I’ve been MIA, but for good reason. My laptop’s display is being fussy, so my computer time is limited! I’ve also been traveling a bit…
At the beginning of the month, I had the extreme pleasure of traveling to Austin, TX for the first time to see two of my favorite people get married. Let the culinary adventure begin!
My first stop was The Salt Lick. Now, I’m told I’m not getting the full experience by visiting their location inside the Austin airport, but the main location (complete with a firepit and All-You-Can-Eat menu) is quite a ways outside the city, so I had to “settle” for this. I say “settle” because it was absolutely amazing. Brisket and sausage covered with a vinegary spicy sauce. The potato salad is SO. Good. I’m told there’s a recipe online, which I must hunt down and make… Needless to say, I grabbed another platter to go before my return flight to Los Angeles.
Oh, here I am pre-Salt Lick. I look like some sort of Southern Barbie. I magically managed not to get barbecue all over myself.
After settling into our hotel, we decided to take a walk to the Whole Foods flagship store. Liz was on a mission to find a vanilla porter from a brewery in Breckenridge, CO that only exports to certain states. The store has a big walk-in beer cooler and I couldn’t pass up a chance to try Wells Banana Bread Beer — I was a little afraid, being that I don’t like banana-flavored things, but it was actually really tasty since it’s not artificially banana-flavored.
The next day we did a little walking around on South Congress St., where all the fun vintage shops and boutiques are. A little ways from that is Torchy’s Tacos. Oh man. I was a little skeptical about Texas’ Mexican food, cuz, hello, I live in SoCal! We have tons of good Mexican. But these tacos, seriously, are to die for. I got the Crossroads taco, which is smoked beef brisket with avocado, grilled onions, cheese, jalapenos, cilantro, and tomatillo sauce. I also got the Baja Shrimp taco — fried shrimp, slaw, onions, jalapenos, queso fresco, cilantro, and chipotle sauce. They were both so flavorful. And two tacos were more than filling. I also tasted the Democrat, a shredded beef barbacoa taco, and the Green Chile Pork taco, which seems to be their most popular. Both of the meats just melted in your mouth, they were so tender. I have dreams about these tacos. Major thanks to Gaby for being the first to suggest Torchy’s!
It was a really, really hot day in Austin, so immediately following Torchy’s I checked out Jo’s Coffee and got an iced Belgian Bomber, which is slightly sweetened coffee with hazelnut, chocolate, and cream. So refreshing. And how cute is the graffiti on their wall!
All this food discovering and eating was a ton of fun, but let’s not forget the real reason I was in Austin…
Here the boys are on the wedding shuttle!
And here are the amazing bride and groom during their ceremony.
And here is a little silliness with my best friend (and the Best Man) Gabe 🙂
It was a such a beautiful wedding for two very beautiful people. I am so happy for them!! And can’t wait to visit them again in Austin soon!