Austin Trip

By: Andrew Ma

Over the past weekend, me and my family went on a short, but very fun trip to Austin. We ate some good food and had so much fun in 36 hours. From food to activities, I will share what we did and you may add these things to your Austin itinerary.

Day One:

On day one, we first had to leave the house to get there. From Dallas, it was only a three hour drive, and we got there before 11. The first thing we did was visit McKinney Falls State Park. It was very pleasant, but the views were not the best due to the cloudy day. But, it was nice and walkable, and not very crowded. After this, we had to go over to the other natural landmark Mt. Bonnell. On the way there, we saw food trucks and made our lunch stop. For me, I went to Veracruz tacos and got three of them. I had one al pastor taco, one dona reyna taco, and one shrimp macha taco. With this order, I got one container each of red and green salsa. The green salsa was delicious. It wasn't your normal salsa, but very creamy. It had a pleasant kick, but was not overwhelming. On the other hand, their red salsa was super hot. It had a burnt taste that I did not really like. Now onto the taco review. My clear favorite was the dona reyna taco. The mole sauce was smoky, with a hint of sweetness and was very complex. The chicken was also cooked perfectly and was moist and well seasoned.

The second best taco was the shrimp macha. The shrimp was nice and juicy, and the rice was a great addition. The rice brought a spicy taste in the back, and complimented the other ingredients very well. I also liked the use of green onion in the taco. It brought a fresh taste that contrasted well with the heavily seasoned shrimp and rice.

And finally, the al pastor taco. I was the most excited for this one, but it was the biggest letdown. Now don't get me wrong, the flavor was on point, but the pork was a little bit dry. But the meat was well seasoned, having a strong chili taste, and the pineapple added some nice sweetness and a faint bit of acidity. The components worked well with one another, but the execution on the pork was not the best.

After we ate and looked at the view from Mt. Bonnell, we made our way into downtown. We spent a couple hours looking down the avenues, until we got a little bit hungry. We stopped at Voodoo Donut, and got a few donuts to split between us. The donuts were very good, and it is always a treat going to Voodoo. After that, we walked some more and arrived at the state Capitol. Inside, the architecture was beautiful, as it mixed Texas with Roman, creating such a unique design. Time flew by in there, and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. While exploring downtown earlier, we came across Fareground Food Hall. We decided to get dinner there, and I got 2 sliders and a side of latkes from JewBoy Sliders. The latkes were decent, but nothing special. They were a bit greasy, and lacked salt. But, the sliders were fantastic. I ordered The Spirit World as well as The Vato. The Spirit World was one of the best burgers I have ever had. The patty was smashed to perfection, and the lace was divine. The burger was not only juicy, but had the crispy Maillard bits as well. Then the sauce. The mushroom cream sauce was rich and earthy, but did not overpower the patty. Somehow, the cream sauce did not even feel heavy. All of this goodness was on top of a fluffy french roll that absorbed all the sauce and juices. If you are in Austin, you have got to try this.

The Vato was also delicious, but not as good as the other. The Hatch Chili ranch added a nice creaminess as well as a hint of spice. The jalapenos were also great in the burger, as they stayed crisp which added a nice texture to the burger. Like The Spirit World, all of the components just worked well together.

Day Two:

On day two, we walked around downtown and along the riverside. It was a nice day out, and it was nice getting some fresh air to start the day. Then we checked out and headed to the UT Austin campus. Our first stop there was the Lyndon B. Johnson Library. I've been to a few libraries before, and this was just as informative and interesting as others. If you have a chance, I would highly recommend visiting one. When we finished up, we started walking around the campus. In my opinion, it is one of the nicest state campuses out there. It feels safe and homey, and the buildings are beautiful. The Mediterranean design is chefs kiss, and it stands out nicely from the rest of the city. After this, it was getting late and it was almost time to head back to Dallas. So before we left Austin, we grabbed lunch at Madam Mam's Thai Cuisine. While there, we ordered the pad thai, pineapple fried rice, pad prik thai dum, and the drunken noodles.

Now let me say before hand, some entrees were good, while others completely missed. Lets start off with the good first. The pineapple fried rice was good. It had a nice flavor, most likely due to wok hei, and the pineapple worked well in it. The cashews were also a good touch, as they provided a bit of crunch. And finally, the shrimp was tender. The other good entree was the drunken noodles. Although it is not authentic at all, the flavor was nice. It was a bit smoky, and was very umami due to the addition of the mushroom. This is where things start to get downhill. The pad prik thai dum, the dish served was rice, was great tasting. The beef was tender due to velveting before hand, but it fell flat. Don't get me wrong, the flavor was good, but it is something that could be accomplished at home for a much cheaper price and a equally good taste. But the worst thing we ordered was the pad thai. It was the worst I have ever had. It tasted like a sweet and sour spaghetti sauce, and the sauce became gloopy after a bit. It also had a faint acidity, probably from the tomato, which gave it a weird flavor. So lessons were learned here. If you come to Madam Mam, stick to the fried rice and dry noodles.

Although the last meal in Austin was a bit disappointing, the trip was nice and a great way to relax over the school break. I hope you enjoyed reading, and you now have some restaurants or destinations in mind for your next Austin trip.