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Regional Dining in Austin, Texas No need to look for International Dining in Austin! Austin has enough character and culture to qualify for a Dining Blog Adventure. But how to choose? On a clear and cool March morning, we would be crazy not to pick one of Austin's numerous outdoor dining spots. Food Trailers in SoCo! (That's South Congress for non-Texans) There's no better place to grab food and enjoy people watching! 3 bonus points for perfect weather! Food Trailers vs. Food Trucks This is a popular food trailer in SoCo. Who can resist a shiny Airstream with a giant cupcake on top? In Houston we have a lot of food trucks. Trucks move around more. They often end up near construction sites. Houston is just beginning to catch onto the popularity of more permanent food trailers like Austin has enjoyed for years. Need a Meal? But cupcakes and ice cream do not make a meal. Luckily the trailers serve Thai food and BBQ and tacos and lots of real food. Since we were meeting our favorite Austinite... our daughter Heidi, we let her decide which trailer. Mighty Cone... with no hesitation. 4 bonus points for picnic tables designed to hold our funny cone shaped meals! Look at those odd looking, circular attachments! People Encounter with History Lesson Always have to include a little interaction with a stranger! I chatted with Andrew in the serving window, before the big line began to form. He's worked at Mighty Cone for a year and picked up enough history to tell me about how the trailer began. In 2002, the food cone idea was created by a local restaurant owner as an easy way to serve and eat food at the Austin City Limits music festival. They had such success at ACL, they decided to serve the cones year round from a food trailer. Big hit! 3 bonus points for Andrew. Mostly because he sort of reminds me of my son, Scott...who is equally agreeable about smiling for my camera! (Scott never expects tips, though) Food in a Cone! Who wouldn't be excited about eating a meal out of a paper cone on a gorgeous day! I've always insisted you can't eat an ice cream cone without enjoying the sights around you. I like to stroll with a cone in a park or while window shopping. We didn't stroll, but we took in the sights while cone-dining at a table on Congress Avenue. We watched the sidewalks fill with characters...while nibbling on spicy fried chicken and pulled pork . You can't beat that! 5 points for my Hot & Crunchy Chicken with Avocado! These pieces were breaded with almonds, sesame seeds, chili flakes, corn flakes and seasoning...then fried and wrapped in a tortilla and with mango-jalapeno slaw and drizzled with ancho sauce! Yum. Trailer Trash Okay, maybe they aren't calling us names. (with the sign that is between us) It really just tells us where to throw our trash. Austin is very green! 1 bonus point for a clever trash area Heidi No extra bonus points for Heidi because she's been in the blog many a time. But I'd say let's give an extra 5 points for CONE FOOD! A first for me! TOTAL OF 21 POINTS for MIGHTY CONE!
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Not exactly stepping out of the comfort zone... Okay, this may not have been the most challenging of my dining adventures. I didn't even leave Sugar Land. There's nice artwork and the tables are spotless. The menu even has burgers for those who insist on having their American food. So no bonus points for being daring! However 3 bonus points for getting Linda in the blog! Linda and I live next door to each other. We laugh in the driveway or over the fence. But here we are out of the neighborhood! Thanks for telling me about this place, Linda! People Encounters Linda knew the owners were from Palestine, so I was eager to add a new kind of food to my list. But I didn't get my hopes up about having much interaction with any of the family because the place was hopping with diners at noon. Jimmy took our order at the counter. He didn't act a bit annoyed when I asked where he was from. When he said he was specifically from Bethlehem, I was pretty delighted! "Hey, we have a lot in common, because my name is Beth!" Jimmy seemed amused at my corny comment, but then a little sad to know I had never been to Bethlehem. It wasn't until after lunch that we got this photo. We ended up chatting quite a bit...actually more about Boise, Idaho where he lived before Houston. What a good humored sport, to put up with my photo needs! 3 bonus points for Jimmy. What is Mediterranean food? I've had Greek and Turkish and so many foods that are considered Mediterranean. I had hoped to try something more specific to Palestine, so I chose the beef Shawerma which supposedly is the most common street food in Palestine. But after a little internet search I learned it can be found in all parts of the world. Oh well, it was delicious. The tender beef was served with tahini sauce, tabouleh and hummus. I'm no expert on these dishes, but the flavors seemed a perfect blend. The tabouleh tasted so refreshing and light, it encouraged me to eat more beef and spicy hummus! 4 points for my meal! Atmosphere I really do love an authentic atmosphere where I'm surrounded by the language, music and decor of a different culture. And I really love it when the customers are of the same culture. Well, that's not what Red Oak is all about. In fact most of the customers were on lunch break from nearby businesses. But the owner, Marita has created an atmosphere that is welcoming and friendly. When she saw Linda and me chatting with Jimmy and clicking photos, she was more than happy to join us for a photo. We will go ahead and give 1 bonus point for enjoying the knowledge that the restaurant is owned by folks from Palestine. But we'll give a big 5 bonus points for these folks who took the time to help us enjoy our experience...even when it was busy! Clean and Comfortable The majority of restaurants on my dining list are small family owned spots with little "curb appeal". In fact sometimes they can look a little intimidating. As I said, it took no bravery to step into this nice, clean cafe in a safe area of Sugar Land. I could subtract a bonus point for that, but after some of the sticky menus and wobbly tables I've experienced, let's go ahead and give 1 bonus point for a nice, clean appearance!! A total of 17 points for Red Oak Grill! |
The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
November 2023
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