Garbo's

This review will be fairly short by our standards but illuminating none the less. We hope. A while back I was talking with my mom, and being the honorary Junkie that she is she let me know about a new truck that has popped up- Garbo's Lobster rolls.

"Lobster rolls? What the heck are they", you may well be asking. If so, sit back and be illuminated. Lobster rolls, for our readers not familiar with this New England treat, are comprised of lobster salad spread liberally on a fresh baked roll. What could be better than that? Garbo's serves up some great rolls done either Connecticut or Maine style. Connecticut style is served on a roll spread with tarragon butter, Maine is without. I opted for a half roll, Maine Style, and soup. Here's a quick look-

Lobster Roll

Roll- The bread itself was perfect for the sandwich, which is to say that while tasting good it knew its place. It had a nice fresh baked kind of taste without being too bready, if that's a word. If not, then I just invented it. As for the lobster salad, it was delicious and had very generous amount of lobster. Maybe I'm just used to crab salad which is usually made with krab, not crab, and seems to consist mostly of mayo. Not the case here at all. This lobster salad is absolutely delicious.

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Bisque- The soup offered when I went was lobster bisque. It had a nice rich broth, and again a surprising amount of lobster meat in it. I figured it would be just be a nice lobster broth but was pleasantly surprised to find large pieces of meat in it as well.

All in all this is a very good truck and well worth the visit. If you're interested in trying them, and I suggest you do, you'll need to visit their site for current locations because they are mobile.

Official AFJ rating- 2 points of the Lone Star

Garbo's Website

Regal Ravioli

Regal Ravioli

 This week's review takes us to one of my favorites of the basic food groups- ravioli. Ravioli for me bring up some rather nostalgic feelings. I remember fondly the sound of the can opener and wet plop as the "ravioli" came squishing out of the can in a single, amorphous mass. It was terrible. An unclassifiable sauce, unidentifiable and almost flavorless filling, and the pasta was way too soft from sitting in the mystery liquid that was passed off as a sauce. And I loved it. I don't know why. It was bad and I knew it. And honestly, every few years I find myself craving some Chef What's-his-Name brand "ravioli." I love ravioli, even the crappy stuff, so imagine my delight at discovering Regal Ravioli. Ravioli from a can this is not. Their Pasta is made fresh daily, and the ravioli are made to order. Here how it works- you pick out which of the fillings you want in your ravioli and a sauce to go with it. There are six of each so there are plenty of combinations. Here's what Dave and I have tried so far-

Spinach Gorgonzola and Lamb

 Spinach and Gorgonzola ravioli with the Lamb Bolognese. I had this the first time I went out. This combination has everything I like. The nice sharp funk from the cheese and the sharp gaminess of the lamb. All brought together with a nice tomato sauce with prosciutto. Fans of these two foods will surely love this combo.

Sausage and Fontina Veloute

Sausage ravioli with a fontina veloute sauce. Made with spicy Italian sausage, roasted bell pepper, with ricotta and mozzarella and smothered in a fresh veloute made with fontina, cream, and chicken stock. Creamy and rich on top of creamy and rich. This is a fantastic combo.



 

Cheese and Pecan Pesto

Cheese ravioli with pecan pesto. The ravioli is made with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, lemon zest, and nutmeg. The result is savory and just hint sweet, with a very deep flavor. The pesto was out of this world. Even Dave, who hates pecans, was blown away by it. One thing I really appreciated about this combo is the fact that the pesto, while fantastic, did not interfere too much with all of the nuances going on with the ravioli.



I found this place by a happy accident. I was on my way to see if East Side King was open. It turns out I was a little early for them but just in time for a new experience. Prices are reasonable and they are open from 11-3 Tue-Fri and for dinner 5-10 Thurs-Sat. Regal ravioli's slogan is "The Ravioli King of Austin, TX," and we have to agree.

4 Lone Star Points

Official AFJ rating- 4 points of the Lone Star    
-Matt

Regal Ravioli
1602 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702
512-364-9752

Izzoz Tacos

Izzoz Tacos

In the relatively short time since we started this little culinary adventure there is one thing that we have found to be consistently true: most of the best food in town seems to come from the trailers that are sprinkled throughout Austin. I have been asking myself for weeks now why it is that chefs with the ability to turn out such quality would opt for an AirStream over a brick and mortar operation or a job at high-profile and well established restaurant. The only answer I have been able to come up with is: Freedom.


Freedom not just to be your own boss but to create as you see fit. Freedom to make the food that you want to make. And these little trailers are the perfect venue for it. It could be Gourdough's Doughnuts and their giant sized mutant concoctions that make you do a double take. It might be Crepes Mille on S. Congress (they will be the subject of a future review) with their crepes stuffed with all manner of wonderfulness like Chicken Burgundy or Panang Curry. These little places seem to work perfectly because they are based out of a trailer. I can't imagine some of these places working in traditional restaurant setting. I wish them best of luck and continued success. Not only are they delicious and exciting, but they add so much character to our cityscape. They fit perfectly in a town like Austin and I hope that they continue to flourish.


After reading that overly long intro it should come as no surprise that this week's review is about a trailer. A taco trailer in actuality. I think the thing I like most about good Mexican food is its homey feel. The best Mexican food, even if served in a restaurant still has the feel of a home cooked meal. And at some of the better places in town, grandma really is in the kitchen helping to make dinner. I know what you're thinking, A taco trailer? Really? There's practically one on every corner in Austin and most are not that great. Well no worries because the place we went to was Izzoz Tacos, which is now one of my two favorite places for tacos.


Unlike my other favorite place, where grandma actually is in the kitchen, Izzoz is run by a very skilled chef, John Galindo. How does his food stack up to the standard? The first thing that struck me was how true this food was to it's roots. The second thing I noticed was that he is not trying to reinvent the wheel here. He has taken some of my favorite things and added touches that only a chef can, while staying true to the original. Take the Escobar, a Carne Guisada taco for example.

The Escobar

For my money there's really nothing better than a good plate/taco of Carne Guisada, and this taco is as good as any I've ever had. It tastes like it could have come from grandma's kitchen. It's just beef stew served in a tortilla and finished with a little cilantro, onion and tomato. There's no pretense here, it just wants to be a good plate of stew and achieves exactly that. The chef's touch comes in here as it is finished with a little fresh cilantro. John's understanding of Mexican cuisine is apparent because it is only a little cilantro. I don't know how many times I've seen some chef on TV (who thinks that he or she knows Mexican food) absolutely demolish a dish or a salsa by adding a huge amount of cilantro. So to any trained chefs out there: Yes, Mexican food uses cilantro but it's not the only flavor you're going for. It's powerful stuff, take it easy people! Maybe you should all go to Izzoz to see how to use it properly. Speaking of salsa, the Escobar is served with a made fresh daily roasted salsa. How good is the salsa? Chef Galindo told me that on whim, literally hours before it was to start, he decided to enter a recent hot sauce competition. So he quickly made a batch, brought it to the competition and ended up taking second place. In short, it's pretty awesome.

The Vegitarian

Ah, yes the Vegitarian sandwich. It is in my opinion this is one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. I have had tortas (sandwiches) in Monterrey, Mexico and this one stands tall among the best of them. Perfectly fried portabella mushroom, fried avocado with a sherry chipotle vinaigrette. You might be tempted to think that there should be some sort of meat on this sandwich. But let me tell you, this is quite possibly one of the most perfect sandwiches ever created. Everything here works in perfect harmony to create a sandwich that is very well balanced in relation to both flavor and size. If you just can't decide on what you want, this makes a good "go to" kind of meal. It is also served with a large side of fries. The fries are done exactly as they should be done: hand cut, perfectly crispy and lightly salted. They also have a little bit of roasted garlic added to them. Very nice indeed. 

Fried Avocado

Now for something that is near and dear to my heart: the Fried Avocado Taco. I love a deep fried avocado, in fact I made a batch a couple of nights ago. This is one of my favorite tacos of all time. I suppose it's not too traditional but who cares? If you've never had one, then you are depriving yourselves dear friends. A properly fried avocado should just about melt in your mouth like butter, and that is exactly what is accomplished here. The batter used is basically a tempura batter that stays crunchy long after being removed from the oil. The result is a perfect texture of crunchy and soft. The taco itself comes served with arugula, cotijachese and a sherry chipotle sauce. And yet again, these ingredients serve only to highlight the real star of the show, the avocado. Not only is the avocado fried to order, but it is cut to order as well.

John was kind enough to sit and chat with us for a while, which is a good lesson for any current or aspiring restaurant owner. Your customers will love it if you are friendly enough to take a personal interest in them. We found out that, not surprisingly, he has been in the business for quite a while, about fifteen years. His passion for food really shows in the final product. But this comes as no surprise from a person who on his days off is known to show up at his friend's restaurants and help out in their kitchens. Now that's dedication. It's a dedication that shows in the products he turns out.

Take the guacamole, for example. If you order a side of guacamole or if something comes with guacamole it is made to order at Izzoz. Why go to all of that trouble? Because it tastes better that way. In fact the guacamole is exactly as I like it- uncomplicated. It is just avocado, salt, garlic and lime finished with a little tomato. Nothing fancy, just good food. While the tortillas at Izzoz are not made in house, it's about as close as you can get. He orders them from a local tortilla shop called El Milagro, on 6th Street. But these are not the run of the mill tortillas either. He special orders them according to his recipe, and do not contain any preservatives. It's just the basic ingredients which is all you need.
 

So how much weight will your precious wallet lose when stopping by Izzoz? Not very much, actually. Prices start at $2.00 and go up to $6.00. You'll leave Izzoz with a full belly, and a plump wallet.Portions are also nothing to scoff at.


Lastly, in case there is anyone out there thinking, "Man, I'd love to cook like that," he's got you covered. John offers cooking lessons. If you're interested, check the Izzoz website for more information. Now get out there and get yourselves a taco!

-Matt

AFJ Rating- 5 Lone Star Points

Izzoz Tacos Website
Google Maps Location
1207 S. 1st St.
Austin, TX 78704
Hours: 7 Days a week 9AM-9PM

The Flying Carpet

The Flying Carpet

This week the Food Junkies decided to try a trailer offering what they call "Moroccan Burgers." I don't know that I would call them burgers, but they were certainly tasty. We were joined by my close friends, Sean and Laura, for this tasty excursion.

How does one describe Moroccan food? First, in case you don't own a map, Morocco is located on the northwestern corner of Africa, directly across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain. Its inhabitants are the descendants of the people who ruled Spain from about the year 700 AD until 1492 AD. In 1492, other than Columbus sailing an ocean of some color or other, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella finally drove the Muslims from the Spanish land, completing the Reconquista. Sorry, as a history major, I really couldn't resist adding a little background. Morocco was, in ancient times, one of the major centers of the spice trade coming from Asia going to Europe, and its cuisine shows this fact. Moroccan food has great spice and depth of flavor found only in countries where the spice trade made its mark in a big way. Indian and Ethiopia are other examples of "spice trade cuisine," though markedly different from Moroccan food.

The Sleek Vegan

The Flying Carpet serve three different main items:, The Moroccan Burger, The Sleek Vegetarian and The Sleek Vegan. The also offer fries or a salad as a side. We were able to cover everything except the salad, because they did not have any available for sale. Oh well, maybe next time. All of the sandwiches come wrapped in a pita and are served with a sauce they call L'Afrique, a tangy, slightly spicy mayonnaise type sauce. The Moroccan is grilled ground beef, a fried egg and mixed greens all in a homemade tomato sauce. This wrap is very tasty, well spiced and beautiful. The richness of the egg compliments the ground beef well and helps to cut some of the acidity of the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce is made, not surprisingly, with Harissa (pronounced ha-ree-sa). Harissa is a type of chili paste common in North African cuisine. It was nice and spicy without overpowering the dish or setting your mouth aflame. In all, it added a nice, balanced tangy/spicy layer to the wrap.


The Sleek Vegetarian is made with eggplant, fried egg, greens and the same tomato sauce; very flavorful if you like eggplant as much as I do. The Sleek Vegan is the same as the vegetarian, just replace the egg with falafel. Personally, I liked the Vegan better. I thought the addition of falafel added a nice crunchy texture to an otherwise soft dish. One nice thing about this one is that it is a very satisfying wrap. When most people think vegetarian or vegan, they may think of something like a salad out of a bag; which is to say not satisfying and not particularly flavorful. In this case both wraps are quite substantial. The eggplant acts as a nice substitute for meat in this case. Not that it tastes like meat or that you'll mistake it for meat. It adds a nice amount of substance to the wrap, much like a grilled or sauteed portabello mushroom can be used to add substance to a vegetarian sandwich. The result is a very tasty and very satisfying dish. The french fries are well fried, just crunchy enough without being tooth-shatteringly hard. This is a difficult technique to pull off, and one that many places fail at - not The Flying Carpet though. In addition to being salted, the fries also have a little black pepper added to them, which is a nice touch .

The Moroccan

There is one thing I would like to point out that I caught on their website: They use 100% hormone and antibiotic free ground beef that has been vegetarian fed as well as eggs from cage free, vegetarian fed chickens. I know to many people this is not the sort of thing they ever think about, but the difference to the planet and your health is worth it. Cost wise you are looking at $6.50 for the Moroccan or Vegetarian or $6 for the Vegan. Fries are $1.50 for a small basket and drinks are all about $2. All told, you can get a very good dinner for around $10; a great deal, honestly. The Flying Carpet certainly makes a nice addition to to the trailer scene here. I hope to see more ethnic based trailers popping up soon. Maybe an Indian trailer? I'd certainly be okay with that!

General Information:
Website/Menu
Google Maps Location
Hours: Wed-Fri 5:30pm-8:30pm; Sat 12:30pm-3pm, 5pm-8:30pm; Sun 12pm-5pm
Phone: (512) 744-5651



Official AFJ Rating: Two Points