Torchy's Tacos

I'm not sure if I had just missed it before or if it's a new menu item, but the other day I discovered The Wrangler at Torchy's Tacos. It's a combination of some of my favorite things: eggs, cheese, potatoes and brisket. YUM.

The Wrangler & The Dirty Sanchez

The taco next to it is my other favorite at Torchy's: The Dirty Sanchez. I never wanted to order it based on the name alone (I learned what it meant after reading about a certain tape starring Dustin Diamond), but am glad I finally tried it. Its a battered and fried poblano pepper, egg, cheese, guacamole and pickled carrots and jalapenos. Torchy's has locations all over Austin. Hooray tacos!

Austin Cake Ball Bakeshop

Cake balls a truffle sized balls of cooked cake batter mixed with icing, covered in hardened icing and decorated to be beautiful. In other words, they are delicious bites of heaven. I recently stopped in at Austin Cake Ball's Burnet location an purchased a half dozen cake balls, various flavors, to share with coworkers. 

Very good. Very pricey.

I was shocked at the cost of these! They are $2.95 each or $16. 95 for a half dozen. I couldn't comprehend that a tiny cake ball would be so expensive! The only thing that made me feel a little better is they were fresh, delicious, and my coworkers raved about how tasty they were. If I am going to spend $2.95 on a dessert, I'd rather have something that offers a few extra bites of enjoyment. I will say cake balls are a good option if you are looking for something different in a dessert. These are also some of the best cake balls I've tried in Austin - I just wish I could afford to have them more often.

Austin Cake Ball Bakeshop is located at 5310 Burnet Road in north Austin.

Man Bites Dog

Sometimes you just have a craving for a hot dog. I did today so I went to Man Bites Dog and got this:

It wasn't one of their exciting options - it was just a regular hot dog with a dill pickle spear, grilled onions, cheese and lots of mustard. It hit the spot. The restaurant was nice, clean and not too crowded. Service was excellent. They also have bomb pops and orange push-ups for sale. In my opinion, that's a great idea.

Man Bites Dog has two locations: 5222 Burnet Road or 3005 South Lamar. FYI - they take 10% off your tab with a Go Local card.

<3

Sushi Japon: Bento Box

I've become addicted to the lunch specials at Sushi Japon. It a good quality lunch. I love bento boxes with tempura and sushi or sashimi and their's isn't lacking: 

Sashimi, shrimp and veggie tempura, steamed rice, salad and
2 Califormia roll pieces. Miso soup included, not pictured.

The pieces of sashimi you get in there aren't a joke. It's good stuff:

Sushi Japon is located at 6801 N I-35, Austin, Tx 78752 and has great lunch specials. The service is always quick and the waitress is always friendly.

Uchiko: Ham and Eggs

Uchiko in north central Austin offers a very different, very tasty roll: The Ham and Eggs roll. Yup, that's pork belly rolled in rice with and egg yolk served on the side. It melts in your mouth.

Uchiko is located at 4200 North Lamar, Austin, Texas. Make reservations - it's almost always full. AND Chef Paul Qui just won a James Beard Award for best chef Southwest - after claiming the Top Chef Title. Congrats to him!

Titaya's Thai Cuisine

I'm not sure if there is anything better than spicy green curry when your nose is stuffed up (ok, maybe some pho with lots of sriracha!). Titaya's lunch special that includes the curry, soup of the day and steamed rice for $6.95 cleared my sinuses, made me feel warm and happy, and didn't break the bank.

Yum!

I usually eat my curry like soup and ignore the rice. To me, the rice is just a waste of stomach space. Titaya's is located at 5501 North Lamar Blvd, Austin, Tx 78751.  Service is always great and the food is always delicious. If you don't believe me, check out their stellar Yelp reviews.

Sunflower Austin

Sunflower in north Austin is one of my favorite restaurants. I typically visit for lunch (the lunch specials are a great deal) but visited the other evening with friends for dinner. I ordered the special prawns with garlic noodles. The prawns are fried with the shell on (I was not expecting that but it worked out ok) and were good. I'd have to say the stand out part of the dish was the noodles. I would eat those noodles with anything.

Sunflower is located at 8557 Research Blvd near the Target. Service is lacking, but the food is great.

Stiles Switch BBQ

I recently heard about Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew that opened on North Lamar. I ventured out to give it a try for lunch - it's near my work, and a good BBQ place near work would make me happy. Stiles Switch made me pretty happy. The brisket was moist and flavorful. My biggest problem was the sides: the mac and cheese was dry and the corn casserole was no more than meh. I got the Buford T's Diablo which is brisket, bbq sauce and a ton of jalapenos in a sandwich: 

Buford T's Diablo Sandwich

I'll definitely go back. The service was quick and all the guys who worked there were in a great mood. I'm hoping they keep working on their sad mac and cheese (seriously, who likes dry mac and cheese?), but next time I'll try the potato salad.

More cheese, please.

Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew is located at 6610 N. Lamar, Austin, Tx 78757.

Delish Cupcakes

What better way to start this blog than with a cupcake. Delish cupcakes are truly what their name indicates - Delish! The frosting, delicious. The cupcake, fluffy and moist. They even offer a gluten free cupcake everyday.

Delish is located at 209 West 3rd Street  Austin, TX 78701. They are worth finding parking.