Travel Eats documents my food adventures while traveling.
I recently spent the weekend in Texas with five girlfriends, splitting the trip between San Antonio and Austin. Because our time was so limited, we had to prioritize, and barbecue was at the top of the list. We landed on Brown’s Bar-B-Que, one of Austin’s many food trucks; without hesitation, I ordered sliced brisket. After the first bite or two, I was practically moaning over how good this brisket was – crackly crust on the outside, unfathomably tender on the inside, and just the right ratio of smoke to meat to fat. It didn’t need the sauce, but I drizzled a bit onto the open-faced sandwich I made with the white bread, and was happy I did. The mac-n-cheese and corn on the cob were no joke, either. Eating that caliber of meal in what was really just a bar parking lot felt quintessentially Austin.
Tacos was also a dining priority, and that was where we focused our efforts upon arrival in San Antonio. Beto’s Alt-Mex came highly recommended by our Airbnb host, and this towering Chalupa Cabra was listed on the menu as “Guy’s Favorite” (Fieri, of course). It was an eclectic mini-feast of curried meat, toasted coconut, and lime cole slaw, all on top of a sweet guava-cream cheese pastry. On the other side of the spectrum, the best classic tacos we ate all trip were actually at the airport location of Rosario’s (one of several in San Antonio). They were lightly grilled with generous amounts of beans, chicken, and sliced avocado, plus a smoky salsa on the side that tied it all together.
It isn’t vacation without brunch, and ours came in Texas-sized proportions in both cities. In San Antonio, it wasn’t enough for Cappy’s to top thick-cut, cornflake-crusted French toast with deliciously juicy Hill Country peaches, whipped cream, and powdered sugar. No, there were also scrambled eggs and bacon on the side for good measure. It was probably the best French toast I’ve had in recent memory.
At Perla’s in Austin, seafood was the star in my breakfast bouillabaisse. The unabashedly spicy broth was stuffed with a staggering amount of clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and whitefish. A crispy poached egg made it “breakfast,” and I’m now convinced all bouillabaisse should come that way.
Austin seems to take coffee as seriously as Portland or Seattle, and I drank a couple of especially creative versions. At Houndstooth, an Austin mini-chain, the twist on an iced Americano involved red plum preserves, cinnamon, honey, rice milk, and burnt lemon – a fascinatingly successful combination. My order at Cenote in East Austin was a little more traditional (iced chai with espresso) but the chai itself was creamier and more heavily spiced than most. I was also a little obsessed with the glittery marble table amidst the other mismatched furniture inside the shop.
The details: Brown’s Bar-B-Que, 1901 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin; Beto’s, 8142 Broadway, San Antonio; Perla’s, 1400 S. Congress Ave., Austin; Cappy’s, 5011 Broadway, San Antonio; Houndstooth Coffee, 401 Congress Ave., Austin; Cenote, 1010 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin; Rosario’s, San Antonio Airport (and other locations), San Antonio (all Texas).