In America, Mardi Gras has traditionally been known as a time of boozy over-indulgence where ladies (and the occasional gentleman) flash their goodies to strangers and are rewarded “handsomely” with strands of colorful plastic beads. It’s seen as a time to let loose and blow off steam. In fact, it is actually a part of the Christian tradition, Easter. In English, Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday.” This is the last day of eating rich foods before the start of the ritual fasting during Lent. Our perception of Mardi Gras as a time to cut loose has its roots with the religious meaning. My personal foodie translation of Mardi Gras (and the week leading up to Fat Tuesday) is a time for gluttonous eating and indulgence! My week was spent in Austin, Texas, where I had a whirlwind tour of classic, great institutions that never fail to deliver and some stellar, new and unique places as well.
Dirty Sixth
If you want to feel like a college student in Austin, get in one of their popular pedi-cabs and head on down to the Dirty Sixth! Located in a section of downtown that is east of Congress Street, this area of bars, clubs, music venues and restaurants are teeming with college kids and twenty-somethings looking to party. To capitalize on this market, many street food vendors come out at night to offer their delights to the drunken, and now starving partiers. One of these vendors is the Best Wurst stand located at the corner of E. Sixth St. and San Jacinto. This is – hands down – one of the best sausages I have ever eaten. In fact, in our drunken stupor, my husband ate his dog, then asked for a bite of mine, which I never got back :(!! Best Wurst offers 4 kinds of sausages: Bratwurst, Smoked Italian, Smoked Jalapeno, and All Beef, each of which can be topped with grilled onions, sauerkraut, curry ketchup and spicy mustard. All sausages are priced at an affordable $4.50. The quality of the meat used in the sausages is top notch and the flavors (especially smoked jalapeno) were fantastic. It had that nice popping sound as you bite into the sausage and the heat from the smoked jalapeno was just enough to make you want to grab another beer. But the winner in all of their offerings was the curry ketchup. It jazzed up my tastebuds with the spiciness of the curry and the sweetness from the ketchup, really enhancing the flavor. It most definitely lived up to it’s name, the Best Wurst!
North Austin
After waking up with a raging hangover due to the fact that this thirty-something was trying to party like it was 1999, I needed some sustenance to help tide the rumblings in my stomach. When I’m in my hometown of San Francisco, I know of many hangover cures that are readily available, but my top choice is always a hot steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho (noodle soup). I really didn’t expect an authentic, down home Vietnamese place in the middle of Texas, but North Austin has Pho Dan. The pho is delicately layered with flavor, beginning with the clear and salty sweet broth. At Pho Dan, you can request your thinly sliced raw eye of round beef on the side as well as steamed bean sprouts to ensure your broth stays piping hot. They also offer dandelion greens, basil, thick jalapeno slices and juicy lemons to help enhance the soup, flavor by flavor. At around $7 a small bowl, the pho is good for your pocket book as well as your hangover. Definitely check out Pho Dan if you’re in Austin, it’s worth it.
Round Rock
North of Austin near the city of Round Rock, is a place called Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe where they offer traditional Cajun-style food like boiled crawfish, assorted po-boys, and the classic New Orleans gumbo. The establishment feels like a chain-restaurant with lines out the door and those electronic buzzer things. But the comparisons stop there. Razzoo’s knows how to do Cajun. My all-Louisiana based friends and I opted for boiled crawfish in honor of Mardi Gras and at $4.99 a pound (a Mardi Gras special), it was definitely worth it! Heaps of crawfish are set down in front of you with a nice warm wet towel to wipe your hands and face. If you’ve never had crawfish before but you like crab, shrimp, or lobster, you probably understand what it means to work hard for a tiny morsel of seafood goodness. Be sure to twist off the crawfish tail and suck the wonderful juices and “butter” from the head before you finally fish out the tail meat. The spiciness from the boil penetrates the shells of the crawfish and basically marinates the meat and butter to perfection. Included in the boil are spiced red potatoes and corn. To cool your mouth down from the spiciness, hit it with a bite of potato and corn (as well as a swig of local beer). Order a lot because it’s easy to rack up the poundage: my party of 5 easily polished off 20 pounds of the tasty mudbugs!
SoCo – South Congress
Congress Street is one of the main thoroughfares in Austin. It cuts through the downtown area and leads to the Capital building. On the southern end is an area called South Congress, or SoCo. There are a lot of funky thrift and antique stores as well as bars with beer gardens like Doc’s and the San Jose hotel. Of course, restaurants are a plenty which includes the South Congress Cafe. A local of Austin claimed that the SoCo Cafe has the best bloody mary in town and I was determined to make that assessment. Everything in the bloody mary is made in-house, the pepper/celery/jalapeno/lime/lemon/garlic infused vodka packs a powerful flavor punch which is blended nicely with the sweet and spicy bloody mary mix ($6.75). Indeed it was one of the best bloody marys I’ve ever had. As for the food, everything we had was pretty tasty, especially the Carrot Cake French Toast with a side of bacon ($16). The carrot cake was thickly sliced and dipped in a vanilla cinnamon batter and served with their original cream cheese-pecan syrup. I’m usually not a sweet breakfast person but the dish sounded so decadent that I had to try it. It was a pleasant surprise, not too sweet and had a nice dense texture. The cream cheese-pecan syrup gave it that extra richness and the side of salty bacon was the perfect compliment. We also tried the traditional eggs benedict with a chipotle hollandaise sauce ($9) which was perfectly executed but nothing new in flavor town. All in all, the food was great and the bloody marys were awesome.
Driftwood
Just 20 minutes southwest of Austin in the city of Driftwood lies a behemoth BBQ joint called Salt Lick. It has been featured on many travel/foodie shows and its reputation is well earned. There are scores of people lining up to try this BBQ so make sure you get there early or be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes. There is a nice waiting area with picnic tables and even a small stage for bands to perform. Another great part of Salt Lick is that its BYOB…bring your own booze! But once you make it into the main dining area, its all about BBQ. Sitting right next to the entrance of the restaurant, the huge circular BBQ pit produces delectable meats including beef brisket, sausage, pork ribs, beef ribs, and pulled pork. All are tender and juicy, especially the pulled pork. Salt Lick also provides two types of barbecue sauce, regular and habanero. Their bases are similar, marrying sweetness with a nice tang, but the habanero is kicked up with heat from the peppers. Dousing your BBQ with either sauce is probably a great idea! Salt Lick’s combination plate, which includes brisket, sausage, and pork ribs ($11.95), is served with a tangy German style potato salad and a simple vinegar based cole slaw. Both sides provide the perfect counterpoint to the BBQ. Salt Lick is a great place to meet and sit with friends and family to have a few beers and eat some good old Texas barbecue.
Austin was a great place to “fatten” myself up in the name of Mardi Gras. The vibe of the city is wholeheartedly fun and eclectic. It’s an artsy and musical place with many great restaurant and food choices. It was the perfect place to blow off some steam and soak up the local Texas color. As the Cajuns say, Laissez les bons temps rouler!
