6th and Lamar

One of the things I love most about Austin is the Whole Foods Market flagship store.  It truly is the most wonderful place on earth.  I have to wonder, is this what heaven looks like?

My love affair with Whole Foods started many moons ago... 

lets take a walk down memory lane, shall we?  

The first time I went was nearly eight months after I moved to the city. It pains me to think I went nearly three full seasons neglecting this gem of a grocery store.  Nay, the Whole Foods store straddling 5th and 6th streets, occupying one full block of prime downtown Austin real estate is more than a grocery store - it's a foodie's sanctuary.  

It was March 2011, during the heart of SXSW.  I'd just walked from work to Waterloo Records, 1.3 miles beneath the scorching Texas sun, mind you. (All for the sake of music!)  Virginia, Katie and I converged in front of Waterloo Records, anxious to witness Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears perform a free - I tell you! FREE - show in front of the record store, situated just across the street from Whole Foods.

PAUSE

Take a moment to watch this snippet of the pure awesomeness we experienced that fateful day during SXSW 2K11...

...and continue...

After guzzling a few disposable plastic cups of lukewarm beer, and dancing among the weirdoes that keep this city cool, we needed fuel before taking on the rest of the evening.  And that's when it happened. I crossed the street, passed through the miniature cafe garden and then a blast of ice cold air conditioning, and entered the prepared foods sections of the Whole Foods Market flagship store.

(Note: This is where my walk down memory lane ends and love affair with Whole Foods begins.)

Made in house daily (probably more like hourly considering the amount of foot traffic this location endures) is gelato, juice, smoothies, sandwiches, pizza, sushi, and breakfast tacos...oh, but it doesn't stop there.  There's Indian, German, and Greek cuisine (depending on the day)...not to mention some of the best barbecue in Texas. Seriously guys, you name it and they have it. That's all there is to it.

Oh yes, the store offers a full selection of standard grocery items, although each can be found next to an organic, vegan or gluten free alternative.  However where I find value in the most glamorous grocery store of them all is the bulk foods section.  There are dehydrated fruits,  every kind of grain, cereal, nuts, trail mixes and most importantly spices.  The holy grail of bulk spices.  (bow down.)

I'll be quite sad when I can't stop in for a Skin Rejuvenator from the juice bar, or a bottle of hand selected wine by their amazing wine enthusiast staff, but I suppose life goes on.  Right? Right.

It's true. I <3 Whole Foods.

I'll miss it dearly when I part from this city in the (very near) future.

Southern Comfort

If there's one thing I miss about living in the deep south, it's fried chicken.  Don't get me wrong, my mom lives in Austin too and makes damn good fried chicken, but this southern delicacy is hardly appreciated in a city where steaks, bbq and tacos rank supreme.

When I learned that Lucy's Fried Chicken opened a few months ago on South Congress, the cravings immediately kicked in.  They have everything you need to make a girl homesick for Mississippi.

Fried chicken,
collard greens,
black eyed peas,
cornbread stuffing...

Good beer on tap.

An insane pie selection, namely the lime pie.

Did I mention there was live music on the patio? Yep. 

I <3 Lucy's.

Good ole southern comfort, deep in the heart of Texas.

Papalote Lovin'

When Papalote opened in Austin earlier this year, I stopped by to check out the menu. It was really intimidating, so I panicked and left. There was a lot going on and tons of items I hadn't heard of. I felt like a complete taco novice.

Needless to say, it took me a while to return.

Months later I decided to give it another try... and oh. my gosh. Of the 50+ taco trailers and restaurants in Austin, this one was really impressive. Although the menu is a bit much, anyone working in there is happy to point out their favorites. In my opinion it's always a good idea to follow an employee's opinion if you don't know what to get anyway.

Now for the important part, we started with the Chile con Queso... heaven. I got the Puerco con Verdolagas and the Tortas de Coliflor, Ross ordered the Pescado las Brasas and the Pastor.

Our meals were brought to the table with two bottles of salsa, a roja and a verde. The bottles were labeled with which employee made the salsa and the date it was made! That completely won me over. Until I ate my food, and cauliflower became my new favorite taco ingredient (weird, I know).

Aaaand Ross made a happy plate. I polished off my Tortas de Coliflor and only had about 2 bites of my Puerco con Verdolagas because I was so full, which Ross kindly cleared out for me. Such a team player, that one.

Did I mention these tacos are $3.25 a piece? For authentic mexican food.. jackpot.

Sarah