Giggling Goat - Austin, TX

When I grow up I want to live at the AMLI South Shore and work from home.

Shooting for the stars, I know.

But it's right next door to yet another incredible food trailer, the Giggling Goat, a place I'd surely hit up almost daily.

While this place has a pretty good sized menu for a trailer, it's specialty is burgers, with all different meats and great combinations of toppings.

With so many good looking burgers to choose from, after a few minutes at the chalkboard I narrowed it down to the Cabrito Burger, the Pig Burger, the Ribeye Burger, the Lamb Burger, and his special of the day, the Double Cheeseburger with Cheddar Cheese and a Fried Egg.  But my heart lies with the almighty Pig, so Pig Burger it was.

Fantastic combination of savory and sweet.  The burger was an incredibly flavorful combination of coarsely ground pork butt, bacon, and spices, the most notable (and visible) of which was fennel seed, though this tasted nothing like an Italian sausage.  While cooking, he bastes it with an homage to eastern Carolina barbecue, with a sugary twist.  Red pepper flakes, vinegar, and sugar, which gives the burger a spicy sweet glaze, and a nice caramelized color.  As if that's not good enough all by itself, he then tops it with an apple/feta compote, places it on a mixture of cabbage slaw and, in a nod to the deep south, a sweet and crunchy blend of pickled red onions and cucumbers.   Savory, sweet, juicy, spicy, cool and crunchy, all in between an incredibly soft section of halved french bread.

Each of the burgers is served with a side of hand cut Japanese sweet potato fries, which were really, really good, and not at all what I expected.   Seemingly fried, but without even a hint of grease, they're yellow Japanese sweet potatoes blistered brown, and if I wouldn't have seen the menu, I'd have guessed they were made with plantains, though they weren't nearly as sweet as that would be.  These pan out somewhere between a plantain and russet potato in flavor and texture, and are a great alternative to the standard sweet potato fries popping up everywhere else.

This, folks, is a winner, and I'll be back sooner than later to give the other burgers a try.  Guy who runs the spot is great too, a really nice guy who loves what he does, and likes to create.  Don't let the lake and I-35 keep you from crossing over to go see him.  The food is fantastic, and it's one of the better trailer park seating areas in town.  Once you go, you'll be back.  And if you head there for dinner, these burgers would go great with a nice bottle of wine, so bring one.

Summary

Atmosphere:  food truck, ample picnic table seating covered and uncovered

Food:  gourmet burgers

Dog Friendly:  yes

When to Go:  lunch, dinner

Crowd:  not sure, I went for a late lunch and it was me, another girl, and her dog

What to Order for the First Timer:  Pig Burger