Torchy's Tacos - Austin, TX

Torchy's Tacos has a following like no other taco place in Austin, or Texas for that matter, stemming from a loyal student base in search of great food on the cheap.   It's this following that has allowed Torchy's to aggressively expand, from it's start as one of Austin's premier trailers, to numerous brick and mortar locations around Austin, and now...GASP!...Dallas.

I've been a fan of Torchy's since my first visit, and unless I'm in a rush and passing by a location, I like to head down to it's humble beginnings, in the trailer park of South 1st, one of the nicest and easiest in town.

Now, first things first.  Let's boil down what kind of "Mexican" we're talking about here, an important first step for anyone looking for "Mexican" food in Austin.  I've drawn up a little organizational chart here, focusing on the taco side of the equation.

First things first, let's differentiate between Mexican and Tacos.  If you're "going out for Mexican", you're talking about more of a full meal, ranging from something like Taco Cabana to Maudie's to Fonda San Miguel.  Varying degrees of quality, options including enchiladas, burritos, plates, rice, beans, and also different styles such as Interior Mexican, Tex-Mex, or Coastal Mexican.  Now, tacos may very well be a part of your Mexican meal, and that's alright.  For instance, I ate at Maudie's last night.  We "went out for Mexican" and in this instance, Tex-Mex.  I had a combination plate featuring among other things, a crispy beef taco.  But we didn't "go out for tacos", like we did Saturday, when we hit up Torchy's, meaning we were heading somewhere specializing primarily in tacos, though most will likely feature things like chips, salsas, queso, and in the case of some of the authentic Mexican places, tortas...the Mexican sandwich.  That said, generally you're talking about a quicker, more on-the-go meal, something you might associate more with lunch, carry-out, or late-night.

Alright, now that we've got that out of the way, let's briefly touch what I view as this area's primary taco types.

Mexican Street Tacos:  these are the more authentic Mexican tacos, ranging from the more normal classic recipes for al pastor (pork), picadillo (ground beef), and bistec (steak), to the scary...lengua (cow tongue), tripas (small intestine), cabeza (cow face)...and always served on small, usually corn, tortillas with minimal accompaniments, typically cilantro, onion and lime, and your choice of red or green salsa.

Tex-Mex:  think back to taco day at your elementary school growing up, and you've got it, and if your school didn't have taco day, God help you, then drive through Taco Bell and take a look at the menu.  Crispy corn taco shells or soft flour tortillas, seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken, beef or chicken fajita, you got it.  Cheese is typically a component of these tacos, as well as some combination of lettuce, onion, tomato, and salsa.

Fusion:  we're seeing these in the taco trucks quite a bit around here...Korean, Vietnamese, Barbecue, Southern...any kind of non-Mexican food prepared in a tortilla, typically with some sort of meat or vegetable base, cooked, and then any sort of toppings depending on the style...kimchee, slaw, carrots, greens...you name it.   REALLY good.  Not Mexican.

Breakfast:  the pride of Austin, with everyone and their brother, mother, grandmother and everyother making them...I mean come on you can go to Dan's Hamburgers in the morning and get breakfast tacos.  Sounds like a Mexican breakfast joint, doesn't it?  Anyway, you know the drill here, basically corn or flour tortillas, base of eggs, and any assortment and combination of meat, beans, vegetables, tortilla chips, herbs, etc.  Basically, its how you need to start your day.

And there you have it.  Sorry to have digressed.

Alright, so then back to Torchy's.  From a classification standpoint, I'm going to consider Torchy's a Tex-Mex Fusion with side of Breakfast and just a spritz of Street.

Chemically,

 S-Tm – F (B)-S

So I got an assortment to bring back to the house on Saturday for My Lovely Wife Mrs. Gordo and me to share.  First off, they traveled well, due to care in preparation.  Salsas, specific to each taco, are left off of the taco and served in little containers, keeping liquid from gumming up the tortilla.  They're also wrapped tightly in foil, giving juice from the meat little room to squeeze out to the outside of the tortilla.  So, I got all of ours on flour and cut them in half upon arrival for your viewing pleasure.

From left to right:  Ranch Hand, Crossroads, Trailer Park, and Dirty Sanchez.

The Ranch Hand was my least favorite of the four, but not because of failed preparation or a bad mix of ingredients...it was just ordinary, lacking the creativity, flair and flavor that the others celebrated.  Don't get me wrong, this is a good taco, and though not in the breakfast portion of the menu, is basically a steak breakfast taco.  Ample, fluffy scrambled eggs, grilled beef fajita, and shredded cheese, served with their homemade Diablo Sauce, which is basically kind of a creamy fire-roasted habanero sauce, which is quite excellent.  Frankly with the tiny amount of beef featured on this taco, it provided all of the flavor, which was great, but pretty basic.

From here on out it gets a bit more difficult to rank them, as each is very different, very good, very innovative, and any one of them could be your favorite based on what you're feeling like the day you're there.  So let's move to the Crossroads.  Smoked beef brisket with grilled onions, jalapenos, cilantro, jack cheese, and a slice of avocado served with tomatillo sauce.  WELL DONE, TORCHY'S!  What I really like about this is that it's a brisket taco with a great charred and smoky flavor, complemented with sweet grilled onions and the crisp bite of jalapenos and cilantro.  The intentionally acidic tomatillo salsa is a perfect match for this one, with it's vinegary bite and heat cutting through the smoke and tender juiciness of the meat.

Trailer Park.  BAM!  I resisted the temptation to go trashy on this one, replacing the lettuce with queso,  though I'm not sure that really makes it all that much healthier.  Either way, this one is GOOD.  Fried chicken, green chilies, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheese with poblano sauce, an almost jalapeno/poblano infused ranch dressing which is fantastic, and goes really well with this one...think chicken fingers and ranch.  Yep.  The chicken is hot, juicy and crunchy, and the lettuce and pico provide both a temperature contrast and a cool crispness that make this thing perfect.

Dirty Sanchez, also incredibly good, might be my favorite of the four, but I think it's going to depend on the day.  Ready?  Scrambled eggs, a breaded and fried poblano chile, guacamole, escabeche (pickled jalapenos and carrots), and shredded cheese with that same poblano sauce.  Again, think about anything fried...mushrooms, pickles, onions, potatoes, jalapenos...that you like to dip in ranch, and that's what you've got on a tortilla here with non-intrusive scrambled egg providing the body.

Summary

Atmosphere:  covered and uncovered picnic seating in a shaded trailer park, food truck, great place on a nice day for lunch, BYOB

Food:  Tacos

Crowd:  a little bit of everyone

Dog Friendly:  Yes

Best Time to Go:  lunch on a nice day

What to Order for the First Timer:  Trashy Trailer Park, Dirty Sanchez

South Congress Cafe - Austin, TX

Who likes short shorts?

I do, I do.

But that has zero bearing and nothing to do with this review, terribly that just happens to be the song that's stuck in my head right now.  Not sure what I did to deserve this.

South Congress Cafe

This is a place on my "must go to" list for anyone going to Austin for short visit, particularly for a weekend.  Specialties:  dinner and brunch.  This place embodies Austin culture in a nice, clean setting better than anyplace in town, and with more than just the food.  A funky little spot on the continually growing South Congress strip, it offers a true taste of Austin featuring game, southwestern fare, and innovative creations with bold flavors.  It's also a fantastic place to belly up to the bar and have a drink and a meal.  AND, don't quote me on this because I'm not sure if it's still true, but if you sit at the bar, it's 20% off.  I'm not sure there is a better place in town for a morning after a long night for a bloody mary and some grub.

Let me start with brunch, because that's where I found myself on Saturday morning.  First off, YOU WILL WAIT for a table, but maximize it.  My recommendation is to pack yourself into the bar area and start with a bloody mary, or a beer, or a poison of your choosing.  It's tight, but there are seats for waiting around the bar area which you can snag if you're lucky.  On a nice day, if you don't feel like starting with booze before food, sit outside and watch all of the people, it's some of the best people watching you'll find in the city, with all walks of life, or stroll up and down and stop in the shops and outdoor stands filled with funky art, furniture, vintage clothing, costumes, and all sorts of crap you don't need.

So, the brunch menu features all sorts of incredible entrees ranging from breakfast to lunch to dinner to appetizers.  I'd recommend starting with some chips and salsa or queso as well as the prosciutto wrapped quail while you figure out what to order.  The breakfast options lean toward the savory, and include three to four omelets, three to four different benedicts, a smoked briskey hash, and the standard Mexican migas, and the lunch-type options range from burgers to venison meatloaf to fish.

I opted for the Italian omelet on this most recent trip, after a really tall bloody mary garnished with celery, olives, and a pepperocini.  The omelet was a fluffy egg disk stuffed with wild boar Italian sausage, a spicy pepper and onion mix, fresco, panela and asadero cheese, and was topped with a creamy tomato gorgonzola sauce, which was incredible.  Awesome combination of flavors, very savory, and served with a smoked gouda potato pancake with a dollop of sour cream, which is worth ordering in and of itself.

On the dinner side, I particularly like the mesquite smoked pork chop, the jalapeno-venison meatloaf, and most of all the barbecued quail, which is served on a bed of goat cheese bacon grits.  Yeah, that's right.  Goat cheese and bacon.  But choose what sounds good to you, as the menu is a great mix of steaks, pasta, and seafood, all of which are no doubt flavorful and well prepared.

This is one of my favorite spots to hit up if I'm looking for a good, casual dinner and am by myself.  It's the kind of bar you sit at, and will have conversations not only with the friendly staff, but with the locals as well who are also bellied up.  As I said from the get go, a must stop to experience Austin on a short trip for a short trip.

Summary

Atmosphere:  truly Austin, funky, great bar to sit at, fantastic place for a weekend brunch, good for groups, great if you're flying solo, great people-watching, nice place to take a date or meet a friend, great spot for meeting new people

Food:  southwestern, game, meats and seafoods

Dog Friendly:  no

Best Time to Go:  weekend brunch, dinner

Crowd:  eclectic, 20somethings, 30somethings, hotchicks, hipsters, beatniks, artists, musicians, loners, hangovers

What to Order for the First Timer:  quail

Trudy's - Austin, TX

Today we went couch shopping.

There's only one way to attack furniture shopping.  Drunk.

So we decided to hit the Trudy's up north for some Tex-Mex and Mexican Martinis before we ventured across the street to FURNITURE ROW, and specifically, SOFA MART.   When I hear names like that, why is it I can only think of this?

Started out with chips, queso, salsa and two jugs of Mexican Martinis while we perused the menu for our order.  The queso is of the classic Austin variety, that creamy base of either Velveeta or Land O'Lakes Extra Melt Yellow, with a RoTel-like pepper mix, though I'm fairly certain they don't use the out of the can stuff but instead there own mix.  Served with or without guacamole and pico de gallo, this is just a great way to start (a) a meal and (b) a day of furniture shopping.  The salsas here are excellent.  Chips are served with both a green and a red, with the green holding onto a whole lot of heat from the peppers, presumably a mix of jalapeno and serrano, and the pungent tang of tomatillos. The red is a milder salsa with chunks of onion and peppers in it, which is incredibly fresh, and equally as good despite its lesser heat.

For the uneducated, a Mexican Martini is really just a margarita shaken with ice, left in the Boston Shaker, brought out with a strainer and a salt rimmed martini glass.  While the $9 price tag may seem steep, it's a whole lot of drink, which is limited, by a tricky marketing tactic, to two per person, though it is clearly quantity, not potency, which is the reason for it.

I opted for the smoked chicken chimichanga and MLWMG opted for the appetizer portion of their flaquities, which is substantial enough in size to order as a meal, unless of course you want rice and beans with it, which is apparently the only difference.

I was happy to see that my chimichanga wasn't the type with dimensions that exceed that of the human stomach, which all to often happens.  It was nice sized, with a filling of rotisserie pulled smoked chicken, green onions, cheese and cilantro.  The filling was surprisingly light, and was perfect for the flaky, crispy deep fried flour tortilla that it was wrapped in.  Unlike so many chimichangas, this was not a gutbuster, and was quite excellent.  On top of that, it was served on top of a basic, not-to-fancy chipotle sauce, which seemed to be a bit more, and milder, than pureed chipotles in adobo, and appeared to be home-stewed, likely with some tomatoes and onion.  The smokiness of the sauce matched that of the chicken perfectly, and had I gotten it with the as-stated drizzle of sour cream on the top of it, it would have been nicely offset by that coolness and tartness.  I, however, noticed that one of their sauces, the Suiza sauce, was more or less a kicked up sour cream, mixed with their spicy verde (green chile) sauce, and asked if I could have that as a substitute for the sour cream, which they obliged.  It was an excellent sauce, though my only regret was that it was a warm sauce, and I think their executive chef had the dish right as invented, with the cooling power of basic sour cream to offset the spice and smokiness of the chipotle.  All in all though, very, very good, and I'd recommend it to anyone either way.

And an illustration of it meeting with my approval...

After the fantastic combinations of flavor in my dish, the flaquities were a bit of a comedown, though excellent in their own right.  Somewhere between my chimichanga, minus the greens inside, and a traditional corn tortilla flauta, these were larger than the typcial flauta, and contained nicely chile seasoned braised and pulled chicken in a flour tortilla, deep fried, cut in fours and served with sides of ranch, guacamole and queso.

As far as the accompaniments, the rice was a pretty standard Mexican red rice, slightly dry if anything, but the beans were excellent.  I chose the refried borracho beans, which was the first I'd seen of these, which was a combination of my favorite flavors of bacon and onion from borracho beans, with the epoxy-like texture of refried pintos, catching everything in its wake as it travels through the digestive tract, no digestiv or fiber needed, thank you.

Good spot and a good atmosphere for some good quality Tex-Mex, though I'll opt for the campus location and outdoor patio any day, especially a day that is 90 degrees and sunny like today.  For this location though, it was perfect, and did exactly what we intended for it to do.  Adding two inches, primarily of cheese to our waists, and slowing down our metabolism and energy with the martinis, we bought the first couch we saw at the first place we went and called it a day.

Summary:

Atmosphere:  large, echoey Tex-Mex joint with full bar, bar seating, optional buffet, televisions and a large crowd, good for groups, good for happy hour, good bang for the buck, good for sitting at the bar for a bite

Food:  Tex-Mex

Dog Friendly:  no

When to Go:  lunch, happy hour, dinner

Crowd:  rather large folks at this one

What to Order for the First Timer:  smoked chicken chimichanga

Z Tejas - Austin, TX

Alright, here's my take on Austin's own, Z Tejas.  This is always a place I've loved (the one on 6th Street that is), and which I always have a good meal at and a good time at, though I hesitate to go there every time now that they've branched out with multiple locations, making it (shudder) a chain, albeit a small one.

Last night we were looking for a relatively quick meal close by, so we walked down to it, figuring with SXSW in full swing we might have a wait, but could grab a drink at the bar and maybe snag a couple of seats and eat up there.

Monday night.  Place was packed and we were looking at a 45 minute wait.  Two deep all across the U shaped bar, we were lucky to find a spot to stand at the end, where we ordered a couple of glasses of wine.  The crowd there renewed my faith in the place as a fun place to go and a good place to get a bit to eat, and our fingers were crossed that we'd be lucky enough to get a seat outside.  This is one of the best places in Austin to sit outside and eat, particularly for brunch on the weekends.  Huge deck.

(Now, that reminds me of a story which I'll digress to here for a moment because I find it worth sharing.  I used to work with a really nice guy, fairly quiet and unassuming, who was selling his house up in Dallas.  After a few weeks of some low traffic coming through the house, he and his realtor decided to put a massive half or full page ad in the home section of the newspaper, with a picture of it and four or five lines describing it.  I can't remember all the details of it, but the part I remember verbatim contained one hell of a typo, indicating that the property featured, "a huge wooden dick in the backyard".  Seriously.  I saw it.  I cut it out.  And I sent it to Leno.)

Back to Z Tejas though.  Awesome atmosphere, a place where locals and visitors of all ages go.  The porch is out front raised up above 6th Street, with tables intertwined with lighted trees growing up through and around the deck, but the only bad thing about it is that despite how much space there is out there, NO DOGS ALLOWED.  Inside, you're greeted with a large bar with plenty of stools, which is a great place to either wait for a table or belly up if you're flying solo (there's a television at the bar which is a good place to catch a game on one of the regular channels if you want to work that into your dinner).   There are a number of different rooms inside the colorfully and tastefully decorated restaurant, with tons of windows and open doors which gives you the feel that you're inside and outside at the same time.  We ended up with a nice compromise on seating as one of five tables on a covered walkway that spans above the driveway over to the function space, open to 6th Street on one side, but covered and blocked on the other so the wind doesn't bother you while you're eating.

We weren't starving, and knew that they bring out a small thing of cornbread still in the cast iron skillet to each table, so we didn't fork over $4.95 for chips and salsa, which I think is an absolute crock of sh!t.  Yeah you get three homemade salsas, and yeah, some places in town charge for chips and salsa, normally below $2, but $4.95??  I boycott on principal.

Our waiter was out and took our order pretty quickly, and the food arrived shortly after that despite them being slammed.  Great to know if you want to eat quickly, but I'd stagger your ordering if you're looking to sit, drink and visit for a little while.  I had the Iceberg Wedge followed by their entree portion of Five Cheese Macaroni with Achiote Chicken.  MLWMG had the Caesar and a bowl of Tortilla Soup.

As far as wedgies go, this one was pretty good.  Not too far up the crack, no tearing of the unde...excuse me, I'm sorry, I'm clearly twelve years old.  As far as wedges go, this one was pretty good.  When it comes to this type of salad, I like it with a generous coating of blue cheese dressing, and don't like having the general constituent parts messed with too much or added to.  This one is covered in a house made green chile blue cheese dressing which has a good ratio of blue cheese chunks to dressing in it.  The lettuce was cold, crisp, fresh, and generous, and the chopped tomatoes on it were as ripe as could be, with great flavor.

The mac and cheese was also pretty good, though if I had to do it over again, I'd order the vegetarian alternative of it and get it as a side rather than a meal.  It was hot, creamy, and full of flavor, a blend of blue, jack, cheddar, parmigiana, and romano cheeses.  I really hesitated on ordering this as a meal when I  saw blue cheese was an ingredient.  I was going long on blue cheese with the salad, and was nervous that the blue would overpower the dish.  It didn't, but was used in small proportion to supply flavor but not make the dish blue cheese and macaroni.

Now, I'm not a chicken guy, particularly white meat, and most particularly the boneless chicken breast.  This was everything that I could have hoped the chicken on this dish wasn't, though I knew it was a risk going in.  Let me start by saying that the seasoning was great, and went really well with the macaroni.  The chicken breast was pounded thin and wasn't very juicy.  It wasn't overly dry but I think could have benefited from being brined prior to cooking, which it clearly wasn't.  Boneless chicken breast lovers will probably like it, but any healthy effects of ordering boneless chicken breasts are negated here with an abundance of cheese.  The only other disappointment was the toasted bacon gratin.  Though I'm quite certain it's not, the bacon came off tasting and looking like store bought bacon bits.  Not bad, but not what I'd expect.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the macaroni, and will get it again, as the vegetarian option sans chicken and bacon, as a side dish.  Seems to me that might pair perfectly with one of their steaks, which I'd still like to try as a saw a couple last night and they looked great.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to grab some lunch and see my cardiologist.

Summary

Atmophere:  vibrant Southwestern near chain-like feel but authentic and local, fantastic patio with ample seating, great bar to have a drink at or eat at and talk to people, good for the solo traveler, good for groups, good for a date, great for brunch, great for families

Food:  Southwestern

Dog Friendly:  no

When to Go:  brunch, happy hour, dinner

Crowd:  locals, artists, groups of girls, groups of girls and guys, solo bar eaters, hotchicks

What to Order for a First Timer:  Iceberg Wedge, Wild Mushroom Enchiladas

Rattlesnake Bar - Dallas, TX

Met a good friend last night for a drink...okay several...and dinner at the bar at the Ritz Carlton last night.  Not my typical venue or even type of place I like to go, but it is one of the most fantastic places in Dallas to people watch, and last night it didn't disappoint.

What's interesting about this place is the range of clientele that frequent it.  Last night we saw nametagged conventioneers, Eminem lookalikes/wannabes, Ladies of the Night, 60 year old female trollers, hot thirtysomethings, sleazy businessmen, a few normal couples, and The Most Interesting Man In The World's Italian Cousin with absolutely the worst hairpiece I've ever seen.  I've spent an hour on the web today trying to find a picture of this guy that I could post, but it's probably a good thing I didn't.  I did however find a picture of a hairpiece which no joke is unbelievably close to exactly what TMIMITWIC's looked like, with a few differences which I'll discuss after I show you...THIS!

Concentrate on the hair, this poor sap looks nothing like our friend in the bar, but the way the hair sits, and the color, are spot on.  Add a dose of Lisa McDowell's boyfriend Darryl and let your sooooouuuulllllll gloooooooowwwww...

...and you've got the hair pictured perfectly.  So this sixty year old had an incredible jet black jheri curled rug perched on what looked like half a head of hair.  Straight, silver hair came out of it down to the right ear, but between the left ear and the dream, absolutely nothing.  He had a NYC Italian look to him and was wearing yellow aviators exactly like this

which means he either came directly from the gun range, or he really is THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD'S ITALIAN COUSIN.

Anyway, I've spent too much time on him, but he was worth talking about.  Now, back to the bar.  Great atmosphere for people watching if you can afford it.  The drinks are EXPENSIVE, as you might expect, but the bar food, while pricey, is not too bad and is certainly a better bang for the buck.  The seating is a bit funky inside, unless you secure a seat at the bar, of which there are ten or so, and ranges from normal height tables and chairs out in the lobby, which isn't a fun place to sit, to couches, low chairs and coffee tables in the bar area, which are good places to lounge with a drink but not an ideal spot to chow down.  There's also a really nice outdoor area and bar, technically called something different but all part of the same F&B operation, which has nice blend of regular tables and chairs as well as the couches, but not very good bar seating, which is fine though because the rest of the stuff works.

Back to inside, you have the choice of ordering from the bar menu or the regular menu for Fearing's.  We opted for the far more affordable bar menu which contained about eight items ranging from appetizer/sharing items like lobster nachos, seven layer dip, and smoked chicken and mango quesadillas to a couple of items that feel more like a meal, like the burger and fries and buffalo tacos.

We split the quesadillas, which were excellent, and I opted to give the Mesquite Grilled Burger a shot (and I apologize for not taking a picture, this burger looked like it was prepared for a menu photo shoot).  I ordered it medium rare, and was given a choice of several cheeses.  After initially calling in the blue cheese, I audibled to American, to see exactly how Dean did preparing the most classic of American dishes.  He did a damn good job.   It was a thick patty which I'd say was pressing a half pound, grilled perfectly, topped with a quality American cheese, and set on what I think was a homemade egg bun, soft but sturdy, and very tasty.  The "fixins" (we're in Texas now) were homemade dill pickle rounds, which were Claussen-like in their flavor, texture, sharpness, and snap, two slices of every-layer-of-the-onion onion, two of the reddest, ripest, meatiest tomato slices I've ever seen, and an inch thick chunk of chilled iceberg lettuce torn straight off the head what must have been right before they put it on the plate.  Put all together, this sandwich was a good six inches tall, and could be pressed to about three.  Everything meshed perfectly, keeping their temperatures and textures, making this one of the very best classic American cheeseburgers I've ever had.  I love too that in one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the country, they advertise the fries that come with it as Classic McDonald's Style French Fries, which is the same way that I describe fries of that size and texture.  They were spot on too, tasty like McDonald's but with a slightly more aggressive potato flavor and less of a grease flavor.

Very, very good meal, and at $16, expensive for a burger, but filling, and worth every penny for dinner.

Summary

Atmosphere:  high class, expensive hotel/restaurant bar, great for a drink after work, incredible for people watching, great spot for the business traveler to belly up, no televisions though so don't expect to catch the game, good spot to meet new people

Food:  fine dining from Fearing's or classic upscale bar food

Dog Friendly:  no

When to Go:  happy hour, late

Crowd:  oh man, here we go...generally older, businessmen, sleazeballs, suburban ganstas, celebrities, hotchicks, chicks, pumas, cougars, and dragons (see below), ladies of the night, really old men, gun-toting italian rug wearers, see and be seen crowd

What to Get for the First Timer:  Mesquite Grilled Burger



Addendum: