Category Archives: Eating Through Austin

COMM 2399 — Interactive Media Production and Design — called for a blog with weekly posts on topics of our liking. Naturally, I chose food. I tried my best to avoid glorifying food and speak more from a college student and out-of-state perspective, but I also came across some pretty darn good meals.

Juan in a Whoa

by Hannah Thornby Posted on September 20, 2012

I have never met a breakfast I didn’t like. Never. I am actually of the thinking that those responsible for brainstorming breakfast foods must know everything.

Growing up on the west coast, I have a long-running history with breakfast burritos. Eggs, some cheese, some sausage, and whatever else we had in the fridge all wrapped up in a hot tortilla always seemed like the perfect way to start the day back home. The breakfast burritos my dad made for me before I trudged off to high school will always have a special place in my heart.

However when I moved to Austin last year, I fell in love with the breakfast taco. It’s true the two may not be that different and both uphold eggs in a gloriously Hispanic way, but I prefer holding a taco and how breakfast tacos more readily take tasty salsas. Also, I adore the way that Austinites esteem breakfast taco – as some kind of miracle food that goes perfect with the active Austin lifestyle and should be found at every coffee shop. I do have some qualms over the fact that coffee, my other great love, tastes terribly alongside breakfast tacos, but no one can have it all, I guess.

I have been hearing for months that the breakfast tacos of Juan in a Million in East Austin are legendary. I finally made it there last week. All I can say is whoa. Whoa.

Don’t mistake me, my tacos were delicious and I think Juan in a Million is totally worthy of buzz. I can’t pronounce it, but I love a good machado and all the ingredients in my other taco – tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cheese – were all delicious and did wonders alongside the eggs and tortillas. The salsas that came free with the chips were also surprisingly (in a good way) spicy.

But I was a wimp – I didn’t order the “legendary” dish – the Don Juan. My friend did however. It was a monster. I can’t even guess how many eggs were plopped on top of that pile of tortillas. It was insane. I learned later it was actually a meal worthy of the Man vs. Eats, the Travel Channel show where Adam Richman eats ridiculously portioned meals.

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel. Sure it’s a lot of food for $5, but the beauty and simplicity of the breakfast taco seemed to be lost in the Don Juan. The dish was more about the heap of ingredients and not the marrying of eggs with careful ingredients. Plus, I like sampling different, reasonably sized tacos. And the way that an eater had to approach the Don Juan and coordinate tortillas with the waitress was crazy.

I’ll probably be back at Juan in a Million, but I don’t know if I’ll be ordering the Don Juan.

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Thai Fresh Yes

by Hannah Thornby Posted on September 14, 2012

Fresh Fresh FreshWhen my friend first started raving about a place called “Thai Fresh,” I was thoroughly doubtful. Thai Fresh? I don’t think I’m crazy in thinking that a restaurant that calls them self fresh can’t actually be all that “fresh.” At least that wasn’t my experience at Baja Fresh.

However, after a discussion over what exactly would be a good name for a Thai restaurant (we have no idea), we went. And I feel so smart for doing so.

First off, I don’t know if it’s an Austin thing or whatever, but I love the combo restaurant deal. Just like Whip In, Thai Fresh was much more than a restaurant. It was a place to lounge about, enjoy their coffee shop/bakery, listen to some music, and I think even do yoga. There was a sign about Wednesday morning classes, I probably won’t go. BUT, I will be back for the curry and papaya salad and homemade ice cream and random  baked goods. And maybe the cute barista. But mostly the food, which was both delicious and fresh!

The fresh thing finally made sense after we saw the menu and devoured our meals. All the food was organic and local and all that jazz and you could tell. Oh the things I would do to make Bon Appetit serve chicken and tofu that tastes like Thai Fresh’s. I wouldn’t call myself a chicken or tofu person normally (I’m a steak girl), but I could eat that stuff all day, e’er day. The flavor was so full and tasted so good in the various curries my friends and I ordered. And let’s not forget the other big players – the sweet potatoes and eggplant are things to come back for in and of themselves.

Before I go on to dessert, you should know that the two companions I had with me are gluten intolerant. In fact, one is gluten and lactose intolerant. This essentially means that their dessert choices are significantly less than the rest of ours – no pie, cake, crumble, crisp, cookie, brownie – you get the point. For whatever reason, Thai Fresh identifies with such people and offers probably one of the biggest gluten-free bakery selections in the city. And while most gluten-free baked goods are poor substitutes, often tasting like nothing or having a texture too weird to get over, Thai Fresh’s various breads, cookies, brownies, and pies are just like the real deal. My comrades literally squealedwhen they learned this. It was like seeing kids at Disneyland and frankly mildly embarrassing. However I was thrilled to finally be able to share a peanut butter chocolate pie with my friends. I am of the thinking that pie is something you should share with all of your closest friends.

I forgot to mention it before, but one of the best parts about Thai Fresh was how the whole place smelled – heavenly. There is definitely a part of me that wants to live there.

 

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Hello, World.

by Hannah Thornby Posted on September 6, 2012

I like adventures, food, and writing. Basically I’m waiting for the Travel Channel (or CNN) to pick me up as the female answer to Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. In the meantime, I’m loving living in one of the coolest cities ever – Austin, Tejas. And until I sign that TV deal, I’ll be here, conquering all that is epic and awesome about Austin culture, one taco at a time.

Indian Food, Texas Style

Just because it makes sense, I’m going to write about my most recent Austin adventure. And because I’m almost too excited to have a lead-in, I’m just going to say it: we went to Whip In and it was just delightful. We were really only looking for college-student friendly Indian, but what we found was not far from an Austin Disneyland. Just a stone’s throw away from I-35, the Whip In pretty much has it all: a rockin’ patio perfect for music, pop culture portraits of Gandhi and Obama side-by-side, a coffee AND wine bar, and a respectable, if not Texas-influenced Indian menu. “Indian Nachos,” Lamb Sliders, and a variety of rice bowls could all be had and devoured for under $10. Surely not the most authentic place in town, but they had Sriracha on hand so who really cares. And while my eggplant curry rice bowl hit the spot, the best part about Whip In was just how much darn fun it was to hang out there. Though the place was relatively busy, it wasn’t chaotic and the staff seemed a-okay with everyone hanging out for a bit. I’d come back any day for either the Indian, coffee, or music.

Bananas + Vanilla Frosting + Oreo Bits

Our Indian adventure on I-35 was followed by food trailer discoveries on South First. Potassium-deficient and tickled pink by the name, we decided on Bananarchy for dessert. Revolutionizing what it means to think about frozen bananas, Bananarchy’s bananas come in 3 different kinds of dip – chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter – and can bear a number of toppings from marshmallow to Heath bar. The trailer park was also having movie night, so I was able to nom on my oreo-ed vanilla banana while singing along to John Travolta in “Grease.”

‘Twas a wonderful first weekend back in Austin.

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