Carl's Jr. - Austin, TX

Pressed for time this afternoon, I made my maiden voyage to the Carl's Jr. drive-thru.  Yes, I promise I won't review too many fast food places, as most opinions have long since been formed, and it's generally not interesting, but I felt compelled to review this one for a few reasons:

1.  Carl's Jr. is quite easily the dumbest name I've ever heard for a restaurant, no offense to Carl or his dad.

2.  A Hardee's Mushroom & Swiss loyalist (I'm from the midwest) as a kid, this was my first visit to it's twin brother.

3.  They've brought Pulp Fiction's Big Kahuna Burger to the real world, and to the lucky residents of Westlake.

And because everything is funnier in German...

Anyway....

Cleverly disguised as the Teriyaki Burger, we all know what this is.

Yep.

Chargrilled beef, grilled pineapple, Swiss (the fake kind) cheese, tomato, red onion and mayonnaise.  Yep, Sammy Jack's favorite, the Big Kahuna Burger.  Worthy of a tasty beverage to WASH down this tasty burger.

I opted to go without lettuce, according to the picture menu it looked like the wilted green variety that certainly wouldn't make the drive, and I'd recommend you do the same.

This thing was actually really good, though you'd better be ready for the sweet tang of teriyaki sauce.  Now I've never been to a Carl's Jr., but they do a good burger.  It's actually got flavor, a nice chargrilled flavor at that, without that sickly gassy flavor that other fast food joints have, though I won't say who.

Anyway, in addition to the beef, the sauce was pretty good, and onion was perfect to cut the sweet of both it and the pineapple, as well as add a much needed texture to an otherwise very soft (and that's a good thing) sandwich.

Decent fast food if your'e in the mood for fast food.



Summary:

It's fast food, I'm not going to bother with this.

Top Notch Hamburgers - Austin, TX

Alll right all right all right...

I love them drive-ins...

Let me tell you what Top Notch is packin' right here, alll right...we got a 15-8 piece dark, No. 4 Longhorn Special, curbside service, 6 and 1 fried sides, no-doubt 390 cholesterol...we're talking some f-in' food.

Alright, alright...let's start with the fried chicken this stuff was G-O-O-D good, my man...I'm talkin' super juicy on the inside, ultra crispy on the outside, salty, plump...I don't know what they do to it, man, but they got to keep on doin' it, cause that chicken makes life worth livin', man.  L-I-V-I-N.

Sides?  Yeah, man, any and all, all right...mashed potatoes and gravy...and this gravy was smokin', man...S-M-O-K-I-N...I'm talkin' thick, creamy, salty, peppery...dropped on top of those fresh-peeled-boiled-and-mashed spuds like a cheerleader on a quarterback, all right...


Fried sides?  Can't decide?  Get 'em all...you got to eat what Artie Gordo wants to eat.  Okra...fries...rings...you got to know they do it right here, man...hot, crunchy, salty...may even sop up a little of that chicken fat in the fryer for a little soul, all right all right...

Burger...grilled over charcoal, man, the only way to do it, alll right...this number four is the 1976 version of the Big Mac, my man, and what Ronald McDonald no-doubt wants that Big Mac to be to-DAY, man...I'm talkin' two charcoal grilled patties...ripe with flavor....melted American cheese, special sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion...this thing is hot, this thing is big, and this thing tastes great...just wish they had crisper lettuce and ripe tomatoes...I'd be a lot cooler if they did...but who cares, I'm not here for a salad.

That's what I love about these drive-ins, man.  I get older, they serve the same food...

Off to the Moontower

Atmosphere:  old school, mellow, cruise in, drive-in, counter service, indoor seating, sit-in-your-car-and-push-the-button seating, carry-out, throwback, place for a date when you're to young to hit Centennial, THE place to pick up redheads, all right all right

Food:  classic man, burgers, fries, rings, fried chicken and fixin's

Dog Friendly:  you got to do what you got to do

Crowd:  me, Randall Pink Floyd, Slater-son, little Mitch Kramer, and redheads, man, I love those redheads

When to Go:  lunch, dinner, anytime you want my man, anytime you want

What to Order:  you got to order what you want to order, but get the fried chicken or a number four, all right all right...

Schlotsky's - Austin, TX

Does your Big Mac look like this?

or does it tend to come out like this?

Does your Subway sandwich look like this?

or more like this?

How about your Whopper?  This?

or this?

Forget it, I know the answers.  Yep, the fast food joints really know their plating and presentations, don't they?

And then there is Schlotzky's, the Austin original sandwich based fast food joint which I often overlook, lumping it into the vast world of fast food, though I like it (and McDonalds for that matter).  Anyway, I had a chance last Friday to stop into the flagship store on south Lamar to check it out.  While it had the mechanics of fast food, this particular restaurant is much larger and must nicer than most fast food joints and actually much more restaurant-like than your typical Schlotzkys.

I'd heard that this Schlotzky's has more than just the normal Schlotzky's sandwiches, so I wanted to give one that I hadn't seen before a go.

They had a couple of new chicken sandwiches, and one called the Windy City Pastrami, which from the picture looked a bit ho-hum, and despite my expectations of run of the mill manufactured pastrami without that real New York taste and texture to it, as I gathered from the picture, I went ahead and ordered it.

This is the only fast food I've had where what is served looks better than the picture.  Now, my picture won't do it much justice here, but what I got was a perfectly toasted rye bun, with fantastic pastrami and swiss cheese filling it up.  The pastrami was warm and tender, with fat on it, which it should have, and a great peppery crust on the outside of that beautiful fat.  The flavor was even better, with the cheese giving it a nice gooey texture and the dijon a little bite to it, without being overpowering, which I feared.

No processed taste or feel with this sandwich.  It's like something a really good deli in the Northeast might put together, with quality ingredients and no skimping on the ingredients nor the preparation.  They've won me back with this, and I'd urge you all to consider it, not as fast food, but a great place to stop in for a sandwich.

Summary:

Atmosphere:  fast food meets real restaurant, good for lunch, good for groups, good for carry out

Food:  sandwiches, pizza and salads

Dog Friendly:  don't think so but maybe outside

Time to Go:  lunch

Crowd:  everyone from families to business lunchers to newspaper readers

What to Order for the First Timer:  Schlotzky's Original

P Terry's - Austin, TX

The famous In-N-Out Burger is making its way to Texas, but I don't really care, because in Austin, we've got P Terry's, a quintessential coastal California-style drive-thru burger joint serving up burgers and fries similar too, but perhaps even better than those at the noted California chain.  I'll wait for a side by side for final judgment, but know that it has got to be close.

P Terry's has a few locations in Austin, but the one that I am familiar with a frequent pretty regularly is the one just south of Town Lake on South Lamar.  A true drive-thru, this place is slightly larger than a breadbox, with windows on either side, one for conducting business, and one for receiving morsels of goodness wedged in a bun.  The walk up business is great too, with a small, almost hidden outdoor seating area, which might be alright on a nice day, but you're not going to see me there in the heat of summer.

Saturday I arrived shortly after noon and was behind eight to ten cars, but it took less than fifteen minutes to get my food and be on my way.  Shockingly, in that span I heard Florence and the Machine's Dog Days are Over on the radio not once, but twice (different stations at least).

Anyway, not a lot to choose from here, but that's just fine with me, it means they do what they do well, and they get it done quick.  Burger, double, with cheese or without, or a veggie burger.  Fries.  Standards included, crisp iceberg lettuce, local organic tomatoes, and their special sauce, an In-N-Out like version of Thousand Island, which is incredible.

I chose the double, and added onions, which I strongly recommend.

So these burgers aren't big, so I do recommend a double, both for filling you up and also, it's the absolute perfect meat to bread ratio.  These are thin patties, and the kind that nearly melt together, the same consistency throughout, made of fresh local, grass-fed beef, with great flavor and juiciness...like In-N-Out, fresh, never frozen.  The cheese is high quality Processed In The USA variety that envelops the meat but seems to know to stop short of wilting the vegetables.  Tomatoes are advertised as local and organic, and I'm fairly certain if they contained any bit of green or yellow, you wouldn't see them on your sandwich.  Lettuce is the thick, hand torn from the head kind, which remarkably retains its crispness and temperature on the way home despite being wrapped in wax paper with the hot meat and cheese.  Onions.  Wow, the onions are great, and I urge you to add them to your burger.  Chopped white onions.  Crisp.  Cold.  Pungent.  Lend incredible texture and flavor to an incredible sandwich.

On to the fries.  Again like In-N-Out, cut fresh on site.  Know how I know?

Oh, and they are DE-LISH.  That's right.

So these have a nice, fresh flavor and are cooked to order and served piping hot and lightly salted.  They're of the soggy, but not too much, variety, lacking the outside crispiness but making up for it in flavor.

Good stuff.  This is a weekend spot for sure.  Only thing missing is hitting the beach right afterwards.  But wait, there's Barton Springs...even better.  Finish off your fattening with a refreshing dip in the natural spring, and as you're FLOATING on the top of the crystal clear water, be sure to thank P Terry for the start to a great Saturday.

Summary

Atmosphere:  burger stand, drive-thru, outdoor seating

Food:  burgers and fries

Dog Friendly:  yes

Time to Go:  lunch

Crowd:  jerseys, loafers, bad blouses

What to Order for the First Timer:  double cheeseburger with everything and onions, fries

Tacos La Guera - Austin, TX

Quick review here, with very little humor.

Great spot for breakfast tacos, especially if you don't feel like getting out of your car.  Drive-thru, order at the window, and have patience as they are cooked to order.

Taco Loco - chorizo, grilled onions, tomato, jalapeno, cheese

Bacon & Egg

Chorizo & Egg

All very good, and pretty cheap.  As for the salsas, they have a red (mild) and green (hot).  The green has a great kick and I strongly recommend bypassing the red and getting all green.  It's of the super bright green and smooth variety and is perfect for any breakfast taco you want to get.

Summary

Atmosphere:  fast food drive-thru

Food:  tacos

Dog Friendly:  no

When to Go:  breakfast

Crowd:  drivers, the hungover, Mexicans

What to Order for the First Timer:  breakfast taco of your choosing, green sauce