As the end of 2009 was fast approaching, and I found out that I was getting an entire week off work, I decided that I needed to plan a mini-trip to close out the year. Now, normally when I have an opportunity to travel, my mind (and stomach!) automatically goes to international destinations…Turkey, Egypt, Argentina, Chile, Philippines are among many of the countries next on my list to explore. This time, however, I realized how much of the US I have yet to see and I knew that I wanted to start discovering some of the most fun cities America has to offer. After much brainstorming, facebook friend advice, and online searches, I decided on Austin in the big state of Texas. Granted, not a city where people normally think of taking a “vacation,” but I had only heard about how great of a town it is, how fun the live music scene can be, and come on – I’ve ALWAYS wanted to experience REAL Texas BBQ! I was finally going to get my chance.
Naturally, when I travel, I tend to plan my days around my meals. It’s not even intentional! Just kind of happens. This time, I hopped on the plane and made my way to the city of the Long Horns (who will be going down in the national championship this week!! Sorry, the SC Trojan in me couldn’t hold back) with absolutely no plans or agenda – my favorite way to travel and eat.
I checked-in to a totally hip yet classy eco-friendly boutique hotel called Hotel San Jose on South Congress in the historic district of
Austin, on the south side of the city. It was perfect! There was a cozy outdoor lounge right off of the lobby complete with a fire pit and heaters, and where live music is played regularly. The rooms were modern and simple, but very comfortable and large with a sitting area, bedroom, bathroom, and even a little patio sitting area. Service was impeccable – the guys at the desk really took it to heart and talked to me for a good 15 mins when I asked them for some dinner recommendations.
One of their suggestions was Lambert’s – they described it as one of the best “American” food and BBQ places in Austin that also has live music – The two exact things I came to this city for. I was sold. I walked in and the sound of live jazz couldn’t have been better! The place had a woodsy but slightly trendy feel – appropriate for being in downtown. I sat down, ordered a glass of Malbec, and perused the menu.
The decision was not easy, but I went with the Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Salad appetizer and Country Style Pork Ribs with a side of Green Chili Cheddar Grits. It was deeeeelicious. The ribs had so much flavor, I didn’t even feel the need to use any of the 3 BBQ sauces that sat in front of me – which is saying a lot considering I put hot sauce on almost everything. It was my first time eating grits and I was pretty impressed. I could totally see how they can have just about any flavor mixed in, and be eaten at any time of day.
Despite the fact that my stomach was telling me to stop, I decided to order the super creamy, velvety, decadent Smoked Chocolate Pudding topped with salted cream for dessert.
To go with it, I had to ask the bartender to make me a Hot Toddy since I’d never had one and he claimed it was one of his specialties. I definitely didn’t regret the decision. He mixed the drink in front of me (so now I can make it at home!) – a shot of bourbon mixed with enough hot water to fill the glass, a pinch of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, a couple whole cloves, a cinnamon stick, a squeeze of lemon, and a few spoonfuls of honey stirred in. Hands down one of the best cocktails I’ve had. It was spiced perfectly and totally warmed my insides.
The next morning, I took an awesome 2 mile walk from my hotel to Progress Coffee in east Austin (@ProgressCoffee).
I had heard so many great things about this place. It was even recently featured in Bon Appetit Magazine’s “Top 10 Best Boutique Coffee Shops” list! Great ambience: There was outdoor seating – which is always a plus for me, free WiFi – great for the students, and the music volume inside was just right to create both a comfortable social scene and conducive study environment at the same time. I ordered the 5th Street Turkey Sandwich with Chips and Salsa – the bread was fresh, the chips were crispy. It was an all around good lunch.
I had so much fun at my next stop. Most people probably would have looked for some good shopping spots or local tourist sites to kill
the time in the afternoon, but when I found out that the flagship Whole Foods market (aka. “Carmen’s heaven” as my friends describe it) was right on the west side of downtown, I got way too excited for my own good and had to check it out immediately. I will proudly admit that I spent over an hour just walking around the place wishing that it was MY local Whole Foods market in LA. They had everything you could think of: From the multiple specialty eateries (vegan/vegetarian, seafood, pasta, paninis, etc), to the expansive meat and seafood sections, to the dedicated area for wild mushrooms in the produce section, my mind was racing with all the things I could make. I could easily go on forever if I mentioned every detail so I’ll just highlight some of my favorites:
A Chocolate Bar complete with a tantalizing chocolate fountain, a number of different house-made
chocolate candies and truffles, at least 5 varieties of chocolate covered apples, piles of toffee, bark, chocolate covered nuts, and so many other things I had to walk away from before completely over indulging.
The Cheese Counter – I walked up to it and had to shut my mouth after realizing that my jaw had dropped. I felt like I was in France. They had just about EVERY kind of cheese you could want, from the rare moldy goat cheeses, to Brillat Savarin – a luscious and decadent cow’s milk triple
cream brie cheese that has the creamiest, richest texture of any cheese out there. It feels almost like ice cream, and goes great paired with dates and/or walnuts. It’s pricey, but totally worth it, even for a sliver. You’re missing out on one of life’s finest pleasures if you don’t taste it!
Naturally, I’ll follow the cheese with the amazing Wine Section. This part of the market felt like a dedicated wine store in and of itself,
complete with a wine tasting counter. There was an awesome selection of domestic and international wines, as well as great deals on many varieties, including a few different types of Champagne and Prosecco (which was appropriate since New Year’s Eve was right around the corner).
Finally, I have to highlight the Nut Roasting Counter. What really excited me here was that you could make your own nut butter totally fresh. It was like a self-serve frozen yogurt shop
– there were canisters of the roasted nuts where you pull the lever and watch the nutty, buttery goodness pile into plastic containers. They had the standard nut options, but I loved that they also offered peanut-chocolate and almond-chocolate – 2 combinations you can’t really find pre-packaged and mass distributed. To top it all off, they had very fresh nut oil and honey dispensers, including varieties infused with flavors like lavender.
Little did I know at this point what was to come…and that my second day in Austin was going to entail more than 4 meals, a celebrity owned cafe, never ending smoked meat, and the best Belgian beer, but I’ll have to wait until my next post to share the delicious details.
HOTEL SAN JOSE
www.sanjosehotel.com
(512) 852-2350
1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX
LAMBERT’S
www.lambertsaustin.com
(512) 494-1500
401 West 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701-3802
PROGRESS COFFEE
www.progresscoffee.com
@ProgressCoffee
(512) 493-0963
500 San Marcos Street, Austin, TX
WHOLE FOODS (Flagship)
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
(512) 476-1206
525 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX 78703-5411