Food is king in Austin. And if you are going to visit there are 3 food groups you need to know: BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Food Trucks. According to our friends at visitaustin.org, here is what you need to know:
Tex-Mex has only been a household word in Texas since the mid-1900s, but this cuisine took shape many years ago as Anglo settlers and Texas ranchers attempted to recreate northern Mexican cuisine with their ingredients ofchoice. Dishes are heavy on the starch but provide pure bliss with a heavy mix of shredded cheeses, meat,(vegetarian options too), beans, peppers, spices, and flour tortillas. Austin has no shortage of Tex-Mex
restaurants, and a crowd favorite dish is queso; melted cheese, seasoned and served warm as a dip for tortillachips. Read about these iconic spots here.
Traditionally, Texas barbecue (BBQ) involves slow cooking various meats for extended periods of time. Here in central Texas, the typical style of preparation is to rub the preferred meat with spices, then cook over indirect heat from pecan or oak wood in a pit. Annual competitions determine the top barbeque here in Texas, and many award-winning pit masters can be found right here in Austin. In fact, in 2015 Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue broke ground as the first ever pit master awarded a James Beard Award. At many of these restaurants, visitors will experience laid back, cafeteria-style vibes and should can expect to get a little messy. Locals seem to know what’s best, check out their favorites here.
Explore Austin’s vibrant mobile food vendor scene (food trucks) – an inexpensive, popular way to dine with locals. Many food trucks and trailers have stationary locations around the city but be sure to check each truck’s calendar for special pop-up dates and places. All over town, chefs are eschewing brick-and-mortar establishments and instead serving inexpensive, unpretentious cuisine whipped up in the back of refurbished Airstreams and concession trailers. The trend is so hot that officials estimate more than 1,000 mobile food vendors are in Austin. For more info, check it out here.
CHEFS TO WATCH & RECOGNITIONS
James Beard Award finalists for 2018 include:
• Bryce Gilmore (Barley Swine) for Best Chef: Southwest
• Michael Fojtasek (Olamaie) for Best Pastry Chef
James Beard Award finalists for 2017 include:
• Bryce Gilmore (Barley Swine) for Best Chef: Southwest
• Laura Sawicki (Launderette) semifinalist for Best Pastry Chef
