Bybee September 2015 Sweet Home Austin

As an Austin girl for nearly ten years now I think I pretty much have the low down on the best places to eat in Austin, also known as the places I will miss the most while we are here. Each one of these delicious eatries or dishes has left a hole in my heart that makes me oh so homesick.

 

Where do I even start with Austin food? Everywhere you turn there is a delicious taco truck or a gourmet ramen place. Austinites know how to make and eat good food. We as a city are foodies. Food is one of my only hobbies, so I am grateful to live in a place that understands my obsession with cinnamon roll pancakes and fried avocado tacos. Austinites are crazy into local, organic, vegan, gluten-free everything. As a vegetarian I have a special appreciation for Austin’s easy going nature when it comes to weird dietary restrictions. You can ask restaurants if their produce is locally sourced and they won’t even spit in your food for asking. Not only is the food incredibly delicious it is often guilt-free.

 

When I think of my favorite Austin foods my brain scrambles between a million different things…this is already making me homesick for some cheesy tacos.

 

I suppose I will break this down into categories: Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snack. Though some may overlap into other categories, I will just put it in whatever category seems to make the most sense.

 

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Breakfast:

Iron Cactus- The most delicious buffet style brunch, you can get everything from homemade omelets to brisket to waffles and tasty mimosas

Moonshine- for chicken and waffles and migas. They do a great job of making food with a kick but without setting on mouth on fire.

Starbucks- I am American, aren’t I?

Donut Hole- A delicious local donut shop that isn’t too fried or sugary it’s the Goldilocks of donut shops.

Lunch:

Cover 3- unless mom is paying this place is too expensive for me to buy dinner there, but lunch on the other hand…sign me up! Their mac and cheese is to die for.

Panera-it’s a chain…I’m sorry but I could eat almost everything on their menu everyday. The tortellini alfredo, mac and cheese, the grilled cheese (discontinued now which I’m still hurt about), the double decker chocolate cookie..everything!

 

 

 

Dinner:

Torchy’s- Fried avocado taco, best queso in Austin and fried cookie dough…need I say more?

East Side Cafe- The buttermilk pie! I don’t know that I’ve ever had anything more delicious than that pie! (they also do a great brunch)

Chez Zee- Delicious rosemary cake, the richness is balanced perfectly by the rosemary.

Tony C’s Pizza- Their Bianca Pizza is the best pizza I’ve ever had… roasted garlic, riccotta cheese and a little drizzle of herbed olive oil.

Fire Bowl- best American-Chinese food ever I could eat there everyday and still be happy

Hop Doddy- Great veggie burger but not worth the line

All Star Burger- Best veggie burger I’ve ever had. They use fresh local gourmet ingredients and boy does it work for them.

Kerbey Lane Cafe- Kerbey queso it’s so good I could drink it. Cinnamon roll pancakes…they are so good that I used to go everyday that they had them on the weekly special… Unfortunately I’m not kidding.

Santa Caterina- Delicious, authentic interior mexican food their salsa is so spicy it’ll rip your nose hairs off…. but it’s so good it’s worth the pain.

Cafe Lago- delicious veggie sandwich… it has sunflower seeds in it! also deliciously spicy salsa… again worth it.

Mesa Rosa- Delicious Tex-Mex which is never my favorite but this is the exception.

Johnny Carino’s- surprisingly delicious pasta and salty, garlicky bread.

Cabo Bob’s- The best burrito bar out there plus Dr. Bob soda.

Alamo Drafthouse- Best food and business idea ever.

Pho on Airport Blvd.- delicious and newly renovated with vegetarian options!

Roaring Fork- they don’t have a lot of vegetarian options but their fried avocado appetizer with a spicy delicious sauce on top…to die for.

 

Late night snacks:

Gourdough’s- Gourmet, giant donuts with crazy delicious toppings…need I say more?

Whataburger- It’s always open and they will make you a quesadilla if you beg hard enough

Taco Bell- 2 cheese quesadillas with no jalapeno sauce, a potato soft taco and a medium Dr. Pepper please…I know what I want…

Culver’s- Delicious drive through custard place with surprisingly delicious food.

Taco Cabana- the socially acceptable version of Taco Bell.

 

 

 

I guess now I can never say “I don’t know. I can’t think of anything.” to the dreaded “What do you want to eat?” question.

 

The point of all this is anywhere you turn in Austin you will find something, at least, I love to eat. I know that everything on here was gluttonous and unhealthy but these are my favorite things to eat I do not eat them all the time but when I do have one of my favorite places for a meal I do get very excited.

 

My daily diet at home consists mostly of carrots, snap peas and broccoli with ranch and fruits like raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and peanut butter and Spaghetti with garlic salt and loads of parmesan cheese or Annie’s white cheddar mac and cheese. I eat mostly the same thing everyday and it is not the healthiest thing on the planet, but I think I can gather from my favorite Austin foods and my everyday foods that I like salty foods, carbohydrates, fatty foods and sugary foods. Rather than high fiber, nutrient-dense, protein rich foods like my body needs.

 

The evolution of our diets would help to explain this. Salt and sugar used to be much harder to come by and they are a necessity for our bodies. Now foods like this are readily available but our cravings have not reduced. The problem now becomes that we eat these things to excess which then causes strain on our bodies and contributes to health problems.  

Many species have shown that diet can change over time or based on scarcity of traditional choices.

 

Another contributing factor in this discussion to me is the social aspects of food. Humans often meet for coffee or lunch or dinner they enjoy the social aspect around food. But, why is food the one thing that goes across cultural lines. Because of the universal concept behind the structure of how our bodies work. Everyone has to eat and we even enjoy this necessity. We create new and delicious recipes, we meet our friends, family and colleagues over food.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can not wait to discover more about how the french differ in their process or creating, obtaining, and serving meals. In Austin there is a movement towards local, organic, vegan, gluten-free options. I want to examine farming practices and distribution practices to see how are two cities differ at the root of their food production. I hope to learn from local farmers around Angers about where they grow their food and how they grow these foods and then how far the food has to travel before reaching the plate. I even hope to visit a farm where I can see how the farmers operate on a daily basis and how they get their products to the end consumer and what products is the consumer getting. I want to study the differing farming and distribution techniques and practices to see their differing effects on the availability of certain foods.

 

Milton 2006

Wasserman 2013

Mitani and Watts 2001

Rozin 2002