Pit BBQ on Burnet Rd. - Austin,TEXAS

With the influx of family/friends and an incredibly busy work schedule these past few weeks, I haven't had much time to eat out and explore the Austin foodie world. But as the family has left for greener pastures and the job is coming back under control, I took the opportunity to visit a BBQ place that I have seen for years but have never tried, Pit BBQ on Burnet Road. Hidden but well established, Pit BBQ has been operating for 40+ years. Small and unpretentious, the restaurant is easy to miss but hard to forget once you have tried it.

I arrived about 12:30pm to a crowed dinning room. With only a few booths and a couple of tables, space is a scarce at the Pit. Luckily I was able to get a place at the counter after I received my food. Everyday Pit BBQ offers a special, Mondays is Chicken. I decide to try a sample plate of brisket and sausage with two sides, beans and slaw.

The beef was tender with a nice smoky ring while unfortunately the sausage was not so hot. It just didn't have much taste. The counter help told me that the sausage comes from Austin's own Smokey Denmark, which is located on the eastside. The real let down was the sauce. I am not a big fan of BBQ sauce. I find I like my bbq plain most of the time. I may be way off base here but I swear I could taste liquid smoke. The sauce just didn't have a good flavor at all. The sides were both pretty good; I really liked the cold slaw. My total for the meal came to $10.

Senor Foodblog gives Pit BBQ one spoon up. Sorry folks, the sauce killed the deal for me. Parking was tight and the dinning room way too crowed for my comfort. Prices for the to-go meat were reasonable, with the lean cut brisket for $10.29 lb. Judge for yourself. I would eat at Pit BBQ again but this time avoiding the sauce, lunch crowd and maybe sitting outside at the lone table behind the business.

Pit BBQ
4707 Burnet Rd.
512 453 6464

Cheddar's - Austin,TEXAS

Wow, I must be on a roll! During the past few weeks, I have had some of the worst restaurant experiences I can remember in Austin. Dirty tables, poor service, lousy food and just plain foodie chaos. What the hell is going on Austin? I just hate to rag so instead of telling you my feelings, I thought it would be fun to just quote some of my fellow co-workers thoughts about my latest restaurant train wreck…Cheddar’s – 15119 IH-35 North.

Easy to find with lots of parking, Cheddar’s from the outside looks like most other corporate-run restaurants, plain. The inside is nicely put together, casual, warm; the restaurant feels like an ok place to bring the family.

Everything was going fine until we started ordering our meals, receiving our meals and trying to pay for our meals.

Earth Mother – “Experience worse than death”

Cylon – “The twilight zone” and “ That was a strange trip, man”

Romeo – “The worst food and service I have ever experienced”

Vito – “I didn’t think we would ever leave”

MW – “Service deplorable”

So there you have it. Honest true quotes describing our visit to Cheddar’s. What I find interesting is all the positive reviews I found online by locals that really like eating at Cheddar’s. No accounting for taste. I guess what really got us all going was that our waiter didn’t write down any of our orders and then preceded to totally mess everything up. We had to wait nearly an hour for a few hamburgers and a couple bowls of soup. And to make matters worse, the soup was so salty, Earth Mother found it inedible.

All I have to say about Cheddar’s is eat at your own risk. If you do decide to give it a try, make certain the server is writing down your order, otherwise you may just experience the same train wreck my fellow workers and I suffered.

Cheddar’s
15119 IH-35 North
Austin

Lewis' BBQ - Austin, TEXAS

Sometimes the new is the old. Like the magpie, we move towards shiny things, the new things; things that help us think we are moving forward in the world and with our lives. But some would also argue with great passion that is it important to remember our roots, to keep the past alive. Gain and learn from our past experiences whenever we can.

And so, The Gambler and I headed deep into East Austin, looking for what may be one of the oldest operating BBQ joints in Travis County. You may have seen the place; small, pink, on east MLK, close to Airport Blvd? Well if you haven’t seen it, start looking. Lewis' BBQ has been open and serving high-grade beef for about 100 years, I was told by the nice lady working the window.

As a rule, usually with my first visit to a new BBQ place I order a sample plate. I find this is an easy way to discover if the food is worth the money. For $7.25 I got ¼lb brisket, ½ sausage link, ¼lb mutton, small side of beans and a bottle of root beer. What!? Most places around town serve two meats for $8-10 a plate - I knew I had hit BBQ pay dirt. The brisket tasted like brisket, as Lewis' BBQ doesn’t soak their beef in smoke like some places around Austin. And the sausage comes from Elgin, need I say more. The mutton was wonderful. I am a giant mutton fan and was very happy to find a second place locally (along with Sam’s BBQ) that has the meat on the smoker. When I had finished my meal and it was time to leave, I felt sad. I felt like I was leaving an old friend. But I know I will be back soon.

Senor Foodblog gives Lewis' BBQ two spoons up. Great prices, great meat and no flash or fluff to distract you from the real work at hand, enjoying your food. Both The Gambler and I were very pleased with our meals. Primitive setup - all eating is outside on the covered patio, but comfortable. Lewis' is now part of my regular BBQ crawl. The old becomes the new and I feel reborn.

Lewis’ BBQ
1814 Harvey (@MLK)
512 473 2225

Riding Austin's Eastside Coffee Trail

As Austin’s dangerous crack-ridden eastside quickly becomes the land of condo-buying, young affluent hipsters, the local business landscape is changing very quickly. First thing I noticed were all the coffee shops opening up along the E. 6th Street corridor.


Café Mundi
Most locals already know about the eastside’s coffee oasis, Café Mundi. Open just a few yrs, Jessica and Hans have transformed what was an empty shell into one of Austin’s premier java stops. Serving not only what may be the most reasonably priced coffee on the eastside, but also a healthy selection of entrees and choice beers. With its newly expanded inside and lush relaxing outdoor patio, Café Mundi is an Austin coffee must. Movie night every Monday….don’t miss it.
1704 E 5th St # 100
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 236-8634


Dandelion Cafe
A little north of 6th on 11th, the Dandelion Café is slowly building a regular clientele with good food and strong coffee. Just west of the so very “in” Long Branch Inn, the Dandelion Café is hard to miss with its friendly outside seating area and large front windows. Senora Foodblog is a big fan of the cafes hot breakfast sandwiches and laid back, mellow atmosphere.
1115 E 11th St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 542-9542


Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova Coffee Shop and Bakery, only open for a few days, has helped fill the void on far East 6th Street. Just down the way from the Pedernales Lofts, on the corner of Robert Martinez and 6th, Bossa Nova is planning to make a real run at long term success. Offering not only coffee, but also fresh baked goods with a Brazilian twist, this place is perfectly located to serve the ever-expanding condo caffeine crowd. Stop on by and say hello to Ray, shake his hand and welcome him to the neighborhood. And while you are saying hello, try a carrot muffin or a meaty empanada/pie. Sorry folks, no web site yet.


Progress Coffee
Progress Coffee has made a real name for itself on the coffee drinker circuit. Located at East 5th street and I-35, Progress is quickly becoming a regular stop for the young creative crowd, looking to plug in the old laptop, drink some coffee and enjoy a good sandwich. Service is with a smile, a real plus for the downtown coffee crowd and a great addition to Austin’s eastside.
500 San Marcos St
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 493-0963

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Recently, Senora Foodblog and I were invited to dine at Cupcake Kittens home. Now Cupcake is a fabulous cook and always servers the best meals. This night she turned us on to her version of Cheese Tortellini Soup. I don’t know if she invented the soup or if she found it in some recipe book somewhere but the soup was the bomb! I liked it so much Cupcake sent me home with enough soup for a second meal the next day. As it turned out, the soup was even better the second day. After much begging and pleading…lots of hands and knees stuff, Cupcake emailed the recipe which I just have to share with you guys.

I substituted some of the ingredients to stay within Senora Foodblogs heart friendly diet.


2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 package of hot turkey Italian sausage – taken out of casings
1 Onion chopped
6-8 Carrots chopped
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or use less dry thyme
½ tsp dried crushed red pepper
10 cups Low sodium chicken broth
8 cups chopped kale (1-2 bunches)
1 15 oz of butter beans
1 9oz package of mini light cheese raviolis
1 can artichoke hearts in water chopped
1 cup grated Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add next 6 ingredients and sauté until vegetables are soft and sausage is brown, about 12 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Stir in kale and butter beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly; cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add raviolis and artichokes to soup. Simmer until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite, about 5 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing cheese separately.
Makes 6 serving.

This soup is perfect for these cold days of our 2 week winter. When the soup was cooking, its smell was incredible. The Senora and I circled the cooking pot like hungry vultures. This soup is very easy to make and only take a few mins to put together. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy and stay warm.