Migas in Austin

[foodie52]

I 've been frantically trying to keep up with Jorge , too! I have this mental picture of all these Tex Mex lovers playing hide and seek with Jorge! My all time favorite ( read: that's the only thing I've ever ordered for the past 27 years because I can't help myself ) is the half order of Vegetarian enchiladas with Bean Sauce, and corn tortillas. Along with a Frozen....ahhhhhhhhh

Yeah: we should all get together some time.

How bout that Texas baseball team!!!

[Jaymes]

How 'bout that Texas baseball team!!!

How about breakfast tacos in Austin? I vote for Ken's Tacos & More. Any other suggestions?

Go Horns - and now we get to watch Lance!!

[foodie52]

El Arroyo on West 5th has good breakfast tacos....good texmex overall, in my humble opinion.

[fitz]

Maybe the Austin folks can congregrate for migas y mas one of these days.  Those chic New Yorkers get together all the time, as do the Brits, and we can't let them show us up, verdad?  They drink a lot of beer and call it a "piss-up."  We should show them that no one can piss up like us Texans!

Hi guys,

As a fairly recent transplant to Austin from NJ (and the NJ board, though I'm confounded if I can remember what name I posted under!), I'm extremely glad to find all these Austin-related threads.

I guess we've been to a fair number of places for newcomers, but it's always a touch choice between trying someplace new and returning to someplace that was reasonably good, you know? (Especially if you're still in 'moving-in mode' and not always up to getting all fancied up for dinner...)

Anyway, the migas thread intrigued me since I'd only had them once when we first got here, at Magnolia. But we've tried the recipe from La Fonda that someone posted earlier, and damn, they're good!!! (Though I confess, this weekend I found myself with no tortilla chips in the house, and we had to use matzoh, instead. Sort of the classic NY/Tex-Mex fusion, I suppose... Migas Brie??? Well, I wouldn't do it on purpose, but in a pinch it wasn't bad...)

I'm especially interested in hearing what you folks have to say about the north-of-183 area--not that we won't travel to eat, but it's always nice to know about what's close to home, you know?

And I'm all for a foodie get-together... They were just trying to start these when I was with the NJ bunch, but having had other experiences that involved meeting up with folks from a London-based message board, I'm sure it would be a good time!

[Jaymes]

(Especially if you're still in 'moving-in mode' and not always up to getting all fancied up for dinner...)

"Fancied up for dinner"?

Are you SURE you're in Austin??

If you're getting "fancied up for dinner," you'll be easy to spot!

That said, where 'bouts are you? The arboretum area has a lot of good restaurants. Someone on the "best dinner ever" thread mentioned Chez Z, and I think they may have a location there. Someone on the "Austin Food Trail" thread said something about May's in Cedar Park for Chinese. That's way north on 183.

Foodie52 works at Central Market, which is not north of 183 of course, but as far as getting together goes, Central Market offers great cooking classes, so perhaps we could all take one of those.

Welcome to Austin, Fitz. And Howdy! W're darn glad you're here!

[Steebles]

If you have to get "fancied up".. I don't go there :)

But the only time I've run into that is when Dan McLuskey's (sp) on 6th St wouldn't let my bf in wearing shorts. I'm sure there's some other High End spots nowadays that are somewhat strict.

I'll take Ray's over McLuskey's anyday anyway.

I'm in 183 area myself. We like Z'Tejas (great for brunch) in the Arboretum area. Rudy's for bbq on 183 is usually awfully good (the *best* creamed corn.. and I don't even like creamed corn hehe). Fond of Le Madelienes (sp) as well. Kerbey Lane Cafe is on 183 also, though kinda hidden and always crowded, but very Austin (whatever that means anymore).

[fitz]

If you have to get "fancied up".. I don't go there :)

But the only time I've run into that is when Dan McLuskey's (sp) on 6th St wouldn't let my bf in wearing shorts.  I'm sure there's

Have been to most of the places you mentioned, Steebles, except for Z'Tejas and Dan McC...

Don't you guys worry--when I talk about getting "fancied up" for dinner, that basically means getting out of the PJs and into something acceptable for public viewing! (Can you tell I work from home?) I have to admit, every so often I have a hankering for getting all dressed up as if I were still in NY, but I'm getting over it!

I'm just a bit northwest of the Arboretum, so the places you folks mention are pretty familiar. And Central Market, luckily, is just a few blocks away from my chiropractor's office, so that's pretty convenient for me. Of course, I still haven't had enough time to really explore the place properly...

I like the idea of meeting up for one of the CM's classes--actually, I was thinking about the 7/10 one, but vacation comes first!!

[NewYorkTexan]

I live in the arboretum area and they’re a couple of respectable and fun options in the neighborhood. In addition to the ones already mention, the places I go to regularly include:

Mirabelle on Mesa Drive – the sister restaurant to Castle Hill. Interesting menu with a reasonable and well-put together wine list.

Wild Ginger on Mesa Drive – They are only open for dinner and may be the best Chinese restaurant in Austin. The chef used to be at Formosa in Tarrytown (downtown area) before they closed due to a dispute with that wacky landlord.

Lucky Dogs on Spicewood Springs Road - If you like Chicago style hotdogs (hard for a NY'er to get used to, but they are good).

Taco Shack on Spicewood Springs Road – One of the few places that do not overcook their eggs in the breakfast tacos.

Chez Zee on Balcones Drive– Go there for the desserts if nothing else.

Alamo Draft House on West Anderson Lane – a wild combination of movie theater and bar. Good list of beers and respectable burgers/pizzas that are severed via waitress service during the movie.

Café Spiazzo on Parkcrest Drive– nice casual Italian restaurant.

[Steebles]

I keep forgetting to remember to go to Lucky Dogs.

Never heard of Wild Ginger but will definately be checking it out.

Speaking of small casual Italian, there's Italian Garden. Waaaaay north, after Mopac becomes 1325(?) but well before Round Rock, in a small white nondescript strip mall. Good food, served in courses, moderately priced, intimate but not stuffy, presided over by a largish Italian woman with a tiny sing-song voice that we just love hehe.

[Jaymes]

Wild Ginger on Mesa Drive – They are only open for dinner and may be the best Chinese restaurant in Austin.  The chef used to be at Formosa in Tarrytown (downtown area) before they closed due to a dispute with that wacky landlord.

"Wild Ginger" eh? They certainly have excellent taste in names, if nothing else!

When us Austinites do finally get together, that might be a good choice, NYT. Chinese is such fun "family style."

[fitz]

I live in the arboretum area and they’re a couple of respectable and fun options in the neighborhood.  In addition to the ones already mention, the places I go to regularly include...

Thanks for the suggestions, NYT, especially about Mirabelle. I wasn't aware that they're connected to Castle Hill, which I liked very much!

[gastrotex]

Wild Ginger on Mesa Drive – They are only open for dinner and may be the best Chinese restaurant in Austin

Would you consider that authentic or americanized Chinese cuisine? Do you know T&S on Lamar north of 183 (north of Rutland but still south of Waco)? If so, how would you compare the two?

[NewYorkTexan]

Wild Ginger has a traditional Chinese menu, but usually offers eclectic daily specials. It is no P.F. Chang

I have heard really good things about T&S, but have not made it there myself yet. I am told that with their late hours and good food, it is a favorite of local chefs.

[gastrotex]

T & S doesn't even start to fill up until tennish, and stays open until one most nights. It looks rough from the outside, and is spartan inside, but the food is excellent - the closest I've had in Austin to good Hong Kong and Singapore experiences. It is well worth the nearly half hour from our house - we live in Circle C.

Wild Ginger sounds interesting - I'll definitely give it a try.

[foodie52]

I loved Formosa: I could walk to it from my house. They had a $4.99 lunch special. No there's almost nothing left in that shopping center, since the landlady is a strict vegetarian and won't allow any meat-using restaurants. We think that the shoe hospital is the next to be thrown out.

It's all very sad

By the way, fitz: I taught the 7/10 olive oil class.....Jaymes was there.

[NewYorkTexan]

Completely off the topic, has everyone seen the latest trick by that wacky landlady who kicked out Formosa? In a storefront window she installed a huge pig (fiberglass I believe) that has vegetarian and anti-meat slogans plastered all over it. I am not sure what her goal was but all I could think about when I saw it was about having a BLT for lunch.

She also kicked out that small grocery store that had a wonderful butcher.

[jess mebane]

Yes! I'm interested to see how she uproots Holiday House . . . or did she? It's been awhile since I expeditioned down Exposition.....

[foodie52]

I think Holiday House's lease expires some time in the next few years. It's outrageous that a Houstonite can do what she has done to my neighborhood. So many elderly people relied on the Grocery for their meals...I've fantasized about putting out a contract on her.....

[fitz]

By the way, fitz: I taught the 7/10 olive oil class.....Jaymes was there.

I wish the olive oil class had been on a different night; I would've enjoyed that...

We did have a little fun at Central Market's expense this weekend, though... Sunday morning we interrupted our drive back to Austin for some tasting and a glass of wine at the Becker Vineyard. As it happened, CM folks had been at Becker's B&B and left a lot of nice cheese behind, which was being shared freely.

Wine, cheese, watching the thunderstorm roll in over the fields of lavender... not a bad way to start the day...

[jess mebane]

This just in: Joe's Bakery on E. 7th has the definitive interp of migas. My heart will always belong to nasty ol' Cisco's, but my stomach knows the dark truth after a late bkfst/early lunch this past Sunday. This place is not for the faint of heart or hard of hearing, as it does not boast the gringo crowd of Juan in a Million or Maudie's or Cisco's, and it is so busy as to almost drown out the Tejano jukebox. But if you tuck yourself against the wall at any table #15-17, you will be rewarded with the biggest (and hottest) damn plate in town. The peppers are so fresh and crunchy they make themselves known in the back of your throat even before you take a bite, and the tomato chunks are sliding out from under their blistered skins from the heat of the cheddar. Good onions and beans too.

And when we left I saw a band walking down the slight hill on Webberville with their gleaming white straw hats and instruments, heading to someone's quincinera, I guess, and it made me glad to think that parts of Austin, and yea verily, Texas, are still wild.

[Jaymes]

This just in:  Joe's Bakery on E. 7th has the definitive interp of migas.  My heart will always belong to nasty ol' Cisco's, but my stomach knows the dark truth after a late bkfst/early lunch this past Sunday.  This place is not for the faint of heart or hard of hearing, as it does not boast the gringo crowd of Juan in a Million or Maudie's or Cisco's, and it is so busy as to almost drown out the Tejano jukebox.  But if you tuck yourself against the wall at any table #15-17, you will be rewarded with the biggest (and hottest) damn plate in town.  The peppers are so fresh and crunchy they make themselves known in the back of your throat even before you take a bite, and the tomato chunks are sliding out from under their blistered skins from the heat of the cheddar.  Good onions and beans too.

And when we left I saw a band walking down the slight hill on Webberville with their gleaming white straw hats and instruments, heading to someone's quincinera, I guess, and it made me glad to think that parts of Austin, and yea verily, Texas, are still wild.

What a fabulous post! I'm going there as soon as possible, of course. And the image of the band heading off to a quinciñera! Good job, Jess.

And I am hoping that since it's a bakery, they will have some of those delicious Mexican panes dulces... maybe even Tres Leches cake!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to let us in on your just-discovered secret!

Muchisimas gracias.

[foodie52]

Dammit, Jaymes....trust you to be able to figure out how to put the squiggle on the "n"! I'm still searching for that at the top of my screen!!!!!

Swamped by houseguests, including a 1-year -old....pray for me....

[jess mebane]

And I am hoping that since it's a bakery, they will have some of those delicious Mexican panes dulces...  maybe even Tres Leches cake!!

As a matter of fact, this he-he-HEAVILY pregnant chica can vouch for delicioso y muy cheapo pan dulces; after the meal I waddled over to the glass case pretending to feign only mild interest in one sugar-dusted confection, and the gal on the other side of the case raised an eyebrow and said, "Mamacita, they're only fifty cents. Have one of each to know which you like for next time."

That's Austin to me, mi amiga.

p.s. pray for good luck and good drugs--delivering the next Mebane a la manana.....

[foodie52]

Wow! Good luck, girl! We'll be thinking of you ( and will be grateful not to be in your shoes tomorrow...been there, done that!!)

Let us know soon how it all goes.

[fitz]

p.s. pray for good luck and good drugs--delivering the next Mebane a la manana.....

Yeah, what Foodie52 said!! Hope everything goes beautifully and that you're subjected to a minimum of hospital food...

(Hey, anyone who manages to work "yea verily" into a post is all right by me!)