Marfa, TX

Marfa, TX was the last stop on our trip through the Southwest this summer. We experienced crazy weather, crazy art and a frustrating food scene. There aren't very many restaurants in Marfa to begin with and it seemed like every other one we tried to eat at was closed for renovation, for the summer, or because they just felt like being closed.

Dinner our first evening was at Maiya's, located on the busiest strip downtown, meaning there was a post office, book store and a couple art galleries. We started with a really wonderful corn salad. The juicy niblets of roasted corn were marinated in a juice of lime kicked up with some chili flakes. There was Mexican cheese sprinkled on top, creating salty, tangy, spicy bites. It was basically elote but off the cob and in a bowl. So yummy.

I can't remember what Dan got (maybe the sausage dish?) but I got the steak paillard over radicchio. I also can't remember if we got dessert or not. I think there was a pistachio ice cream that sounded good, but I might have been too stuffed.

Before heading over to the Chinati Foundation for a tour, we tried the Brown Recluse for breakfast, which turned out to be a huge disappointment. The coffee wasn't very good. Our food took a while to arrive and when it did, was barely lukewarm. Dan and I both got the migas and have had much much better. The tortilla was good, though and they had Wi-Fi, which was needed since our hotel failed to live up to expectations and provide services it claimed to provide.

Our favorite meal in Marfa came courtesy of the Food Shark food truck. It's located in covered lot right by the book store and train tracks. There's communal bench seating constructed in the modular style of Donald Judd. I think we spotted everyone we had seen around town here. We put in our orders and waited with our beverages - a Coke for Dan, a Topo Chico for me.

The standard menu is Middle Eastern vegetarian heavy but we opted for two of the day's specials. I went with the adobo chicken breast tacos with tomatillo salsa and avocado, served with a side salad of greens, pickled onions, cucumbers, olives and feta cheese.

Dan ordered the salpicon - marinated shredded brisket served over a salad of greens, pickled jalapenos, red peppers, avocado, queso fresco, peperoncini and tortilla strips. Both the tacos and salpicon were super yummy and I'd have trouble picking a favorite.

We ate our final meal at Cochineal, located a few doors down from the Brown Recluse, but tucked in towards the back of the street. There was some miscommunication with our reservation time, but since it was still early in the evening, there was no problem getting seated. We shared the gnocchi appetizer, which they split into two portions. I really like when restaurants do this. At this point, my camera begins to inform me that it is dying. So I'm able to get off one more shot...

My chilaquiles! I've never had them served like this before, but it was a really nice blend of chicken, cheese, chilies, cream and tortillas baked in a clay pot. It wasn't too rich, which was what I initially feared. Dan ordered the steak which came with yummy greens and even yummier onion rings. For dessert we shared a ginger pot du creme that was so outrageously delicious. Spicy, smooth, cool and creamy.

Smitty's Pit Bar-B-Q in El Paso, TX

Our last stop before Marfa was in El Paso, TX for some down home barbeque. Nothing says quality like a strip mall near the airport.


If restaurants were judged by their menu covers, then we were guaranteed a yummy meal. Dan may look like he's pontificating, but we all know he'll just be a copycat and order the same thing I do.

The beef sandwich lunch plate! With German fried potatoes, beans and cole slaw.

Close-up of the grill marks and smoke ring.

You could say we liked it! The beef was a hair on the dry side, but still incredibly delicious and flavorful. And nothing a little sauce couldn't fix. I loved the soft Portuguese roll-type bread the meat was tucked into. The beans were some of the best I've ever had, maybe even the best. They were smoky with just the right amount of saltiness and not too sweet. The cole slaw was super yum, too. All the components were chopped very finely and there were even bits of pineapple in the mix! The potatoes were essentially two huge wedges that were fried to extreme crispness on the outside but managed to remain soft and fluffy on the inside.

Yay Smitty's!

SXSW - Day Four and Five

March 14
Las Manitas - Trip 3

chilquiles verdes


chilaquiles verdes shot 2, with cantaloupe aguas frescas and cinnamon coffee

High Places @ Emo's


Iron Cactus

queso! sadly, this was cold and watery.

Koriente

tofu bibimbop with lots of fresh, crunchy vegetables. the kkochujang was surprisingly fiery.

Best Wurst Stand

a bratwurst with onions and kraut after the kill rock stars showcase signals the end of my sxsw.

March 15
Salt Lick Annex at Bergstrom International Airport

my flight was delayed a couple hours due to mechanical failure. i ate half a brisket sandwich.


brisket sandwich (view 2)

SXSW - Day Three

March 13
Las Manitas - Trip 2

i had back-to-back meetings here but i forgot to take a picture of my food. during the first, i just drank a small glass of carrot juice. for the second, i ordered some cinnamon coffee and the migas especiales con hongos. delicious.

Ironworks

meat combo platter with a big red to wash it down. i know it's hard to keep up with the volume during sxsw but this was a bust. the sausage was moist and juicy, but the brisket was dry and the beef rib mostly inedible.

SXSW - Day One and Two

March 11
Torchy's Tacos @ Little Woodrow's

green chili queso with chips


green chili pork taco, mr. pink taco

March 12
Las Manitas Visit 1

huevos rancheros (not picture: side of chorizo, watermelon aguas frescas)

Weinermobile!


Maggie Mae's

mini vanilla cupcakes from babycakes



R.E.M. @ Stubb's


Hot Dog King

austin dog: smoked jalepeno sausage on a gigantic roll with pickles and mustard. took away a little bit of the sting from a disappointing r.e.m. show.

edible sxsw

more details and photos to come soon, but here's my snapshot of consumption in austin.

meals at las manitas: 3 (huevos rancheros, migas especiales con hongos, chilaquiles verdes)
times i walked through the wrong door to get to the bathroom at las manitas: 1 (whoops, sorry guys)
aguas frescas: 2 (watermelon, cantaloupe)
barbeque: 2 (a disappointing sampler plate from the not great, but normally satisfying ironworks and a sandwich from the salt lick stand at the airport while waiting for my flight back to new york.)
dentyne ice 3-packs procured: 2 (1 in my swag bag, 1 on the street)
late night sausage: 2 (smoked jalepeno at hot dog king, brat at best wurst)
queso: 2 (not enough)
bottles of fuze: 0 (this stuff is so gross. i hope there's a better official drink sponsor next year, like izze)
ice cream bars: 1 (mango, thank you ice cream man!)
tacos: 4
mini cupcakes: 4 (actually it may have been 5)

It Crawled from the South Part IX: 24+ Hours of Nonstop Eating All Over Texas

On our second and final night in Austin we decided to hit the Alamo Drafthouse for a showing of Ratatouille. The brilliance of this theater is that you can order really good beer and pretty decent food while you watch your movie. There are little counters in each row for your food and drink as well as a silent ordering system. This is not the place to come for a fine cinema experience, but for a movie like Ratatouille it was the perfect venue, save for the screaming kid (at a 10PM showing, no less!) with the completely passive parents who chose to pretend it wasn't their kid. Dan got a burger and I got some queso and chips. That's all I wanted and I'll take it over gooey theater nachos any day. I am making up for all the years queso was not a part of my life.

Oh, earlier in the evening we had some snacks and drinks at the courtyard of our hotel, easily the most chichi place we've ever stayed. I had a very refreshing bottled beverage called Topo Chico, a mineral water. I had the version flavored with lime. Where can I get this in Brooklyn?

The following morning we left for Houston, but we still had a few more stops to make along the way. First off was brunch at Juan in a Million. We met up with Bill and his lady friend and upon entering the restaurant were personally greeted by Senor Juan himself! I had a chorizo taco and a migas taco, with cheese on both as well as a huge horchata. I really did not think I had ordered much food, but I got stuffed and would come to regret being so full a few hours later.

Next on our agenda was Lockhart, the barbeque capital of Texas. Ok, so not as many hours have passed and I'm not nearly has hungry as I want to be. Still, I want to hit two of the big three: Black's, Kreuz and Smitty's. Kreuz was my one definite, but as we near the gargantuan barn, I decide we should skip it and do Black's and Smitty's instead.


Photo from Odograph.com (I forgot to take an exterior shot!)

Black's is the oldest barbeque joint in Texas that's been run continuously by the same family. The inside reminded me of a camp dining hall.


We shared a chopped beef sandwich and a hot ring. I wish I had been hungrier so I could have tried more of the menu! The sausage was interesting. It was was composed of finely ground meat which was unexpected and was also on the dry and crumbly side. To drink I made an Arnold Palmer. Then it was off to Smitty's which is like a block away.


Smitty's is housed in the market that used to be known as Kreuz. Apparently there was a split in the family. One side wanted to expand and the other wanted to stay of the people. I guess the side that wanted to expand was allowed to keep the name, while the traditionalists got to keep the space.




We hit the jackpot with Smitty's. I loved the way it looked and smelled. I loved how hot it was by the pits. I loved that your order was served on butcher paper or wrapped up in it depending on whether your were staying or going. I loved that there were no forks to be found at all!

I needed a taste of everything so I ordered a piece of brisket (they gave me two), a sausage and a rib.


The brisket was moist and fatty and had the most delicious bark. I would have had more bark, but the guy in front of me kept asking for all the end pieces. When I cut into the sausage juice just oozed out. By this point Dan is offering me no help - he's content with just some of the brisket and a piece of sausage. I ate as much of the sausage and rib that I could, but at the end, I couldn't fit it all in. I should have packed up the leftovers and brought it to Houston. I'm so glad I finally made it to Lockhart.

Then it was off to Minute Maid Park to see the Astros take on our beloved Mets! It would be the final stop on Dan's quest to see a baseball game at all current ballparks. I got hungry around the 7th or 8th inning but we decided we'd eat after the game. There was a milk and cookies hour at our hotel which I wanted to check out, too. Only the game went 17 innings! Thank goodness the Mets won! After the game we headed to Mai's, a Vietnamese restaurant, on the suggestion of Bill's friend. We picked up some takeaway and feasted on delicious Goi Cuon Thit Nuong (barbequed pork summer rolls) and Bun Thit Nuong (barbequed pork with vermicelli). In just a few hours we'd be on our way back to Brooklyn.

It Crawled from the South Part VIII: The Salt Lick

While in Austin, we took a little side trip to Driftwood, TX, to each some barbeque. Our destination was the Salt Lick, which many barbeque snobs seem to be down on but I am no barbeque snob, unless you're serving a gnarly grey mass. I've wanted to go to the Salt Lick for many many years, but the only time I've ever been in Austin previously was for SXSW (for work, might I add) and just never found the time. Many purists believe if you're going to drive out to Driftwood, you may has well drive out to Lockhart, which was part of our agenda anyway so why not spread the barbeque love?

The open pit were your meat gets delicious-fied. The hanging sausages are just a lovely sight.




I think this guy here slicing the brisket is the son of the founders, Thurman and Hisako Roberts.


Gettin' ready to dig in! DMR can barely contain himself.


In attack mode.


We both got the meat combo plate - beef, sausage and pork ribs. They were served with ample portions of beans and non-mayo-y potato salad and cole slaw, as well as a plate of onions and pickles and a hunk of warm bread. All this for $10.


I thought it was ALL good. I think the brisket was my favorite - it was lean, but moist. I also really liked the snap of the sausage skin. The ribs were my least favorite, but I still really liked them. I liked all the sides too. If anything, maybe it was a little to saucy for me, but that didn't deter me. Don't be a hater.

It Crawled from the South Part VII: LBJ and Lady Bird

In Austin, we visited the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. Momofuku Ando died about 4 months after we visited the Instant Ramen museum outside Osaka and Lady Bird Johnson less than a week after our visit. Is there a G.W. Bush museum we can visit?

The top floor of the museum had an exhibit on the Lady Bird Express. That lady was all class. I love looking at old menus and was pleased to see these. Check out the prices!

It Crawled from the South Part VI: The drive to Austin from Memphis is very far...

But at least there's a bounty of good Tex-Mex to be had!


I barely made a dent in my fish enchiladas from Curra's after single-handedly consuming a vat (ok, a cup)of chile con queso which was so delicious. I would kill for some right now. The queso came with ground beef, pico de gallo and some guacamole. I wasn't sure what to do, so I dumped it all into the cheese and swirled it around. To drink I had a hibiscus margarita! Sorry for the crap picture.