Franklin Barbecue: Come Early, Leave Full

Posted by Guest Blogger: Korn on the Koby

I must’ve driven past this place a hundred times during college and never even knew it existed. My co-worker, Jen, so gratefully told me about Franklin BBQ, and I knew I had to try it. After reading the Franklin Barbecue reviews on Yelp, I began foaming at the mouth. Espresso barbecue sauce? Check. Inexpensive? Check. Accepts credit cards? Check mate. I planned to go with my friend Nick, but he felt under the weather leaving me in quite the predicament: I could go by myself or I could wait another day to go. After envisioning how the brisket and pork ribs would taste, the decision was easy. I would go by myself…and go the following day, too.

Come Early

Franklin BBQ is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. But make sure you go early! All of the reviews on Yelp said to, and I’m saying to as well. The line forms fast and is by no means quick. I arrived at 10:55 am on a gloomy day and was luckily the first person in line. However, by the time I had left, the line was already 12 people deep.

Leave Full

Come with a large appetite and prepare to leave full – this plate will fill you up. I got the 2 meat plate: fatty brisket and pork ribs. You could see the brisket glistening – it was a glorious sight. Both the brisket and pork ribs were downright tasty. I tried a sample pork rib while I was waiting to pay, and right then and there I knew I had made an awesome decision. And their espresso barbecue sauce complemented the meat oh so perfectly. The plate also came with my choice of 2 sides. Compared to the barbecue, the sides were just okay. I got the potato salad and cole slaw, but they also have beans as an option. I was completely full when I finished my plate. Any more food would’ve been too much.

2nd Round

My second experience with Franklin Barbecue was just as tasty as the first. However, Franklin won the battle the second time, and I had to throw in the towel and take home leftovers. :)

Local Taco Stand Proves There Actually Is Some Use For Twitter

Posted by Guest Blogger: Brett Wurst

Taco fans & foodies alike will both find what they are looking for at the newest of the ever-growing population of food trucks. This haven I speak of is called Chi’Lantro. The name is a play on the Korean word Kimchi and the herb your previous favorite Mexican taco truck used to pile on your pastor, cilantro. First thing you’ll notice is that there are only about 5 things on the menu and all of them basically involve combining the same 4 or 5 ingredients into different packages. Basically you have tacos, burritos, burgers, and quesadillas. Stick to the tacos. The rest are good, but you’ve had them before from some other gimmicky place after ordering through a speakerbox, driving up to your second window and digging your toy out of a greasy bag. Everything on the menu can be filled with beef, pork, chicken or tofu but what really stands out is the sauce that all of their options are covered with. This Korean Chili Soy Vinaigrette is tangy with a bit of a kick and has a strong thai chili after-taste. If you’re looking to kick your order up a bit you can order a side of hot fries which are not for the weak of heart. I only recommend eating these fries at about 2am after you’ve already showed you body who’s boss downtown. They sell out often and move daily so be sure to check their twitter to see where they will be located next.

Recommended item: 3 spicy chicken tacos with lime wedges

Texas Cuban - Another Slammin' Food Stand

Austin has seen tons of food stands pop up over the past few years, so it's hard to try all of them. I've seen the black trailer on Lamar called Texas Cuban about as many times as I had seen Moo Moo's, but for some reason I was more resisting of this food stand. Boy, was I missing out! This place is killer. My boyfriend and I went there during my lunch break, and we split the Texas Cuban, which feeds two. It's a panini-pressed Cuban sandwich, made with pork tenderloin, ham, swiss, provolone, and pickles and it is the yummiest sandwich I've had in a while. It wasn't as greasy as the other cuban sandwiches I've tried, and I think it had something to do with how lean the pork was. It was pork tenderloin, and traditional Cuban sandwiches are made with a lesser quality meat, such as pulled pork or pork stomach. It actually tasted like a pretty "light" Cuban sandwich. You can get their cilantro mustard on request, and I would highly recommend it. It was delicious. The sandwich comes with fried plantains, but they also serve other sides like fries, mariquitas (a sweeter fried plantain) and papa rellena (beef picadillo in the center of deep fried mashed potatoes). Their drink selection was small, but good: Dublin Dr. Pepper, Mexican Coke (although I looked at the label, and it was in fact made with high-fructose corn syrup instead of pure cane sugar), Bottled Water, Zico, and Papa Mango Nectar. You can view Texas Cuban's entire menu here. I definitely recommend this place for lunch or an early dinner (the stand is open 11am-7pm Monday-Saturday).

Moo Moo's Moooooved

So, I went to go eat at Moo Moo's again last week, and it took me a couple of drives back and forth on Lamar to realize that their trailer had disappeared. My boyfriend and I were pretty bummed out, and since I only had an hour lunch break, we were also feeling pressured to find another place to eat quick. We turned on Barton Springs Road, and to our surprise we saw the old familiar cow painted trailer parked at Jack & Adams Bicycle shop. Ahhh, sweet. I could still savor those sliders once more. Unfortunately, they were still in the process of moving locations, so they weren't open :( But, at least Moo Moo's just Mooooved and didn't die.

Moo Moo's

Moo Moo's is a little food stand that popped up on Lamar a couple of months ago. When I first drove by, the owners (?) were setting up picnic tables and advertising their grand opening, which was incidentally the next day. The thing that caught my eye was their food stand. It was painted like a cow. And the name and concept were pretty cool too: Moo Moo's Mini Burgers. For the sophisticates, it's sliders. :) S o, a couple weeks later, I decided to give it a try. Their menu has a high-school theme, featuring Junior Varsity and Varsity sliders. As you would expect, JV burgers, such as "The Freshman" and "All-American" have basic toppings, like ketchup, pickles and american cheese, while the Varsity burgers feature toppings for more sophisticated taste buds, like avocado, grilled onions and chipotle mayo. There's also the "Lunch Lady," which is a custom burger with any topping(s) you want. The origins of this burger stem from an incident with a reviewer. Moo Moo's got the reviewer's order wrong twice, and felt so bad about it that they named a burger in her honor. Pretty cool story :) I opted for a "Prom Queen," which comes with avocado, bacon, swiss cheese and chipotle mayo. Tanner got "The Bully," which is THREE patties topped with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, bbq sauce and grilled onions. YUM!! The burgers are a decent size for sliders. The buns were a little sweet, which was unique, but nice. And let me tell you, these are man burgers. I was full after the first one (they serve two with the meal). The meat was so rich, that I swore they used sausage in their patties. I asked the cook, and he told me it was just a 70/30 ground beef mix. The drink selection was good: Mexican coke, Jarrito's Orange Soda, Maine Root Beer, Dublin Dr. Pepper and water. I've also heard their shakes are tasty, but I didn't try one. (Next time!) I wasn't too crazy about their fries, too greasy and limp. But, overall this little food stand was really awesome. Definitely worth hitting up on your lunch break.