Austin - Last Installment

This is a final wrap up of the southern snacks I had to try on my trip to Austin - things you would not be likely to find in Seattle.

Crawfish Etouffee at Ruby's BBQ. Everytime I go to Austin I have to get myself some of this stuff.


Fried Pie - this is definitely not something you would find in Seattle. I found this at Jo's, the fabulous coffee shop where I spent so many hours reading while sitting in the balmy shade.

I would love it if there were more filling, but the dough was heavenly. I really don't know what to compare it to - it was not flakey like normal pie crust, and was almost like fried bread. Then there was a glaze over the top of it. I will definitely be going back for more the next time I am in town.


Frozen Custard at Culvers. This was like soft serve ice cream only it wasn't. It was creamier and tasted more like ice cream, and wasn't as soft as soft serve.

Austin Treats - Kolache

I got this book a few weeks before my trip to Austin. Reading it, I learned of kolaches, a treat found in many Texas bakeries, probably of Czech origin. I decided I would have to try them on my trip. Upon arriving however, I couldn't find a single local that had actually eaten one. Still, there were plenty of bakeries to choose from. I ultimately wound up at the Kolache Shoppe, mainly because it was right around the corner from my friend, Jen T.'s place, where I was staying. It was a small little place in the middle of a strip mall, and I am pretty sure it sold nothing but kolaches. There are both sweet and savory varieties, but all of their savory ones contained meat, so I stuck to sweet. My plan had been to sample just one.

I tried cherry.











Then apple.









Then cream cheese.

I think they appealed to the same part of me that secretly likes Twinkies. The dough was soft and flakey, like a cross between danish, a buttery dinner roll, and Wonder Bread. And the dough was not very sweet. Then resting in the center was the filling. The fruit could have come straight out of a can of pie filling (which I love as much as Twinkies). The cream cheese was sweet. I would love a cherry-cream cheese version...

Austin

I had planned on doing one big post about my trip to Austin, but I've changed my mind. Austin is one of my favorite towns and I am having a hard time thinning out my pictures, so I will be doing three or four "little" posts instead. This one is for Nina Roux - it is hard to explain why I like this place so much, and these pictures probably don't help, but at least you will have a little idea of what Austin looks like! It seems like everyone has the idea that all of Texas is a desert. East Texas is actually very green for much of the year. A lot of the neighborhoods I wandered through reminded me of where I grew up in Houston - tons of trees and plants and thick grass. The weather was muggy and hot (my favorite!) and we even got a nice and loud thunderstorm the night before I left.


This is what you see looking over the fence in my sister's backyard.



Barton Springs is in Zilker Park - a HUGE park right in Austin.



Around South Congress.






On South Congress looking back towards downtown:



South Congress is a fairly hip neighborhood with cafes, restaurants, and vintage shops, etc. It is one of the good spots to go if you want to park your car and walk around. For the most part though, Austin is a car town. And if I am truly honest with myself, it is not particularly attractive. Considering those two things, I still can't quite put my finger on why I love it SO MUCH. The weather certainly doesn't hurt!
This picture is of Jo's, a cafe on South Congress that I will mention again later in another post. I spent a good hunk of time reading and journaling here, sipping on an iced americano, sitting in the shade. I love that so many restaurants have outdoor seating, and that even at night, (or during the thunderstorm) you never get cold.




Speaking of thunderstorms, there was a doozy while I was down there. I miss those so much! It never thunders in Seattle, and when it does, it is generally an isolated event during a "storm" that lasts all of five minutes. This storm in Austin first showed up on the horizen at about 6:00 in the evening and didn't let up until late at night. At one point I was standing on my friend's balcony, and the lightening literally never stopped. The sky looked like a strobe light because it was constantly flickering from lightening going off somewhere.

I think I will post most of my storm pictures even though some of them aren't that great, because you can also get an idea of what the town looks like.





















Driving north of downtown:


























































This is taken from the parking lot of minimart right around the block from where J.T. lives.





















It is probably difficult to see what you are looking at in this picture. It was taken off the deck of J.T.'s apartment during the storm. She has a view of a tin-roofed Mexican restaurant and its parking lot. There was a LOT of rain coming down.