian tropical-style paradise. I think I enjoy this place so much because it reminds me of my recent days past when I was living in the Virgin Islands. It's complete with tiki torches, bamboo walls, multi-colored lights and grass-thatched bars. But don't worry it's done in a tasteful way and not cheesy.

It's located on the banks of Lake Austin, actually one of the dining areas and two of the bars are on a pier over the water. (The furthest bar and eating area in the back are the best!) It's a great place to sit when the weather is warm and sip on frozen Mango Margaritas while munching on the complimentary warm tortilla chips and freshly made chunky salsa that you serve yourself. The Hula Hut is very popular in the summertime on weekend afternoons and it's great for people watching as boaters come and go. It's also a fun place to be for a late evening sunset over the hills. The Hula Hut is a very lively, friendly, laid-back and all around good-time-happy-place to be.

The food is great as well. It's referred to as "Mexonesian Cuisine" because it's a unique mix of Mexican and Polynesian foods. It's inexpensive and you are served very large portions. My favorites are the Mango Poldano Chile Quesadillas (fresh mango, poblano chiles, cream cheese and grilled chicken), Coconut Shrimp (coconut encrusted shrimp with a spicy orange dipping sauce) and Shiner Bock Grilled Fajitas (Shiner beer marinated and charbroiled beef or chicken tossed with grilled onion, green chiles and bell peppers). You can see the cooks pouring the fresh flour tortilla batter on a hot grill while you are walking inside the restaurant. Yum. Whenever I have a friend in town visiting for the first time, I take them to see the Capital, Mt. Bonnell, 6th Street, the bats and the Hula Hut! Seriously, it's right up there and a Polynesian-style paradise not to be missed!

If you have never been to a tapas bar then this is a must try. Tapas is a wonderful Spanish tradition where appetizer-sized portions of food are served to a table of people and are shared amongst everyone. It's a great social atmosphere with friends, the wine is constantly flowing and it becomes more of a dinner event than just a meal. It's great if you want to try a sample of something different or if you just want something small to eat.

Malaga is a relatively new restaurant located downtown Austin in the lively Warehouse District. It's a large hardwood floored, narrow room with dark paneled walls, super-high ceilings and bottles of wine stacked everywhere. (Check out the cool tea lights on the tables that are set in etched, recycled soup cans.) It's casual and cozy, although it's a bit on the upscale side and somewhat trendy. The menu is not as extensive as other tapas restaurants I have eaten at, but all the choices on the menu are very good. Prices range from $3 for marinated olives to $7.50 for whisky beef tips. My favorites are the peppercorn encrusted raw tuna served with a creamy horseradish sauce and the spinach artichoke dip served with crusty crostini. They also make a great fried calamari that's very tender, not to forget mentioning their extensive by-the-glass or by-the-bottle wine list.

After dining you are conveniently located in the heart of Austin's nightlife, so it's a short walk to many of the best places. Immediately next door (and owned by the same people as Malaga) is a martini and cigar bar, Cedar Street Courtyard and Bar. It's a bit pretentious, but fun nonetheless. Or try Fado's Irish Pub two more doors down. Of course you can walk the short distance of two blocks to Austin's well-known 6th Street.

I originally describled Texas food as being way more diverse than just Tex-Mex and barbeque cusine, but I can't neglect to mention my favorite barbeque restaurant in Austin. The County Line is well known locally for it's great home-style Texas Barbeque and it's not to be missed.

The pork ribs are tender and sweet, the beef brisket is slow smoked to perfection and the sausages are peppery and delicious. All the meals come with sides; homemade potato salad, cole slaw and beans which are all also really great tasting, that is if your stomach has enough room for you to even try them. As the saying goes "Everything is bigger in Texas" and this holds true to the monstrous size of the portions they serve. You can easily split an entree with someone and still be stuffed with food when you leave. Or you can order a meal and bring over half of it home. Yes, I do agree that this is excessive, but this is part of the Texas barbeque experience. If you are either really daring or just plain starving, you can order The Cadillac which is an all-you-can-eat feast.

The decor is very cozy and the atmosphere is homey. The walls are made of stacked logs like a log cabin and there are all sorts of interesting antiques hanging on the walls and ceiling. The restaurant is actually quite large, but you can still usually expect a one-drink wait on an evening. Happy Barbequeing!