Tag Archives: Austin

On the Texas BBQ Trail – Lockhart, Texas BBQ Tour Comparison. Who’s BBQ is Best?

With the title of the “BBQ Capital of Texas”, you know that Lockhart, Texas’s brisket, sausage, and ribs are going to be special. But with 4 famous BBQ restaurants within a mile of each other, which one should you go to?

For us, the answer was all of them! This weekend, myself and 8 friends spent the greater part of a day discovering not only which Lockhart Bar-B-Que restaurant (Kruez Market, Smitty’s Market, Black’s, or Chisholm Trail) has the best grub, we broke the rankings down by meat type in each establishment and have a suggested itinerary for you if you want to make the same meat eating journey.

To Find out which Lockhart BBQ we liked the best, click through to the entire article

Asian Buns in Austin – “East Side King” Shangri-La Trailer – Full Menu Preview


The Austin chefs featured on “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” for bringing delicious Japanese inspired foods to the local trailer scene are at it again – opening their 3rd East Side King trailer in 2 years. While all 3 East Side King trailer locations feature Asian inspired menus, each location serves up slightly different cuisine.

The Liberty and Grackle ESK locations feature larger portions that likely require utensils, but the new Shangri-La location is all about the Bao, which are small, portable Asian Buns that are perfect for eating with your hands.

To learn more about the new East Side King Restaurant Click here

Rice Bowl Cafe – Best Taiwanese Food in Austin

My parents are both from Taiwan. I grew up listening to post WWII stories from the mother country – you know the ones about working hard on the farm, walking barefoot to school, and barely having enough to eat. That last point is very important – because they didn’t have much food when they were children, my parents appreciate food and view it much more fondly than your average Joe. I have a feeling that most people in Taiwan have a reverence for food in the same way my parents do.

So where can you find authentic Taiwanese food in Austin where they care about food quality as much as they do “back home”? My favorite Taiwanese place in Austin is Rice Bowl Cafe, where you can get a little taste of the “motherland” here in the Live Music Capital of the World.

To read more about Rice Bowl Cafe – Taiwanese Food in Austin, Texas click here

Haddingtons – A New Austin Foodie Destination

Haddington's Menu and Logo

Last week, fellow Tasting Bud Peter and I attended a small gathering at the recently open Haddingtons (Link to Menu), new restaurant in downtown Austin. Prior to the event, I looked at the restaurant website, which described it as “an American tavern with rustic cuisine”, bringing to mind hearty, season-inspired meals and a beer selection rivaling the best pubs in town. They had not yet posted a menu (see full menu below), so I was excited to see what Chef Zack Northcutt had created.

Click here to read more about Haddingtons

Bizarre Asian Food in Austin – 10 Ways to Eat the Weird

Stir Fried Silkworms at the Korean Restaurant Together in Austin, Texas

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of eating bizarre foods, and I’ll go out of my way to eat something just to say that I’ve had a taste of the weird. I’ve eaten strange stuff like crickets here in Texas, snake meat / venom / blood in Taiwan, and donkey in China. I ate blood sausage and beaver carpaccio in Argentina, and turtle in Cambodia. While I’m not quite as adventurous (or rich) as Andrew Zimmerman, I can hold my own when it comes to eating Bizarre Foods.

Most savvy Austinites know where to find Mexican bizarre foods like menudo, beef tongue, and deep fried pork intestines (check out El Taquito) so I’ll skip over those and focus on weird Asian delights, where I have some expertise.

Click through to read more about Asian delicacies in Austin, Texas

Gypsy Picnic 2010 – Great Idea, Lots of Room for Improvement

November 6th, 2010 marked the date of Austin’s first Gypsy Picnic, an event that was billed as an eclectic day of food, music, and fun. Austinites were certainly excited about the event – the Austin-American Statesman estimates that 15,000 people attended the event and at the time of publication, Gypsy Picnic had 8,099 Likes on it’s Facebook page.

However, as is the case with many Austin Festivals, Gypsy Picnic’s first year was not without its challenges.

Click through to read about our harrowing tale of waiting… and waiting… and waiting…

Uchi Omakase Tasting Menu Photo Essay

When it comes to Japanese food in Austin, Uchi is the one restaurant is always mentioned and universally praised by foodies. For my 30th birthday, I decided to head to the nationally acclaimed restaurant to celebrate and find out what all the hype was about.

I wasn’t disappointed one bit. Having been to Uchiko and really liking the food there, I have to say that Uchi feels a even notch or two more refined.

Here’s a quick photo essay that depicts the Uchi 5 course Omakase tasting menu, which our waiter described as “the greatest hits” of Uchi’s menu. I enjoyed my Uchi experience immensely and hope you enjoy the photos.

Click through to see more photos from Uchi

Austin Daily Press of “The Great Food Truck Race” Interview

  • Amy Hildenbrand and Cory Nunez of Austin Daily Press

Foodies, chances are that you have spent time on the couch watching a Food Network show or five. Well get ready, because you’re about to get one more reason to park it in front of the TV, namely Food Network’s newest show “The Great Food Truck Race” premiering Sunday, August 15th 2010 at 10pm/9c.

One of the teams that competed in the coast-to-coast race runs hometown food trailer Austin Daily Press. I stopped by to chat with fellow Atlanta transplant now living Austin and co-owner of Austin Daily Press, Cory Nunez, about his favorite bars in Atlanta, the upcoming Food Network show, and his approach to running a business.

Click through to read the interview with Austin Daily Press

Happy Birthday & TastingBuds Year In Review

We almost didn’t realize it until someone asked how long the blog has been around, but the TastingBuds Blog is over a year old! To celebrate we’ll recap some of our favorite posts, photos, and favorite moments from the past year!

Thanks to all of our readers for visiting the blog and we’re grateful for the friendships we’ve made on the Internet and in real life as well.

Click through to celebrate with us!

Kenichi Austin Sake Dinner

It’s a good time for Japanese food lovers in Austin. No matter where you live in the capital of Texas, there’s bound to be a Sushi restaurant nearby – especially downtown. Of course, not all Japanese restaurants are created equal, but for a medium sized city, Austin has it’s fair share of high end sushi.

Recently, the TastingBuds were invited to a sake tasting dinner at the well known and respected Kenichi on 5th and Congress. The reason for the celebration? The Austin branch of Kenichi has a new sake sommielier and they wanted to highlight the their vast sake selection and their ability to pair each type of sake with their creative and delicious food offerings.

How did the food taste and how were the sake pairings? Click on through to find out