Salt Lick family meal

A recap of six days of eating in Austin, TX

Posted by Matthew A. Gonzalez

I went out to Austin, TX for SXSW Interactive 2009. It has nothing to do with this blog, but has a LOT to do with my job and the blog on my portfolio site. But, while out in Austin, I got to hit up a bunch of eateries and have some good food.

Most of these places were great, and to that I owe a big thanks to my friend Craig who made sure I ate at only the best spots.

Spaghetti Warehouse

Chicken parmigiana: This was a medium-priced, simple Italian joint. The both the chicken and the spaghetti it came from were very good, but the overall experience was kind of bland. Apparently they have a murder-mystery dinner at this place, and our curiosity was one of the reasons we decided to eat there. But we didn’t see a murder mystery and frankly were disappointed.

My thoughts: I’d catch it again if I were assured of seeing a murder mystery.

Zax Pints & Plates

Texas gumbo: We stopped by here looking for some brunch. The gumbo was good and not too spicy.

My thoughts: Overall, the place just had a bland feel, and the rest of the menu was questionable. I don’t think I’ll be back.

Iron Works

Beef ribs: The ribs were huge and slightly resembled brontosaurus ribs from the Flintstones. The food came with potato salad, pickles and beans — none of which I am a big fan.

My thoughts: Overall though, the ribs were so good, and I was so glad they served Coke in a glass bottle, that I’d definitely go back.

Mekong River

Pineapple tofu: This dish was full of flavor and served with the perfect amount of veggies and rice. My only problem was that some of the tofu was cut too big and therefore didn’t absorb all of the flavor. This small shortfall was more than made up for by the fried bananas I had for dessert.

My thoughts: This was my favorite place in Austin and will definitely have my business again.

Doña Emilia’s Latin Café

Cuban French toast: Cuban bread made french toast style with Spanish sausage and served with syrup. The food was mediocre and the staff was slow.

My thoughts: I can’t imagine going back.

Roppolo’s Pizzeria

Vegetarian calzone: First thing is this calzone was pretty cheap ($4.50) for the amount of food. The food along with the restaurant were pretty simple. The calzone would have benefited from more sauce or cheese inside or some sauce to dip in.

My thoughts: You can’t complain about the prices, but there has to be a better pizzeria or quick Italian food to be eaten.

Rio Grande

Chicken burrito: This burrito was enormous. The chicken tasted just like the chicken from my late grandmother’s yellow rice and chicken. That sounds like a good thing, but I don’t think it worked in this burrito.

My thoughts: My main qualm with this place was I didn’t see one Mexican person, and it showed it in the food. If I’m strapped for a place to go, I might stop by again, but overall I’d pass.

Le Café Crépes

Mozzarella, basil and prochiuto crépe: When the waiter brought me the crépe, he told me this was his favorite. I understand why. It was a great, and I’m glad I ate this for breakfast on a whim. The language of choice among the cooking crew was French, so that was fun.

My thoughts: Fun, low-key atmosphere that I hope to revisit some other time.

Salt Lick

Family meal: This place was insane. First off, it’s outside of Austin and in a dry county. Beer is allowed in, but you can’t buy it there. So we stopped and bought some Shiner Bock on the way. This pretty much adds up to people drinking more than they would but having a great time. All the guys got what was called the “Family meal.” It was all-you-can-eat sausage, brisket, pork ribs, beans, solid potato salad, cole slaw and bread, and holy crap, was it good.

My thoughts: I have to say, it was pricey, far and cash only, but that shouldn’t deter you. If you’re going to spend some higher-medium-price money, go ahead and go to the Salt Lick. It’s a staple for all the right reasons. My only problem was with the cole slaw, but whatever.

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q

Brisket dinner: This is the Stubb’s, the one with the Bar-B-Q sauce they sell in the store. I had some brisket, cole slaw and onion rings. The onion rings were extra as a side dish, and I only got five, but I’ll let it slide because they were good. The brisket was tender, but was best with the BBQ sauce, which makes sense. I also had an apple crisp with ice cream for dessert.

My thoughts: Everything was good, and everything was fun.

Habana Calle 6

Ropa vieja sandwich: My friend Craig steered my right throughout most of our time in Austin with respect to food, so when he said he wanted to take me to a Cuban place, I complied. If you don’t know already, I am Cuban and can get (make) this food all the time, but it’s fun to see how “my” food is made in a different place.

Well the food was OK albeit a bit off. The ropa vieja had a bit too much tomato sauce and not enough salt or cooking wine. So it was good, but off. My tostones were excellent, but the sauce, rather than being a sweet, tangy sauce like the one I made, it was a weird, tangy, BBQ-mojo mix. Again, good, but off. After my sandwich, I asked for a cortadito, and my waitress, didn’t know what it was. When she figured it out though, with a little sugar, it was pretty good. In the end, my Ironbeer made everything OK, well at least until I found out I had been charged $2.50 for a 12-oz. can!

My thoughts: There are better things more Austin or more Texas that might be a better use of your time in a new city.

Bars

  • Chubby Monkey: cramped, nasty, $1 domestics, fun
  • Six: clean, space, billiards, enjoyable
  • Buffalo Billiards: just wasn’t feeling it
  • Iron Cactus: spacious, clean, very good bar, inside/outside, cool, more-upscale “chill” feeling
  • Shakespeare’s: Cramped, lots of nooks and corners, multiple bars, lots of Brits, really fun

Beers

See the rest of my photos from Austin and SXSW on Flickr.

Well, what do you think?