Monument Cafe

Monument Cafe

Georgetown, Texas a charming little town about twenty minutes north of Austin. Admittedly, I'm no expert on the city of Georgetown, but not much seems to go on here beyond jury duty for residents of Williamson County (hooray civic duty!). In fact I have been called twice, though I've never been selected. Georgetown also has a real culinary treasure in the form of the Monument Cafe.

Monument Cafe is classic Americana at its finest. It has the feel of a classed up '40's style diner and serves the kind of food you'd expect at such an establishment, plus a quite a few other items.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

I decided to start things out with the pulled pork sandwich and onion rings. The pork was excellent. It was nice and tender, and full of flavor. It comes served on a burger bun, with your choice of side. I opted for the onion rings, an excellent choice I think. They were perfectly fried, the batter was crispy and flavorful and the onions were slightly sweet and tender. If you're a fan of onion rings this side is a great choice for you.  

Turkey

We also tried the turkey plate. The turkey was a nice mix of light and dark meat and was served with a very nice gravy. It also came with three sides; we chose the onion rings, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. This meal was the very essence of Thanksgiving. It was a gut-busting plate of goodness that will make you feel like you're eating at home.

Fried Blueberry Pie

In addition to fantastic entrees, they also serve up some great desserts. On this trip we sampled the fried blueberry pie, which we got with a scoop of frozen custard. Personally I am a big fan of fried pies and this one did not disappoint. The crust was fried to crunchy perfection and the blueberry filling could not have tasted any fresher. We also sampled a slice of their coconut cream pie. It was easily as good as the blueberry. Of course, this was not our first experience with their pies- our friends over at Crave Communications hooked us up with one of their chocolate pies a while back. It was by far the richest chocolate pie I have ever had. In fact, it was the reason we ended up visiting Monument Cafe in the first place. So yet again, Paula and Cat, thanks for looking out for us!

In addition to the food there were a few other things that stood out for me. First, the customer service was excellent. My drink was never empty and the staff was attentive without hovering. Second, I really appreciated the fact that everything they serve is made fresh and sourced locally or at least within Texas as much as possible. The herb garden out front is a nice touch too.

Monument Cafe is well worth the drive and comes highly recommended your Food Junkies.
Official AFJ rating- 4 points of the Lone Star

Monument Cafe
Map
Hours:
Sun-Thurs 7am-9pm
Fri-Sat 7am-10pm

Kerbey Lane

So when folks from Austin read this they may be tempted to think,"Kerbey Lane? Really? It's not exactly off the beaten path. In fact I just had breakfast there the other day." While that may be true, the fact is that Kerbey Lane Cafe is a true Austin institution, a 'must-do' for visitors and an old faithful for locals. The best way to describe Kerbey Lane to someone who hasn't been to  is: "It's your typical roadside diner, serving all sorts of Americana, mixed with that key ingredient that makes Austin what it is - weirdness." They take American diner classics and put a different spin on them in a very refreshing and tasty way. There are two wonderful things about Kerbey Lane: the fact that it is open 24 hours, and its breakfast menu. If you want pancakes at 4am on a Tuesday? Done. Eggs at 10pm? You got it.

Cowboy Queso

Lets break down the menu categorically, starting with appetizers. According to the menu they have six or seven choices, but I was only aware of their queso. The Cowboy Queso may be the best cheese-related invention known to man. How can you go wrong when you start with black beans and guacamole, covered with queso and top it with pico de gallo? You can't. It's out of this world tasty. If you don't like black beans you can get the Kerbey Queso. It's the same thing, minus the beans.

 

Where to start with breakfast, the most delicious meal of the day? You can get your standard breakfast platter; eggs, bacon, toast, etc., or you can get one of the best plates of migas in the entire city.

"What are migas, precious?" you may ask. Migas is a wonderful mixture of scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, soft corn tortilla chips and cheese (cheddar in this case). As anyone who has grown up in the great state of Texas can tell you, it may be the second best way to start your morning. Second best only because Kerbey Lane offers the best pancakes this side of anywhere. Usually measuring in at about 4 inches and chock full of cinnamon and other goodness, cooked to perfection. You can't pick a bad one, although my favorites are the pumpkin and the blackberry.

Blackberry Pancakes

 Also deserving of mention, in the most loving way, are the Eggs Francisco and the Baked Potato omelet. The Eggs Francisco is basically Eggs Benedict but with bacon instead of ham, queso instead of hollandaise, with sliced avocado. This, for me, goes down nicely because I'm not a hollandaise fan. You get your choice of two sides; I usually get home fries and pay a little extra for a single pancake. The Baked Potato omelet is home fries, bacon, green onion, cheddar and sour cream. Also Kerbey Lane serves a good cup of coffee. You won't find Folgers here. Breakfast is most definitely the star at Kerbey Lane.

Eggs Francisco

 Lunch and dinner items are available as well. The stand out, for me, is the Portabella Sandwich. It's a grilled portabella mushroom with basil pecan pesto, tomato, and mozzarella cheese on grilled sourdough bread. I have had similar sandwiches at many restaurants, but they are never this good. Everything on it from the mushroom to the grilled bread sings in a harmonious opera of flavor that is as good to the last bite as it was at the first. Fantastic!

All in all, Kerbey Lane is a definite must visit; if for no other reason than that it's an Austin legend. I recommend ordering breakfast when you go, even if its dinner time, because you really can't go wrong with the breakfast menu. In most cases, expect to ask for a take-out box because portion sizes tend to be very generous. As far as the food holding up to reheating: I stuck my left-over Francisco in the microwave just before writing this article and everything, including the fried potatoes, came back to life wonderfully. This is a rarity for potatoes from most places. One last thing, the cost ranges from about $6 to $13, which isn't too bad when you consider the amount of food on your plate. 

General Information:
Kerbey Lane Website
Menu
Locations

Official Rating: Two Points