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Family Trip To Austin TX......

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  flipflopgirl 
#1 ·
My family and myself are going to be in Austin TX for a week at the end of march. i was looking for recommendations on places to eat. i do have a two year old that will eat anything, also I am from the northwest so i want to stay away from our type of food. Any input would be amazing!

Thanks Chef Diddy! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif
 
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#2 ·
I"ve never been to Austin but I will offer that the internet has become a tremendous tool for traveling. Along with the usual Yelp, etc. there is also google street view.  So any time i travel, I click on google maps, pick the area of the town or city I'm interested in. First I familiarize myself with various streets and avenues I will most likely be traveling related to where I will be staying and how that location relates to where I want to go. If you zoom in close enough, various business names will appear. 

I also pick out types of restaurants I want to go to like BBQ or fine dining. Locate them on the map then pick out the route. 

Then I pick street view to see what the locations actually look like and do a little "walking around". 

I'm guessing Austin will have a few Bbq places.
 
#3 ·
I used to live in Texas, and all I can say is you picked the right city in Texas to visit. Austin is a college town, so it's laid back and in its own universe. It's one of those cities where you can walk into just about any place and enjoy a good meal. Texas is big on Tex-Mex, but Austin's food scene is evolved beyond that. Kid friendly places with local fare are Lucy's (fried chicken) and Maudie's ((Tex-Mex). You may ready know, but if not, just a heads up that Tex-Mex isn't Mexican food, it's southwest regional cooking. It's enchiladas, queso, and fajitas, not tamales and tacos al pastor.

The Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in N. Anerican. During bat season, they emerge from the bridge at dusk. It is a sight to behold.
 
#4 · (Edited)
First....March/April is my very favorite time of year to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Gardens.

A large number of our native wildflowers should be in bloom (we are having an early spring so don't hold me to that schedule :) and that means one thing for Texas mama's....time to dress the kids in their best Sunday clothes and pose them in the Bluebonnets (state flower) and snap a few pix.

Hopping the garden walls for a photo op is discouraged but there will be someone local handing out maps to a few safe (and free ;-) fields within driving distance if you have the urge.

@Norcalbaker59 mentioned Lucy's and I am gonna second that.

There is not one thing on the menu I have not tried and not one dish I wouldn't order again (if you want to try something but have no one brave enuf to share it with ask for a half order).

Esp partial to the Chicken Fried Steak (if you are lucky it will be on the blackboard with the other specials of the day) ... the Burn-It Bowl (at the Burnet road location /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif) is another favorite.

Homemade mashers topped with sweet corn and shredded chix with a generous ladling of cream gravy studded with the house made chorizo.....pure comfort in a bowl.

Great pie as well....altho I ask mine be boxed up to enjoy at the hotel later..or take along to enjoy after walking off lunch...there are picnic tables and park benches dotting the trails at LBJ Gardens.

You will hear Franklin's BBQ is the best in town (and it is very good...that's what got him a Beard award) but the lines are usually long and not really kid friendly.

With Texas enjoying a BBQ renaissance there are many contenders for second place as well as third and fourth.

Check out Texas Monthly (online) for their yearly "best" article and go from there (we like Salt Lick but County Line smokes a rib roast to perfection so it just depends).

If you are planning a picnic stop by Rudy's for a couple of pints of their creamed corn casserole...I am not enamored of their meat but that one side dish is a must have every time I am in the neighborhood....

I love me some TexMex and when in town (even just driving thru) I ALWAYS make a stop at Rosie's Tamale House.

The best cheese enchiladas (ask for extra red gravy and chopped onions) to be had outside of my own kitchen lol.

The chalupas are everything they should be as well.

Corn tortillas fried to order (fresh and crunchy, never greasy) and heaped with whatever you like, I always have at least one that includes a stewed chicken concoction (also can be had in enchiladas topped with a tomatillo gravy and sour cream...perfection) with the usual lettuce tomato and fresh avocado wedges on top (ask for a few lime wedges ...the freshly squeezed juice adds a nice hit of sunshine).

Yum.

There you have the trifecta of Texas must haves but don't even think the offerings stop there...ask around...the natives are friendly and talkative and always ready to share (whether it be directions or just a smile).

mimi
 
#5 ·
Flipflopgirl, you are so right about Austin in the spring. Because my ex pretty jettisoned anything that didn't involve a golf club and cart, he insisted on staying at Barton Creek. But the trade off was at least one no golf day to spend in Austin. The drive down the mountain into the city is beautiful. And when we got into the city and saw the parks and waterways, the ex had to admit it was worth skipping a day of golf. Austin blows away all stereotypes people have of Texas. My son and DIL live in Dallas. She went to college in Austin. When she told me I really needed to see Austin, I thought, "yeah, right." After going she couldn't shut me up about Austin:).
 
#6 · (Edited)
Surprised to hear they live in Dallas.
Most of my friends who sent their kids to UT lost them to the Austin lifestyle and complain they seldom come home ...even for a holiday.
So if there is to be anything resembling a family get together they just have to cowboy up and eat tofu turkey and hot dogs.

Speaking of hamburgers ? lol.....there is a place on 6th street just off campus that does a great job with daily grinding of meat and cooking on a well seasoned (well over 50 years old) flat top.
The name escapes me but ask around ..... someone should be able to give you a hand.
Like I posted above.... the locals are friendly.
You get the small town vibe in a city that just happens to have a large population.
:)


mimi
 
#7 ·
Just thought of a must do.
Wishing y'all good weather for the entire visit (Texas being an outdoor kinda destination) because I want you to take one of your afternoon's and get directions to drive the devil's backbone.
A short trip south ( maybe 30 minutes) on I 35.
Awesome display of some of mother natures finest work.
Do stop at one or more of the areas marked as safe so the driver gets to have a lookie loo....because believe me there will be no "eyes off the road" moments lol.
If you can....try to time the excursion so y'all can catch the sunset.
Well worth the effort.

mimi
 
#8 ·
Surprised to hear they live in Dallas.
Most of my friends who sent their kids to UT lost them to the Austin lifestyle and complain they seldom come home ...even for a holiday.
So if there is to be anything resembling a family get together they just have to cowboy up and eat tofu turkey and hot dogs.

mimi
Lol. She left Austin, but took its laid back vibe to Dallas. She's actually from a very small town (
 
#9 ·
Trudy's?  My wife has a business meeting in Houston and she is going to take the opportunity to visit my son at Texas A and M.  They plan to visit Austin over the weekend and a business associate recommended Trudy's for tex mex.  But he's from Chicago so his food choices may be questionable :)
 
#10 · (Edited)
Trudy's? My wife has a business meeting in Houston and she is going to take the opportunity to visit my son at Texas A and M. They plan to visit Austin over the weekend and a business associate recommended Trudy's for tex mex. But he's from Chicago so his food choices may be questionable :)
Have never been there but they have more than one location so must be popular with someone.

My rule of TexMex....unless there is a live well full of active swimmers and a lobster or three stay away from anything with the word "pescado" on the menu.

Joking...but not really lol.

mimi

Rosie's original location is on the way to our old deer camp and we would stop to stretch our legs and have a bite.

So it became a tradition.

Have not been out that way in a long time but they have popped up in a few other places... our latest favorite is on a country road between Austin and Wimberly (google Blue Hole....recommend that little niche of Heaven for anyone planning a summer trip to the Texas hill country).

m.
 
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