A Mighty Fine Burger

While visiting my dad out in Austin he took me to a damn good burger place.  It was called Mighty Fine Burgers.  I highly recommend you visit the website, my camera could not do the establishment justice so I didn't even try. 

The outside was very inviting with covered patio seating and a playground for kids, not a McDonald's playground but a real one with sand and all.  We walked in and there was mayo, mustard and ketchup stacked in neat rows for both decor and use.  There were also boxes of potatoes waiting to be used with the peanut oil it was fried in also stacked in rows.  All of the ingredients they used to cook were in the front of the house being used as decoration, it was awesome.  So simple yet creative.  All of the colors gave this place a radiant vibe.  There was also a see through window where you could see people creating the burger patties and prepping them for cookin'.  Also, there was a sign that said the meat was ground on property...I think they just one upped In 'N Out.  If you do check out their website go to Quality is Everything and check  out the meat portion.  Also by the fries there is a large sign that says, WE USE PEANUT OIL...odd...right?  Well according to them it tastes best.  Also on the Quality is Everything page.

So my eyes had a party now it was time for my mouth.    They are very make it your way and hand write your order on a paper bag so you can see it.  You also can see that what it is they are writing to give you that comfort you need that they WILL get your order right.  A nice customer touch in my opinion. 

The soda machine was awesome, that's a weird thing to say right?  Well first off they had two, with about 10 choices each.  Who do you know that has a selection of 20 fountain sodas?  Next one of those choices was Mellow Yellow, say "I" if you remember that pop.  On top of that when was the last time you actually saw it?  For us youngsters who have probably never seen it is kind of like the short lived "Surge" that was around for MAYBE 2 years back in the late '90's.  Next part of the cool soda machine is it had a high-tech looking option for crushed or cubed ice.  Pretty sweet eh?  Maybe I'm over reacting but some times its the little things in life.  Nice touches make a place like this stand out from the rest.

My order:

Chili Cheeseburger  - A great burger establishment can be judged by their chili in my opinion.
Fries
Strawberry lemonade (it was on display, how could I not)

I unwrapped my prize and it looked wonderful.  I opened up the bun to see what the inside looked like (pictured to the right), and to my surprise there was a sliced hot dog in there.  I wasn't mad because being the chili conasuir that I am, I know hot dogs and chili go together like Lavern and Shirly.  It would only add to the flavor.  I put it back together and held on with both hands, elbows on the table and shoved it in.  Tender patty, lots of cheese (the key to any good burger), and the bun was fresh and soft.  After another couple bites and I thought to myself, this might be one of the best I've ever had.  I had some fries in between bites, they were great too.  Very fresh tasting, and thinking back to the boxes of potatoes by the counter I knew they were.  Holy crap how have I never been here.  Every other bite of the burger I got some hot dog, yum.  That definitely set this burger apart from any other I'd ever had.  Overall I was very suprised.  I asked my dad how he found this place and he said it was my cousin, DR.  Another place he was holding out on me...

I just might go back as soon as I possibly can.

Best_Burger_Ever 

The Biggest Donut EVER!

I was sitting at home watching the Food Network on another gorgeous day.  Man vs. Food came on and he was touring the country.  All of a sudden Round Rock Donuts came on and a light bulb went off in my head, "That's right by my dads!".  So I sat up to see what they had to say.  They happened to be featuring a giant donut! I love donuts!  I didn't even have to watch the rest of the show before I put it on my wish list.

So here I am getting off the plane in Austin, and my Dad says, "What do you want to do?" and to that I replied, "I want to go to Round Rock Donuts!"  It was late and they were closed but we went first thing the next day.  We walked in and there was none on the display case, I was looking around, and I saw a picture of it that said -> "It really is that big" - I instantly thought to myself, That's what she said....hehehe.

Anyways we asked about it and ordered one, a few minutes later the Holy Grail came out of the back in a giant box, I peaked inside just to make sure  it was in there.  There was no seating inside so we had to take it home, no problem for me I could enjoy it however I wanted to with no one watching me.  From here we went to (click the link below):

Mighty Fine Hamburgers

Once we got home from that wonderful burger shack I could only wait about 10 minutes before I got up and dove into this Gi-normous buh-heamoth of a donut.  It was still warm...

I picked it up and took a bite.  Is there any better "sweet" than a warm, soft, succulent, tasty donut?  I mean really.  I think I first fell in love with them at the L.A. County Fair.  I remember my dad used to take me when I was little every year.  And the last stop before we went home was a "Texas Style Donut", it was called "The Big D"  I always thought that meant donut but I guess it was Dallas.  Now that I think of it, that's probably why I moved to Dallas...hmph. 

This thing was bigger than my hand, i could have put it around my wrist and slid it up to my bicep, and  I have some big guns.  Honestly, if Sol was with me I would have tried to put it around her head.  It was a large piece of food. 

So Dallas-ites if you are coming down to Austin or gonna drive through to San Antonio, save your hunger for some Round Rock Donuts, cuz that s#!^ is good!

Side note: Once it cools the glaze breaks and chips off, so throw it in the microwave and warm that sucker up, its just as good as the second go around and the glaze will be gooey again!

BIG_TASTY_DONUT

The Broken Yolk Cafe

The tag line is, "We've Got Huevos".  Pretty corny, I know - but don't judge a book by its cover.  The last time I went to the Broken Yolk was about 4 years ago in PB at this run down place that everyone always raves about.  What do I remember from that experience?  Nothing.

Now I am back in San Diego County and I see a Broken Yolk on my way to work, so obviously they've taken their name and branched out.  You can tell by the menu cover alone its been commercialized.  Only really really good places can afford to grow their brand.  Some don't, to keep their integrity but for others, it's all about the benjamins baby!  Needless to say I had to try it once more to see if it could give me something to remember, there is a lot of power in word of mouth, that's what sent me back.

The Broken Yolk caught me on a good day because I was hungry and I had been CRAVING a good breakfast for quite some time.  So I ordered everything but the kitchen sink.  I used to like to eat a lot of sausage, mmmmm let me re-phrase that; sausage used to be my breakfast meat of choice, yea that sounds better.  I went with a basic breakfast: ham, eggs, breakfast potatoes (not hash browns), biscuit (I added a side of gravy) and I added a single pancake.  I can assure you all that this is not a normal breakfast for me.  But for some reason today I wanted to try, well, everything.

I'll start with the potatoes, you can tell a good breakfast place by their house "home fries" or "breakfast potatoes".  They were thinly sliced and they were browned perfectly, not burnt just perfectly cooked.  Crunchy but soft.

Next, I ordered my eggs cooked "over easy".  I have learned that all breakfast places over cook their eggs so I order "over easy" and I get "over medium", how i really like them.  Annnnnnd it worked.

Biscuits and Gravy used to be another favorite of mine, if it was on the menu, I ordered it.  So in honor of the olden days I ordered the biscuit instead of toast - I'm gonna stop right here.  Do you see the size of that biscuit?  Wow.  Anyways, gravy came on the side.  I could tell it was gonna be good right away because it didn't look like peppered white country gravy.  Nothing against that but at the end of the day it more less all tastes the same.  In fact I think that is the reason I stopped ordering it, could never find anything that stood out.  This was a yellowish, chunky, flavorful, and oh so good gravy.  It is a must try, it gave the biscuit that extra moistness that it needed.

The ham was what it should gave been, salty, meaty and good.  Could have been thicker but everything else was so good I didn't even think about it until now.  The pancake was nothing more than an afterthought, a sweet something to end my meal.  I maybe ate half.  With a few bites left on my main plate I gave in, I couldn't finish.   But I was content, very content, it was a great meal, one that I'd been yearning for.  And it was everything I had hoped for...and more.

Biscuits_and_Gravy

Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

Californa Burrito

Lately I have been avoiding fast food, its fattening and it can get expensive if you eat to much of it.  But I'm off for the next two days and I just got done working a 9 day stretch.  So I decided - I deserve a California Burrito.  And you know what?  It was gooood.

I prefer Santana's but Cotixan is closest and it does the job.  There is a few things you should know when choosing from the many taco shops in San Diego.  Here are some cardinal rules:

1) Its all about the salsa: If the salsa is no good than therefore the burrito it goes on cannot be good

2) Cheese has to be melted, part of what brings all of the ingredients together is the ooey gooey goodness that acts like glue

3) Lastly, you need a fresh, preferably home made flour tortilla

The carne asada more less usually tastes the same and the fries, yes i said fries, normally soak up all of the juices so they are soft rather than crunchy.  Not normally an ingredient, I add sour cream which melds together with the salsa to make one hell of a sauce. 

I'm really not sure what it is about this burrito that has had me salivating about the very thought of it for the last ten years.  Its just a burrito its just food.  But we all have a vice.  I got used to the cravings when I moved to Dallas since there is nothing that even resembles this over there.  Although now that i am back in So. Cal, Sol says she found a place, but I think her taste buds are a bit skewed since its been so long since shes had one.

When you first bite into it your mouth takes a moment to recognize all of the different flavors and textures.  Once it realizes that you are having an American staple, fries, inside a Mexican staple, burrito; it is utter bliss.  With every bite you find a new favorite part, until you reach the bottom of the burrito.  This is the best part.  All of the juices have flowed to the bottom.  Gravity plays an integral part in my favorite part of this burrito.  You reach the folded parts of the tortilla that have been moistened with the flavors of the carne asada, sour creme, salsa, salt from the fries and if you lucky there's some cheese down there too.  No matter how full you are you always want to eat the bottom.  You might be wondering, what if I can't finish it?  And some of you probably won't it takes practice.  What you do is you figure out when you have two or three bites left in you and those last bites you take from the bottom.  No matter how messy it gets that is what you must do.  I would not lead you in the wrong direction.

And then...its over. 


Salsa_Cheese_Tortilla

If you liked this read my blog on Carne Asada Fries

Tip Top Meats: Known for breakfast, but only till noon?

I put Tip Top Meats on my "wish list" when I first arrived back in Southern California; I was still in heavy blogging mode and yearning for new places to try.  Being the breakfast buff that I am, TTM seemed to have a lot of clout, a very high rating on Urban Spoon.  So when my Uncle Victor asked me if I wanted to go there I was secretly kind of excited.  We decided to meet there about noon on another cloudy day in paradise.

I got there right and 12.  There was about 4 doors that I walked passed but none of them were entrances.  I finally arrived and it looked like I was in a convenience store, kind of like Kracker Barrel if you have ever been to one of those.  I weaved my way around to the "restaurant", what did I find?  A long line of people waiting to order at the counter.  "WTF?"  I thought to myself, this place better be good.  Then I noticed they were calling numbers for people to come get their own food.  Even Carl's Jr. delivers it to the table!!!

My uncle finally arrived at about ten after.  While I was waiting I noticed on the menu shown above the line of people, it stated breakfast stopped at 12:00 PM.  I broke the news...he was pretty upset.  Trying to push his luck he said he would ask anyways when we arrived at the counter.  We were next in line and I heard the people in front of us ask the same question.  The lady taking orders turned around to the kitchen window to ask the cook if he could do it.  He said he had enough left for four orders.  A glimmer of hope crept up inside me.  I saw my uncles eyes perk up and start to gleam.  Then the lady in front of us asked if they could make it 6.  They accommodated her, which meant: we were S.O.L. - crap.

I had looked ahead so I already knew I was getting the french dip, one of my go to sandwiches.  When I sat down I have to admit I noticed every one around me that ordered before noon, was eating breakfast. Was this a sign?  Unfortunately it was, not much to write about, the meat was dry, the Au jus was average.  Fries were bleh.

After finishing this unsatisfactory pile of protein and carbs - I decided something.  I would do something that I rarely do.  Something I am not known for.  Usually with me it's one strike and you're out.  But in this case, SINCE it's a breakfast place and I had lunch I'll give it another shot.  I wasn't "wow"d by the line I had to wait in, or the decor.   There was no service.  But I am intrigued, there was a line for the full hour I spent there in total.  They had to be doing something right.  Maybe they just had an off day. We all do right?

One_More_Shot

Top 8 Places I wish I would have blogged about in Dallas...

As I was watching Anthony Bourdain today I was thinking to myself about how bad I have been about blogging...sorry I just haven't been anywhere good, or anywhere for that matter.  I do have a fridge full of good beer though so maybe I'll become a beer blogger until Sol gets here.  Anyways I was thinking about this Greek place I went to the other day here in Encinitas called Daphnee's.  It sucked.  And I thought to myself....awww man, I never blogged about Kostas in Dallas.  Then i got to thinking....what else did I forget?  The whole reason I started blogging was to let people know where the good places are, so they can check them out!  So let's see what I can remember.

Lead off hitter: Kostas Cafe on Greenville Ave. close to Lovers Lane. – Greek $-$$

Right before I moved to Dallas I went on a six week euro-trip.  On that trip I discovered how freakin' amazing Greek food is, specifically the "Gyro".  The best gyro I ever had was after a swimming at the red beach in Santorini, Greece.  It was like a taco shop but they sold gyros and they were Greek.  With that said one of the first things I found when I got to Dallas was Greek food.  On my first try I found Kostas Cafe.  As I walked in I realized how small it was.  The decor definitely reminded me of being in Greece, the pictures they had pictures were reminiscent of Santorini.  The menu was simple and it had what I was looking for.  That great Gyro in Santorini had potatoes/fries in it though I have realized most don't.  So every time I order one I get  a side of fries to stuff into my already packed gyro.  I have gotten the Gyro plate, which has all of the ingredients on the plate for you, with a side of pita so you can make your own. I have also ordered the Gyro that come already assembled, I prefer the one already assembled, but I get an extra piece of pita so I can stuff what falls out into it.  They always pack it to the max so there is plenty of everything to put into the second piece of pita you ordered becuase you were thinking ahead.  The meat is always tender and seasoned well.  The pita is always soft and fresh.  The tzatziki sauce is always so good I want more, it adds the moisture every sandwich begs for.  It is the mayo that your bologna and cheese needs.  I can't say too much more as this is all from pure memory, but this is definitely one of my top 5 places in the D.

Second up: Nine Steakhouse in Victory Plaza   - New American $$$-$$$$

Just like it's Italian sister, Nove I think it was,Nine met its fate and closed down.  Sol and I went there and absolutely loved it.  So much so after finding out it closed down on our next trip to Vegas we went to the Palms where another "Nine" is located.  One of the best meals/ meal experiences I have ever had.  I think this was the first time I really realized that dining out could be an experience.  I remember we went out on a couple limbs on that dinner.  I think that was the first time I had tartare, and it had a fresh uncooked quail egg on top too.  I remember Sol had her Lobster Bisque that she orders whenever possible.  And it had lumps of lobster meat in the center of the bowl before the soup was poured over it French style service .  It was also the first time I ordered gnocchi and it was amazing.  I haven't found one that I liked since then.  And lastly the dessert that I will never forget, it had bread pudding which I had never tried and never wanted to.  But this was not just bread pudding, this was IT.  Krispy Creme doughnut bread pudding with a banana ice cream and I have no clue what else.  But if I would have been blogging at the time I went here for the first time it would have probably been the longest blog EVER.

3 and 4:  Del Frisco's and III Forks Steakhouses....REALLY thought I was going to have a chance at those.  –  Steakhouses $$$-$$$$

5: Went to Loft 610 for restaurant week last year and it was pretty good, learned what Steak Au Poivre was...

6: Babe's Chicken Dinner House – Southern $$

If you like fried chicken this is the place to be.  You have your choice of fried chicken or Chicken Fried steak.  Your sides are chosen for you  Mashed potatoes, corn and green beans. Haven't been there in a while but again if you live in Dallas and havnt been here you are crazy, this is a MUST have. Thanks to my cousin, Desi again on this one. Easily top 5 places in Dallas, I suggest going early because no matter which one you go to it'll be packed let that show you it is that good. 

7: Breadwinners for Brunch – Casusal American Breakfast $$

Great selection, good food fun atmosphere.  Actually, again....long wait, be prepared, grab a mimosa while you're waiting.

8: Gloria's on Greenville!!!! – Casual Tex-Mex $-$$

Definitely shouldn't be number 8.  Probably my favorite place in Dallas.  This place was the only edible tex-mex I could find in Dallas.  They had the most popular patio I think I have ever seen; always full even when it’s too hot and too cold.  They had an “all day happy hour”, with the best margaritas in town.  Those would mess you up, my advice?  Make sure you’re not the one driving.  They served their chips with salsa and a hot black bean dip – ahhhhhmazing.  My favorite entrée: Tacos al Carbon. And lastly I do not think I will ever have a Tres Leches better than here...  They renovated recently so it’s a nice looking place and it always has a fun vibe.

Well, that’s all folks!

Have an opinion on any of these places?  Please, leave a comment and back me up so anyone reading can give one of these a try.

 

The Salt Lick

On a hot Austin day after a fun day floating the river, my cousin decided to take me and Sol out to this bar b que place out west of the city. Now when he said west he might as well have said New Mexico, because this place was far.  We pulled off the road on to a dirt road that led us to this place.  The parking lot was packed, every row I looked down was full.  Looking at the restaurant, it was constructed of wood, I didn't understand how all of these people fit in here it looked like a shack.  I was afraid I might be waiting for hours and I'm not the most patient person in the world.  But lucky for us, we walked up and they told us it would be only a few minutes, pfew. 

They had a country singer performing with his guitar sittin' on a stool.  Man I'm telling you I felt like I was in a damn music video on CMT.  But it made for an authentic atmosphere.  I saw people bringing their own ice chests which means it was BYOB.  Yes California residents in Texas they have BYOB restaurants everywhere.  We sat down at a long wooded picnic table inside the restaurant.  There were rows of them, it was family style seating.  Sitting next to complete strangers at the same table is not my cup of tea. Since we had a party of 8 we didn't have a problem, or shall I say I didn't have a problem.

When you walk into the restaurant you see a giant bar b que pit with ribs, sausage, brisket and turkey.  As you can see it is a very nice looking set up and the picture really doesn't do it any justice.  It's your choice of a plate or family style.  A plate comes with beans, potato salad and your choice of three out of the four meats.  Family style is unlimited meat and sides.  Crazy right?  Well, knowing that my aunt cooked for me as well I went with the more modest of the two, the plate.  I know, totally not my style but hey, I had to make room for both.

Since the food was prepared already the food arrived swiftly.  Thank god - I was starving.  When it landed it front of me I immediately wished I had ordered the family plate.  Everything was fresh of the grill and oozing juicy goodness.  It also came with a loaf of white bread, also cooked fresh at the establishment.  I think I ate the turkey before I took the picture, my bad. It was all good but the turkey, oooohhhhhh man, it was the best.  I know you are probably thinking, barbecued turkey?  I am here to tell you yes.  The smokiness really got into the meat and was the predominant flavor.  It was also very tender, needless to say it wasn't on my plate by the time I remembered to take a picture for you guys.  The rib was fall off the bone and the sausage was yummy too.  I am guessing the secret here had to be in the wood they used.  This place is bar b que at its best.  I was pretty pissed though.  I was in Texas for 3 years and my cousin didn't take me here until I left.  The good news is, I am going back next month and I HAVE to make a stop here. 

I mean really, "The Salt Lick", how could you not like a restaurant with salt in the name.  Folks I know this place sounds good and you are upset cause most of you will probably never go to Austin.  Well I have news, it was so good they built one in Vegas!  You know Vegas finds the best from around the world and brings it.  They did it again.  It is at the Red Rock Casino so I am interested to try that one out and see how it compares.