SXSW Eats: Lucy's Fried Chicken

For your first course, get the deep fried deviled eggs.

For your second course, get the fried chicken. It comes with sliced jalapeños and pickle spears on top - an idea that is so genius it makes me want to curl into the fetal position and weep because I just can't deal with it.

For your third course, get the pie. Any pie, but S'mores pie is a personal favorite. They also have a sweet tea pie which at first bite is a little weird but by the third bite will have you hiding under the table with it, stabbing anyone that comes near you with a fork.

That's Lucy's Fried Chicken.

You don't go for the vegetables.

SXSW Eats: Mag Mud at Magnolia

My beloved city is about to be poked and prodded like a prized heifer at the state fair. SXSW is almost here and everyone and their granny is packing their bags, checking their RSVP lists, and stretching out their gut muscles in preparation for queso and BBQ and Amy's Ice cream.

In lieu of this I thought I'd share one of our favorite quesos. It can be found at Magnolia Cafe (2 locations, one on Lake Austin Blvd and the other on South Congress.) Named after the establishment itself, 'Magnolia Mud' ('Mag Mud') is a don't-knock-it-til-you-try-it concoction of queso, black beans, and guacamole. There might even be some salsa tucked in there along with a few tears from the baby Jesus...

It is that life altering, particularly when eaten between the hours of 1 and 6 am, which you can do any night of the week because Magnolia is like the US postal service and is there for you rain or shine 24 hours a day 7 days a week save Christmas.

Magnolia Cafe
1920 South Congress Ave
Austin, TX
512 445-0000

Magnolia Cafe
2304 Lake Austin Boulevard
Austin
(512) 478-8645

Perla's Lobster Roll...

When you eat at Perla's, you forget for a minute that you're in Austin, that you are indeed landlocked, and that it's so hot outside your bra has slid down to your navel while walking down South Congress. The eatery exudes breezy nautical charm with such sincerity, you actually feel like you're in Nantucket...until an aging gent in a tutu and platform wedges walks by and you're reminded exactly where you are.

To be fair Kris said the lobster roll was no Luke's Lobster in NYC, but then again Kris holds Luke's Lobster on the same plane as Jesus and vintage sports cars so take his opinion with a grain of salt.

I, for one, plan on drinking a lot of rose here this summer, eating fresh fish and pretending the deck is overlooking the ocean instead of a steaming stretch of asphalt.

Perla's
1400 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704-2487
(512) 291-7300

So yesterday, this happened...

A fried-to-order-doughnut.

Stuffed with coconut cream custard.

Doused in chocolate ganache frosting.

And coconut flakes. And more...coconut custard.

This, my friends, is the kind of debauchery that takes place at Gourdoughs food trailer on South Lamar in Austin.

I can't tell you why but the whole thing reminds me of a scene from True Blood. It's just so...naughty. Only there's no sex. Or is there? Because there sure as hell are plenty of happy endings flying around. But I digress. Let's look at Exhibit B...


Do you know what this is? I'm not sure I should even tell you. It's really, really bad. In fact, I'm not going to tell you because I can feel Satan's presence just talking about it.

Okay, okay I will tell you because I love you and know you need that hit of sugar just as bad as I did yesterday. Deep breath...

This is a doughnut filled with chocolate brownie batter with a truck's worth of homemade chocolate covered brownie chunks (still warm from the oven) on top then doused in...hot fudge icing and chocolate chips. It's named - appropriately - Black Out.


Here are the two of them together. Conspiring. Evil little vixens... But more importantly, how are you? Are you okay? Have you been struck by lightning yet? Quick - confess and all will be forgiven. Or then again, just go to Gourdoughs. They're open until 1 am tonight.

Frank in Austin and why I must go to there.

1. They serve their drinks in Mason jars.
2. They have bacon infused vodka.
3. They have chocolate dipped bacon.
4. The place is freaking adorable - like a general store from the 1800's as envisioned by Kubrick.
5. It's cheap. An old school jalapeno cheese dog will cost you $3.50 while a specialty sausage dog (everything from venison to rabbit to anything in between) goes for $7.50 - still pennies compared to Trulucks across the street or anything else in the Warehouse District.
6. The Jackalope - their signature antelope/rabbit/pork blend weenie covered in huckleberry jam, Sriracha aioli, and applewood smoked cheddar (pictured above.) Mary might have craved this when she was pregnant with Jesus.
7. Their appreciation for waffle fries and the plentiful ways in which they serve them including 'nacho style' (also pictured above) and Poutine style with cheese curds and gravy.
8. You can order any dog 'pork it' style - wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Anyone who's eaten at Crif Dog in NYC knows better than to turn their nose up at this. In fact anyone who's been to a state fair should know better than to turn their nose up at this.
9. Frank isn't one of those restaurants trying to bring something 'extra' to Austin - on the contrary it's one of the restaurants that makes Austin more Austin just by being here.
10. The alcoholic ice cream float. The only invention known to man to actually allow one to span time. One sip and you're both 12 and 21 at the same time and not a day older.

Visit Frank on the interwebs here.