Tastes of Home
I missed a few days of Holidailies, so this is an attempt to catch up a bit. A mixed grill.
Jerky: The only reason for driving like a bat out of hell across West Texas is, well, besides out of the sheer boredom, is to get into Johnson City before 5:30pm, so you can go to the Whittington Jerky store. TA DIE FOR! This time, we cruised in at 5:24 in the rain. I dispatched the boy to walk the dog while I went inside to hurriedly choose my jerky. It was easy this time - no browsing needs. Two pieces each beef, turkey and the new one - pork. Oh, and four pecan pralines, please.
Beer: Usually one of my first beverage orders when I get to Texas is a Shiner Bock. It's available now everywhere, and I don't drink it anywhere else in the world. In fact, my current beer crush is Dos Equis Amber (oscuro). BUT drinking one Shiner Bock is akin to taking the local waters - it is a must to reorient myself to my home turf. But then again, I'm odd that way.
Salad Dressing: When I go to Threadgill's, I order a salad with jalapeño mustard dressing. I don't even like lettuce anymore (give me spinach, please!), but I will eat this salad. There's something about the mixed lettuce, the tangy dressing and the saltines that just screams home to me.
Black Beans: In the rest of the southwest, black beans are cuban. But here in Austin, for some reason, you can get black beans, whole or refried, with your plate of Tex-Mex. I should do more extensive research on this, but one of my fave things is a black bean tostada (chalupa) with Monterray Jack cheese, guacamole and fresh pico de gallo. Oy. Delish.
Suiza sauce: I guess that means "swiss" and I'm not sure if it's swiss cheese (probably not). But enchiladas suizas are local and divine. the suiza sauce at Trudy's is tangy and cheesy and creamy... just perfect with chicken. When the verde sauce is too much, and a sour cream sauce is too rich, the suiza sauce hits right in the middle. And I really haven't seen that in New Mexico or Arizona.
Salad Dressing Two: I have blogged about this before, but it's worth mentioning again. Sisters Sass Dressing, esp. sesame garlic, is worth buying a cooler, packing four or six bottles in ice and transporting it across state lines. That's what I used to do with a case of Shiner Bock, and now it's salad dressing. Hey, it's the 21st. C.
Jerky: The only reason for driving like a bat out of hell across West Texas is, well, besides out of the sheer boredom, is to get into Johnson City before 5:30pm, so you can go to the Whittington Jerky store. TA DIE FOR! This time, we cruised in at 5:24 in the rain. I dispatched the boy to walk the dog while I went inside to hurriedly choose my jerky. It was easy this time - no browsing needs. Two pieces each beef, turkey and the new one - pork. Oh, and four pecan pralines, please.
Beer: Usually one of my first beverage orders when I get to Texas is a Shiner Bock. It's available now everywhere, and I don't drink it anywhere else in the world. In fact, my current beer crush is Dos Equis Amber (oscuro). BUT drinking one Shiner Bock is akin to taking the local waters - it is a must to reorient myself to my home turf. But then again, I'm odd that way.
Salad Dressing: When I go to Threadgill's, I order a salad with jalapeño mustard dressing. I don't even like lettuce anymore (give me spinach, please!), but I will eat this salad. There's something about the mixed lettuce, the tangy dressing and the saltines that just screams home to me.
Black Beans: In the rest of the southwest, black beans are cuban. But here in Austin, for some reason, you can get black beans, whole or refried, with your plate of Tex-Mex. I should do more extensive research on this, but one of my fave things is a black bean tostada (chalupa) with Monterray Jack cheese, guacamole and fresh pico de gallo. Oy. Delish.
Suiza sauce: I guess that means "swiss" and I'm not sure if it's swiss cheese (probably not). But enchiladas suizas are local and divine. the suiza sauce at Trudy's is tangy and cheesy and creamy... just perfect with chicken. When the verde sauce is too much, and a sour cream sauce is too rich, the suiza sauce hits right in the middle. And I really haven't seen that in New Mexico or Arizona.
Salad Dressing Two: I have blogged about this before, but it's worth mentioning again. Sisters Sass Dressing, esp. sesame garlic, is worth buying a cooler, packing four or six bottles in ice and transporting it across state lines. That's what I used to do with a case of Shiner Bock, and now it's salad dressing. Hey, it's the 21st. C.
2 Comments:
Okay, I'm drooling here. Trudy's is the best ever.
We grew up in Dallas with pintos for refried or regular beans with TexMex, but now you can find black beans everywhere. Just like we only had corn tortillas and the first time I was handed a flour tortilla in San Antonio I didn't like it, and wondered why they didn't know how to make "real" tortillas. Of course, now flour is everywhere, too.
But Whittington's Jerky -- is it really 30 bucks a pound?!?
I'm drooling, too. Trudy's enchiladas suizas are the best, and their margaritas are wonderful -- or were when I lived there 20 years ago. And you can't beat Threadgill's for good Southern comfort food. Truth be told, the thing I miss most about Austin is the food.
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