Cara "CulinaryCara" F.'s Profile

Upon my recent trip to Austin I had a culinary itinerary all planned out.  Visiting a few of my favorite eateries, & also trying out a few new places.  Surprisingly, I had not yet visited the Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX, about a half hour outside of Austin, and you can imagine the excitement I had about the place.  If it's good enough for the likes of Bobby Flay, Duff Goldman, Guy Fieri & other notable celebrity chefs, then it's good enough for us regular folk, right?

The drive was a bit lengthy, uncommon for a popular restaurant of any kind.  I'm certainly glad I went for lunch during the day, I would not have been so comfortable driving through isolated country roads after sunset.  I finally arrived to the Salt Lick, only to have an odd first impression of being herded through the property like cattle.  A myriad of signs are posted in and around the premises with strict directions, "Entrance only," "no unloading," "drop-offs only," "parking only," "reserved only," "stay off the grass," "not responsible for unattended children."   Really?  Not exactly the Texas hospitality this state is known for.  Thankfully I arrived before the lunch crowd, not experiencing their notorious 45+ minute wait was a relief.

Our hostess & waitress were both attentive & polite, but definitely average service.  Seating was cramped, almost as if the restaurant was intentionally stuffing as many people inside as possible for maximum profit.  If you ask me, they don't need to push the fire code to gain those profits, they seem to be doing just fine by charging almost double the average price for a barbecue plate.  Now, I'm the kind of gal that will pay a premium price for premium food, but my experience at the Salt Lick did not meet the criteria.  I sampled a plate featuring brisket, turkey & sausage.  The images embedded in my head of the giant open pit lavishly displayed on shows like the Food Network's, "Best Thing I ever Ate," & the Travel Channel's "Man vs Food," made me sincerely believe that the servings were monstrous.  You can imagine my disappointment when the plate landed on our table.  One small slice of turkey, two very thin strips of brisket & a sliced sausage about the size of a hot dog all drizzled with a scant amount of barbecue sauce.  Sides included baked beans, coleslaw, & what they called potato salad.  The beans tasted like they came out of a can, the coleslaw had an odd sesame seed flavor, and the potato salad wasn't salad at all.  It was more like overcooked potatoes semi-mashed with a hint of their barbecue sauce as the dressing, giving it a strange orange color.

I can ignore sub-par side dishes if the entrée is a home run.  This, unfortunately, was not the case.  The brisket was dry & unremarkable.  If you were to put the Salt Lick's brisket next to your local drive-thru brisket in a blind taste test (no sauce), you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy some drive-thru brisket joints as much as the next south Texan, but you also pay half the price for the same quality, & you don't have to drive to the middle of nowhere for it.  The sausage was pretty unremarkable as well, almost store bought in flavor.  The turkey was surprisingly moist & had a nice, smoky flavor, but just not good enough to drive all that way & reach that far deep in my pockets for.  My better half got A pork rib and double brisket, yet got the same amount of brisket as I did.  Last, & certainly least, was the sauce.  Their regular barbecue sauce tasted like doctored honey mustard dressing & their spicy habanero sauce was not even spicy at all.  I would have never known it had habaneros in it, but at least it tasted better than their main sauce.

Overhearing our waitress mentioning dessert to a nearby table, I thought to myself, "Oh good, redemption!" So we decided to split a blackberry cobbler.  Not only did I seek their redemption, but I was also curious to compare my blackberry cobbler recipe with others.  Yet another disappointed at the Salt Lick, but this one was the straw that broke the camel's back.  Undoubtedly the worst blackberry cobbler I've ever sampled. The fruit filling was runny & unremarkable, but the worst of it all was in the pastry crust, which was an odd surprise of corn bread.  This was my "WTF" moment as I reluctantly ingested a fork full.  The positive side of the dessert was the freshness of the ingredients, however the combination should definitely not be repeated.

Did I mention the restaurant is cash only?  Apparently they have an ATM on site, but I also heard that the restaurant makes extra money on the withdrawal fees from said ATM.  Don't want to use their ATM?  Good luck with that, as the nearest one is about 8 miles away.

I wouldn't go out of your way for this one.  The Salt Lick is anything but finger lickin' good.  Save your hard earned money and go visit Lockhart instead.  Just another example of what your momma always told you "Don't believe everything you see on TV"

I'm not the biggest fan of pizza, probably because it's so hard to find a good one...BUT I do enjoy the flavors that 46th Street has to offer.

At first glace, it looks like a small Pizzeria, and those are usually some of the best.  As you walk in, you might be a little thrown off by the somewhat odd, grey decor, but don't let that mislead you.  Maybe they were going for the New York, concrete jungle look.

My favorite dish at 46th Street is the pepperoni calzone.  LOTS of ooey gooey mozzarella, fresh ricotta and some zesty pepperoni all cocooned in the crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside crust.  Be forewarned - the calzones are HUGE.  It's pretty much an entire pizza folded in half with a side of marinara sauce in a soup bowl.

Let's not forget about their pizza!  I enjoy the Hawaiian pizza myself.  Fresh mozz, ham, and pineapple make for a tasty pie.  I really want to commend 46th street for their crust!  It has the right amount of crisp, and a little chewiness.  The crust is thin too, so it won't overwhelm you with bread.

I go there for lunch every so often, and my co-workers fight for the leftovers I bring back.  Lord knows I could never finish that calzone by myself, lol!

Tin Can Tacos is definitely FAR from your typical, unlicensed,  "fly by night," taco truck.  The Tin Can comes at you via a vintage Air Stream Trailer, usually parked in front of the Tiller's Automotive Shop just outside 1604 and Bandera.  If you're looking for the standard bean and cheese tacos, then it's time to truly open your mind and savor the exotic flavors that Manny (the owner of Tin Can Tacos) can nestle in a warm corn tortilla.

The lamb tacos are amazing.  Flavorful, tender, a little game-y, and topped with tangy avocado sauce with fresh cilantro and onion.  Your taste buds will fly around the globe and come back for another bite of that taco.  Want something a little lighter?  Try Manny's fish tacos.  Grilled, not fried, fish, along with the usual suspects you come to find and love in fish tacos: crunchy red cabbage, onion, cilantro, and that delicious sauce.  You can also get a container of his amazing pineapple habanero salsa for an extra kick!  Don't worry, it's not the hellfire you might think, it's actually very well balanced, just like all of the Tin Can's eats.

Keep in mind, these delicious treats are from the talented and creative mind of Tin Can owner, Manny.  As a former executive chef, he had a passion to walk off the beaten path, and he demonstrates that very well in his cooking.  Don't expect the same old, same old here either.  Manny tends to change the menu from time to time as he sees fit, or if he gets another wild idea.

So go find that silver bullet trailer and try some really fresh and carefully crafted flavors.  Manny won't steer you wrong!

I can't say enough good things about this place!  It's definitely a favorite of mine, and I go there somewhat regularly.  Fun Texan decor, knowledgeable staff, great attention to detail, awesome beer and food...you can't go wrong here!  The Rye Wit is an excellent beer for those who want to stay on the lighter side.  They do have some usual suspects on tap, such as the Freetail Ale, Rye Wit, and Pale Tail, but they also craft a number of seasonal brews, with notables such as One, Danny Mijo (tasty Irish Red), and Maakoos (wonderfully roasted Stout), just to name a few.  The best part, you can opt to take some brew with you!  They offer growlers of beer to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.  Be forewarned, they make some strong stuff!  A must for any beer nerd!

Their food is outstanding as well.  I've had the pleasure of speaking to the kitchen manager during one of my visits, and he is quite the stickler for quality!  I absolutely love their cheese bread appetizer, cheesy, toasty goodness with a delicious olive tapenade.  Their lasagna and pizzas are good too, and their salads are very fresh!

If you haven't been to Freetail, you need to.

My second visit to Red Lobster reminded me why I never go. Boring food, terrible service, and a condescending manager. At least the bartender had a clue!  A few of my coworkers and I decided to visit the latest Red Lobster location (the new one off 410 & Callaghan, inside the loop) down the street from our office.  Since a few of my co-workers have a limited lunch break, we typically order in advance and dine-in at a few area restaurants, so we did the same for this instance.  Oscar, the bartender, was pleasant and accomodating to our needs.  When we called in the order, he was more than helpful.  When we arrived, Oscar was right on the ball with our orders, took our drink orders and invited us to sit where ever we wished.  Once we were seated, the entire experienced changed.  The manager stopped at our table and explained to us how  we were not supposed to make orders in that fashion, because they can't predict the seating availability and for us to know that for next time.  We then defended ourselves by explaining our reasons for ordering and dining-in, and then she responded with, "Well, we'll try to get you guys in and out of here as quickly as possible."  After that condescening confrontation, the manager proceeded to drastically confuse all of the waitstaff serving us, ruining the previously great service the bartender created for us.  If things weren't absurd enough, they kept bringing us two cheddar biscuits when our table had four people!  Aboslutely awful experience.  Once we paid and left the restaurant, the manager stood by and said, "Did we get things done fast enough for you?" as we walked out.  I did not even dignify that woman with a response.  She's lucky I did not have enough time to let her know how horrible she was, and how horribly she represents the establishment.  I, as well as my co-workers, will definitely NOT return.  In fact, I'll never visit another Red Lobster again.

Great food, tunes, folks, and booze!

I love their mushroom swiss burger.  Their eats are cheap, but they don't skimp on flavor.  They serve big portions too, I usually split my burger with someone and sometimes have leftovers to boot!  The buns are nice and toasty, cheese is hot and gooey - their food is a great start to a long and fun-filled night of music, friends, and drinks.  They have a nice selection at their bar, which comes in handy for all the music acts they have on premises.  The semi-detached music venue is an awesome, vintage environment, perfect for the punk, rockabilly, and blues bands that frequent the joint.  The staff is friendly also, but not necessarily in the bubbly way.  Moreso, they reflect a pleasant, yet edgy personality.

Parking is a bit of an issue, which occasionally deters me from going during the uber-busy times.