Archive for the ‘Austin’ Category
I want someone out there to tell me they don’t like donuts! I am pretty sure I have never met a single person who didn’t enjoy at least one kind of donut. I mean, what’s not to like?…sweet fried dough usually covered in even sweeter yummy glaze! All around….sweet. I know you health nuts out there might say, “oh…I don’t eat donuts; they are full of sugar, fat, and all that other stuff I can’t eat on my diet.” But let’s me honest, and I mean HONEST…donuts are down right pure awesomeness and one of the many culinary enjoyments in life; and while we are in honesty land, although I don’t let myself have them all that often, when I do it is pure joy and I make sure to savor each and every bite.
So I am no donut connoisseur, nor do I really think there are many “superior” donuts out there. It’s typically one of those foods that’s got a threshold for good (pretty low ;)) and once you meet “good’ the distance to “great” is not that much more. I really have rarely ever found one that I think is the down right best (well maybe the chocolate glazed at Dunkin, but that’s another story :)), not to say they haven’t all been yummy good. All I’m saying is that I’ve never been blown away by a donut that it was left standing above any other. Well…that all changed after our visit to this week’s feature establishment…Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock, TX.
We saw Round Rock Donuts on an episode of Man vs. Food (Austin). Open since 1926, under the name Lone Star Donuts, they have been tempting locals and visitors alike with their orange hued world famous “Round Rock” glazed donut. The first clip below will show you a bit of history on the famed donut masters prior to their name change from Lone Star Donuts. And then I have given you a clip so you can see for yourself what put Round Rock on the ‘must visit’ list the next time we traveled to Austin…a new menu addition for them, but one worth seeing…
Sources: “Round Rock Donuts, Texas.” [Video]. (2008). Retrieved August 5, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEHqXby7XH0&feature=related.
“I Really Really Like Donuts!!!” [Video]. (2009). Retrieved August 5, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEpEXndDRQI&feature=related.
I mean that is a site to see…that donut is the size of human head, if not bigger! I know it was certainly something I was interested in seeing for myself; and lucky for us it was not long after we saw this episode that were planning a trip to Austin so we figured it would be a perfect stop on our way back to Dallas.
So on our way out of town while headng through Round Rock on U.S. 35, we set out to find this behemoth of pastry. Lucky for us we arrived just in time…their lobby hours on Sunday are only until 2 p.m. and we arrived at 1:45 (their drive thru is open everyday until 8 p.m. so we would not have been completely out of luck, I just was glad we were able to see the inside). Their building is very cute and rustic looking, not like any other donut shop I have ever seen. Apparently they had to rebuild in 2000, after a fire completely destroyed their original location. That being said, their current building is beautiful and a fun change from a typical bakery site.
Inside are glass cases filled with yummy donuts and other baked goods that appear perfectly hand crafted with care. I wanted to seriously try each and every kind they had, but came with the intent of purchasing their original glazed; and for fun, we bought one of those giant Texas sized ones too. I mean…you can’t go somewhere with donuts the size of your head and not buy one right! 🙂
Since we bought a small glazed donut as well, we decided we would share that one and save the large one for Adam to take into work the next day. I will say now that the large donut could feed his entire office for breakfast and was quite a hit! 🙂 Also a big hit was the one we shared…I’m talkin’ out of this world good. There is a hint of citrus flavor, orange or lemon in their dough and the glaze provides just a hint of extra sweetness and flavor that is amazing. Also, the slightly crispy outer texture with the super soft doughy center, likely from the yeast they use, is pure donut genius; and all I can say is I wish I could get my paws on these donuts more, because they are truly worth the splurge.
SIGNATURE DISH: I am pretty sure from the name of the place that you figured out what they are known for…donuts, donuts, and more donuts. But like any good donut bakery, they also have a wide variety of other yummy baked goods to try. Still, when a place has donut in the name, I want one of them; and when they have a “TEXAS” sized behemoth donut, lemme’ at that big boy!
TASTE: What impressed me so much with these donuts is it truly tasted like no donut I have ever had. I know a glazed donut is a glazed donut, but I am telling you there was something extra about these. Their texture was doughy and hints of crunch all in one, and their glaze had flavor nuances that were not only good, but added a wow factor. Yes…I just used “wow factor” to describe a donut, so it must be THAT good!
AMBIANCE: The building exterior is quite cute and unexpected, while the inside is also very well kept, while still familiar. Not ever expecting much when I go to a bakery, I would say it exceeded my typical expectations as far as appearance in that you can tell they truly have pride for their business and want people to feel at home, welcome, and comfortable while they are there. There is no seating inside, but tables outside where you can enjoy your donut and relax. They also offer drive thru, which if I lived in the area would find awfully convenient (maybe too convenient ;)). All is all…very nice.
PRICE: I thought their prices were very decent and pretty typical of most smaller bakeries I have been to. At $.59 for a glazed donut, I would hardly say that is breaking the bank of breakfast. The Texas sized donut is $5.99, but again when you consider it feeds 5 or more people, I would still hardly call that outrageous.
SERVICE: Since this is your typical bakery, you simply place your order at the counter and they present your with your order. All the employees were very friendly, chatty, and quickly able to produce our order to us. They were even so kind as to let me photograph the inside and chat with them about the bakery after they had closed, which I was very thankful for.
Round Rock Donuts was a quick side trip, and I’m glad Adam persuaded me to stop for. After a weekend of gluttony, I was hardly in the mood for a fried pastry, but after one bite my mind was quickly swayed. True…I may never get to have one again or find one quite the same, but at least I now have a donut measuring stick. It was truly like no other glazed donut I have tried, and that’s not to say I won’t still give others I come across a fighting chance. 😉 But for now, I will leave it at a lifelong great tasting memory and give Round Rock Donuts and Sweet 5 ‘Little Piggies’
Well it’s official…we are Midwesterners again; and after one very long day of packing a truck and two vehicles, 17 plus hours of driving with two cats over two days, and unpacking the truck at our new home, we have arrived back home in Indiana! That being said, we still have our work cut out for us as far as unpacking, home renovations, and the other unforeseen things that come with owning a home arise. Still, even with all we have left to do, we are getting settled, and just in time for another installment of PCC.
Although we are thrilled to be back up north and are loving the surroundings and the friendliness of everyone, there are certain things we are going to miss about the south. One thing that I know was both a blessing (and curse) when living in Dallas was when deciding on a place to eat there was a never ending amount of options when it comes to restaurants…especially Mexican cuisine. To be honest, most of the time we would just fly by the seat of our pants and give a new place a try or if we were just in the mood for chips & salsa and margaritas, we had a few local favorites we frequented. However, a lot of the best hole in the wall places we ended up finding were discovered due to our love of all things Food Network, Travel Channel, and pop culture cuisine. In Fact, I have already featured two lovely locales we found, Mariano’s and Hula Hut. Both of those locations were definite hits in my book and I was so glad we were able to learn of their existence. This next spot was visited the same weekend as Hula Hut during our whirlwind culinary tour of Austin…an extremely popular local breakfast spot called Juan in a Million.
Opened in 1981, they have been widely known around town as serving authentic Mexican food and is still family owned and operated; and we first heard of this famed breakfast diner on an episode of Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food” and later saw it featured as number 53 on Travel Channel’s “Chowdown Countdown (100 Tastiest Places to Chowdown).” What caught our eye about this place was the seriousness of their now infamous “Don Juan” – El Taco Grande. Although it seems like your basic breakfast taco with potato, egg, bacon, and cheese on a tortilla, what sets it apart is its sheer size! This thing is massive and when we first saw it, Adam Richman was attempting to put down 7 of them! Here is the video clip to prove it…
I guess it’s needless to say that they look pretty insane, huh? I mean I could hardly imagine putting down 1, much less 7! However, although I would never think of entering the challenge, from watching that episode they looked pretty darn tasty. So when we knew we were planning a trip to Austin, we asked our friends Dario and Jaclyn if we might add Juan in a Million to the “must visit” list. They were totally happy to oblige and warned us that especially on the weekends their will be a wait, due to its local popularity. So we all ventured out that Saturday morning to wait in line to take on these behemoth tacos…which at the time sounded like the perfect remedy for the late night out before. 😉
Lucky for us the wait was not outrageous and it was a beautiful day outside, so I was happy to take in some of the sunshine. Being fairly late morning when we got there, I was definitely one “starvin’ marvin,” so I was happy when after we were seated they presented us with a heaping basket of chips and salsa. That first basket definitely did not last long, as we all had a bit of a need for some food. They were not my most favorite chips ever, but I was hungry so they did the trick.
The inside is fairly small and they really pack ‘em in for sure…so much so that it would be easy enough to have a conversation with the table next to you, if you catch my drift. But it’s cool…Juan’s is the type of place that has that authentic charm, which I enjoyed; and oddly enough, after looking at that video clip again, we were seated at that exact same table as Adam Richman from “Man v. Food”…so that’s cool!
When it came time to order (menu), none of us really needed to think twice…we all knew we were headed in the direction of the “Don Juan.” Also, the Carne Guisada taco caught my eye, largely due to it being an item I had never tried, so I went ahead an ordered both. ;) However, I must have eaten my weight in chips before they even showed up, largely due to their salsa that, although super spicy, still had a very nice flavor I couldn’t seem to get enough of. But, luckily before I could eat 45 baskets of chips by myself, this was placed before me…
Yep, that crazy pile of meat, potato and cheese is one taco! Honestly, it is pretty humorous once they set it down too…to think that THIS is only ONE taco. Now I was not about to try and pick this whole thing up and take a bite, and luckily they provide you with extra fresh tortillas so you can portion out multiple tacos if you wish. I chose just to tackle it with a fork and eat the innards by them self. Again, when they set this down in front of me my mouth was definitely watering. I thought this combination not only sounded great, but look at it…it’s going to taste wonderful, right? Unfortunately, I was sort of disappointed. While I would not describe it as “I can’t eat this” awful or anything, I could not really describe it as anything, because it tasted like just that…NOTHING! And as mouth watering as this dish looks, it had zero flavor in my opinion, and was a really dry (my guess is from all the potato). My husband (Adam) unfortunately felt the same way, which I know he was disappointed about because he as so looking forward to this place in particular. I suppose I could have ladled on the salsa, but I want my taco to have a describable flavor all on its own, and this just didn’t; and the Carne Guisada was really just beef stew on a tortilla. Although tasty, it was nothing terribly unique. So in all honesty, I did not leave all that full, because I really am not one to stuff myself with something that I don’t enjoy. :( (I figure if I’m going to indulge, it better be worth it!)
Still, I was able to enjoy looking around following our meal and was able to find some mementos from “Man v. Food’s” visit…
This wall represents all the record holders in several different categories for the “Don Juan” challenge. I’m pretty sure the current record holder overall is 8 1/2 tacos…wow!
Although I was disappointed with the meal, I still enjoyed the experience. It is always fun to be in a buzzing atmosphere; and when you have great company with you it makes it even better. Still, at the end of the day, I have to give an honest review.
SIGNATURE DISH: Yes…I would say they are pretty widely known for their breakfast tacos, most specifically the “Don Juan.” This major taco seems to be the most popular dish to order, and with it being featured so often on television, it has become even more widely known. Also, their taco eating competitions have become ever more popular among celebrities and locals alike. In the end, it appears that the popularity of this one item alone will keep growing.
TASTE: As I said, I was not overly impressed with the taste at all. In fact, I (and Adam) was quite disappointed. :( This would be one of those cases when the dish was completely deceiving; and I will continue to be baffled by how delicious this taco looked and how little flavor it had. I mean…I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was just so bland that I would have given anything for a little flavor, which is hard to believe given it’s ingredients. So, sorry Juan…your famous taco is definitely NOT One in a Million!
AMBIANCE: This is one area that I enjoyed. I’ll admit it was nothing out of the ordinary, but it had the charm of a family owned place. It was small and quaint, yet buzzing with people that made it fun and energetic.
PRICE: The price was great. That big ass taco only cost a whopping $3.60, so even though I did not enjoy the taste, I did not feel overly upset that we spent to much on it. The only thing to consider is if you want a soft drink there, you do have to pay each time as they only have cans, so that can add up.
SERVICE: I was impressed that although they get really packed, were seated within about 15 minutes. However, past getting seated, I was not overly impressed. Our waitress was not very friendly and got a bit impatient when it took us a minute to order. She also did not seem to like that we were ordering more than one beverage. I mean…the nerve of us. ;) Anyway, our food was delivered pretty quick, which I was thankful for, but outside of that I did not think we were treated with the utmost southern hospitality.
Although I’m glad to say I have tried the infamous “Don Juan”, I’m sorry to say that I have to give Juan in a Million 2 1/2 ‘Little Piggies.’
Two weekends ago we had to privilege of taking a little weekend get-away to visit some great friends of ours, Dario and Jaclyn, at their home in downtown Austin. Admittedly, this trip had an ulterior motive, in that we wanted to spend time with them, but we also knew we could easily squeeze in 3 – 4 PCC-worthy restaurants during the trip. ;) In fact, I don’t think Adam and I can go anywhere anymore without thinking about what fun and famous restaurant we’re going to try on the trip. I know…it’s a disease! 🙂
Well on this trip, the first place on our list was the Hula Hut, an old favorite of Adam’s he would always try to squeeze in when passing through Austin during his work travels. We were recently watching an old episode of Travel Channel’s "Rachael Ray’s Tasty Travels" and were pleasantly surprised to see that she visited Hula Hut during her trip; and because we knew we were heading to Austin in the near future and Adam is a big fan, we thought it only appropriate to add it to the Pop Culture Cuisine menu.
Now if you are from the Austin or Dallas areas, you are sure to be familiar with Chuy’s, the uber – popular chain of tex-mex joints scattered throughout both cities. Well…Chuy’s owners (Mike Young , John Zapp and Andy Norton) also created the extremely popular Hula Hut in 1993. Located on beautiful Lake Austin, they decided this joint needed a jolt of life, rather than another typical tex-mex place that are scattered around every corner in the state. So why not mix it up a bit and pretend we are in the tropics? Thus, Hula Hut and the term “Mexonesian” was born. Yes I said it…“Mexonesian,” or in other words a fusion of Mexican favorites with a Polynesian/island flair, complete with palm trees, grass hutch tops, and tiki torches. In other words, it feels as if you stepped off onto a tropical island when you step inside.
Hula Hut is a massive establishment, but one that is packed to the gills on a Friday or Saturday night, especially when the weather is nice. Patrons love to be able to sit outside on the two back patios and watch the sun set over the lake while enjoying a drink. Also, free chips…and you know how much people love those! 🙂 Dario and Jaclyn arrived shortly before us and were able to put our name in for an outdoor table. In the meantime we were lucky enough to score an outside table by the bar and enjoy that same scene I described earlier. Unfortunately, right after placing our drink order, we realized our waitress was “feelin’ a little good” and was likely not going to be of much service. Yes…she was drunk!, but we didn’t let that ruin the evening, and by the time we were seated, it had all become quite comical. If fact, when asked if she was ok, she openly admitted how "wasted" she was from other patrons buying her shots, and we all had to laugh and tip our hats at her candor. 🙂
After being seated, I decided to order one of their fun lemonade type drinks as a fun start to the evening…
It was cool and refreshing and not too sweet, but as drinks like this go, because it was so smooth, it could be very easy to drink far too many. ;) So, I just had the one and that was good enough for me!
While we continued to chat, I took some time to peruse the menu, since I was the only one of us who had never eaten here. Unfortunately, while we were waiting that hour or so, I had managed to eat my weight in chips and salsa and was no longer all that hungry. Therefore, I decided I would order an appetizer and then take bites of Adam’s dish, which turned out to be ginormous! So, I ordered a stuffed avocado that sounded tasty and Adam got his standard Roasted Chicken Pipeline Enchilada.
*I want to take a brief moment right now and mention that I can’t find the stuffed avocado on their online menu, nor must I have read the menu that closely. Being that it is an appetizer, what I am about to show you, I totally did not expect…
I read "fried" somewhere in the description, but I guess I didn’t fully grasp that the entire thing was literally fried! Oh well, it still looked darn good and I dug right in; and that was about as far as I got…one bite in. I must have missed the part in the item description that mentioned some ingredient that literally lit my mouth on fire on the first bite (that’s cause it wasn’t there!!! L). I know I have mentioned before that I am a major wimp when it comes to spicy foods, and this was not just spicy…it was downright hot! So hot in fact that I didn’t really eat any more bites past that. If feel that if something has this much kick, the menu ought to say something…you know…for wimps like me. What…am I just supposed to know that it is fireball avocado without any mention on the menu about it? Perhaps it is a new type of avocado from South America that I’d yet to experience. I mean, it’s possible…right? 😉 Well, let’s just say that it was a good think for those chips and salsa, or it might have ruined my overall experience. But, Adam’s dish was so big and one of the Hula Hut’s most popular items, that having some of it completely made up for my dish’s failure…
I mean let’s be real…this is the enchilada mother-load! It could give birth to like 5 normal enchiladas! Truthfully, I think we should just call it what it really is…a burrito. J Needless to say, Adam could not finish the whole plate and I was able to get in a few bites, which were great. It is a huge corn tortilla stuffed with chicken and cheese and then topped with a cheesy sauce that has a nice zing (a NICE zing…not a light your mouth on fire zing!). It’s a simple dish, but prepared well and with flavors that go very well together. Adam felt it was not as “awesome” as he had remembered, but we chalked that up to the fact that we now live in Dallas and he has had similar dishes since living here, where as when he used to visit the Hula Hut it was a very unique dish to him. Still, nostalgia aside, he thought it was just ok, although he admitted it did hit the spot and he managed to put a nice dent into that pipeline (and Dario ordered the same thing and must have really liked it, because he completely finished his…way to go Dario!).
Hula Hut is a fun, hopping, joint that fits in an area that loves to be unique, laid back, and eccentric. I mentioned above that it is very popular around Austin, especially on peak nights, so it would be wise to get there early or plan to wait. In truth, waiting can be a nice time to enjoy the boats coming in, watching the sun set, and sharing drinks and conversation with friends. Still, if that is not your style, be prepared, because it is not a quick ‘in-and-out’ sort of place. As I alluded to above, the ambiance is really fun and festive. One could say that they really took the Island and Polynesian theme and ran with it. But, it truly complements the laid-back atmosphere, and as they say “Undeniably different…undeniably Austin!”
Our service (once we were seated for dinner) was excellent (good job Leon)! We rarely had to wait on anything, including our food; and given how busy they were, I thought they did a fantastic job. As far as a signature dish for Hula Hut…I’d say they don’t really have one in particular, but their pipeline enchiladas and tubular tacos, aside from being unique in their naming, seemed to be the most popular and most ordered items. As far as taste goes, although it may not have lived up to the expectations (and memories), I enjoyed everything I tried, and even think that had my avocado not been so spicy, it would have been delicious. In short…the food was all prepared well, quickly, and hit the spot, not to mention that their prices are very reasonable, as well, ranging from $7 – $15 for most of their typical dishes, which for the amount of food they give you, I think is a good deal. Overall, we truly enjoyed our experience at the Hula Hut, but would likely only return in the future to take in the scenery and grab a few cocktails with friends; and with that, I give the Hula Hut 3 1/2 Little Piggies.
