Austin Cake Ball

Austin Cake Ball

Cake- So often it seems that the gauge by which we judge our social functions is by the quality of the cake being served. "Did you go to the Jones' anniversary party?" "Yeah, but the cake wasn't very good." Comedian Jim Gaffigan highlighted the importance of cake in the office this way:

"Hey, it's Bill's birthday."
"Aw, I hate that guy."
"There's cake in the conference room."
"...Well, I should at least say hello."

Seeing as cake often plays an important role in our social functions, it seems that it should be a memorable item. If you go to Austin Cake Ball, memorable is what you'll get. A cake ball, what on earth is that, you may ask. Well, it is precisely what it sounds like- a ball of cake that has been coated in white, dark or milk chocolate. It may help to think of them as cake truffles or perhaps as ultra small cupcakes. Austin Cake Ball makes some of the best cake I have ever had anywhere, anytime. For me, Austin Cake Ball was not a new experience as I had the chance to sample their treats at the Austin Film and Food Gala. Their cakes are all made fresh and each one has a deepness of flavor one might not expect out of cake. After all, most of us have been ruined on store bought cakes which primarily have the flavor of blandness with an overly sweet frosting. The folks over at Austin Cake Ball take real pride in what they do. Just talk to Ben, one of the owners, and you'll be immediately struck by his passion for what he does. It's a passion that has led the Whole Foods retail stores to carry their products in seventeen locations, and it's a passion that comes through in the final product.

Cake Balls

First, let's take a look at the Honey Walnut Brie. Of all the flavors offered this one was the most intriguing to me. I would never have thought of using a cheese like brie in a cake, but it works perfectly. This one is covered in a white chocolate coating and by all accounts should be extremely sweet. But the brie helps to balance some of that out while lending a real creaminess and background savoriness to the cake ball. Overall, this one has a very deep flavor which is no surprise considering all that goes into it- black walnut extract, clover honey, diced walnuts, vanilla butter cream, brie and a walnut topper. Without doubt this is one of my favorites.

Mexican

Ah citrus and chocolate, a winning combination if ever there was one. The Dark chocolate Orange cake ball manages to be both decadent and delicate at the same time. It's rich, moist dark chocolate cake with just the right amount of orange flavor to stand out. The coating is made of a dark chocolate confectioner's coating. The overall effect is both robust and sophisticated all at once. The Mexican Chocolate is a very interesting flavor as well. While not quite as dark as the Dark Chocolate Orange, it still surprises you with a very complex flavor profile. These are made with Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, light brown sugar, sweet cream buttermilk and Belgian chocolate butter cream. This one has an incredible depth of flavor and is just as rich and moist as all of the others. Oh, did I forget to mention the special ingredients- ancho chile and cayenne. You read that correctly. It has a little chile powder to give it a slightly spicy finish. Not so much that it burns your mouth, but just enough to provide a pleasant tingle to let you know it's there.

Finally, we come to the Tiramisu. This one seemed to be the unanimous favorite. It is made with- espresso, sweet cream, mascarpone, Kahlua, coffee extract, espresso butter cream and white chocolate confectioner's coating with a dusting of cocoa powder. One very nice touch is that the cocoa powder is applied just before the coating has a chance to harden which keeps the powder in place on the cake ball. Personally, I have always liked a good Tiramisu. The only issue that I have with it is that sometimes the coffee overpowers all of the other flavors. That is certainly not the case with this cake ball. You get that good coffee flavor without it stomping all over everything else. It's creamy and sweet and I think it's just about the most perfect of the cake balls.

In addition to single serving treats they also cater events and accept online orders. Your order can come in almost any configuration imaginable, whether as a self-serve type of centerpiece, single servings placed table side or as a cake ball cake. That is, cake balls that have been placed around a form into the shape of a cake. They add a very contemporary feel to any event and become quite a memorable centerpiece.

Pricing runs about $2.25-2.50 per cake ball depending on how many you order. Each cake ball is surprisingly filling.  It would be safe to say that after two or three cake balls you'd feel quite full. They are now offering refillable tins for those people (like me) that can't get enough. Just go in and pay a little extra for the tin, then bring it back in for a discount off of your next purchase.Whether you are out and about and want to stop for a quick break or are arranging some kind of event, Austin Cake Ball has you covered!

Austin Food Junkies official rating- 4 Lone Star Points

Austin Cake Ball Website
Google Maps Location
7950 Anderson Square #104
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 826-4824

San Francisco Bakery and Cafe

San Francisco Bakery

This weeks review takes me back to my days in school. I have been frequenting this family owned bakery since it originally opened in 1995 and have never been disappointed. From the breakfast sandwiches and coffee that I used to get before school, to the soups and pastries this bakery has always provided fresh and tasty food. The bakery itself is tucked in next to the Alamo Draft House Village and provides a great place to meet friends and enjoy some of the best danish in Austin. The Bakery also has the distinction to have received the "Best Clam Chowder" in Austin by Austin Monthly Magazine.

My wife Heidi, and I met up with fellow AFJ members Matt and David last Saturday, and once again indulged into the food that made up part of my childhood. I ordered my favorite sandwich- the Marinated Grilled Chicken. The chicken is moist and tender and served warm, padded nicely top and bottom with light and flavorful focaccia. Each sandwich comes with your choice of potato chips or veggie sticks (I went with the healthy choice and chose the chips). I also decided to have them add their marinated carrots to my sandwich. I kid you not, these carrots will change the way you view marinated vegetables. I spent most of my time in culinary school trying to duplicate these carrots but to no avail, so I order them with my sandwich and try to figure out what's in them.

Santa Clara

Heidi ordered the Santa Clara, a sandwich that comes loaded with turkey, avocado, bacon, sprouts, ranch dressing, and lettuce. Normally, this sandwich is on wheat bread but we subbed it out for their sourdough, one of the better ones that i have had in Austin I might add. The ingredients were fresh and crisp and the bread was moist and had a nice sour flavor that one would expect from a quality bakery.

Soup N' Sandwich

After much deliberation, Matt settled on the soup and sandwich combo. Unlike most places that only give you half of the sandwich you actually get the whole thing at SFB. The french onion soup that Matt had chosen as his sandwiches' counterpart came served in a traditional brown croc with a beautifully toasted layer of browned cheese and a crouton on top. The sandwich was roast beef cold cuts with provolone on sourdough. I have always loved a good deli sandwich, and this one was truly good. The sourdough is baked fresh and has just the right amount of tartness. The French onion soup was just right. The broth had a perfectly balanced flavor and was topped with a crouton and provolone cheese.

And lastly David, who in my opinion chose the best option of all. He chose to nosh on a couple of SFB's delectable pastries. He ordered two different flavors of Danish, plain cheese and apricot. The Danish itself is flaky and tender with a nice buttery flavor. The cheese spread is smooth, sweet, and just a bit tart, nice contrast of texture and flavor with the pastry itself. Dave thought the apricot spread was fantastic, sweet but not so sweet you couldn't taste the wonderful apricot flavor, very well balanced. These delightfully dainty danish pastries made a great start to the day.

AFJ Rating- Four Lone Star Points




Map
Website
Hours:
Mon-Fri: 7:00am-6:00 pm
Sat: 7:00-3:00 pm

A Cook's perspective: Molecular Gastronomy

Do you remember when the most interesting thing you ate was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Or maybe it was just the peanut butter because jellied fruit was just too far out of a concept? How about when, even though you didn't want to, your parents had you try a frozen creamy concoction that would possibly turn into one of your favorite desserts ever? What about when you discovered that people would pay money - a lot of money - to eat a a fried fish that has been gingerly wrapped with cotton candy much like a dust bunny from hell, just tastier?

Maybe this last thought is new to you, but then again maybe going to Gourdough's and eating a doughnut that is crammed full of pork and jalapeno jelly is too. Yes my friends, what has the world come to when the current trend is to take a pound of aged stinky French cheese and make it look and feel like noodles with the delicate flavor of a tree ripened peach? Sound far off? Not anymore.

Welcome to the world of Molecular Gastronomy. While mastering French cuisine is still widely considered the pinnacle of all that is cooking, there is a new group of chefs who are taking over from the old guard. Working late at night in what would more closely resemble a mad scientist's laboratory than a kitchen with little test tubes scattered across tables, cluttered with notes that look more like some ancient runic code than anything resembling a recipe for edible food. You would almost expect to catch a glimpse of a hunched over servant lumbering around his master while shouting "It's alive!"

For the last decade this culinary movement has been gaining tremendous momentum with its techniques being used in an increasing number mainstream restaurants, including the two best restaurants in the world. (#1 El Bulli 2004-2009 now #2, 2010 #1 is Noma whose chef trained at El Bulli). It's almost odd now to turn on Iron Chef on the Food Network and NOT see someone with a 5 gallon jug of liquid nitrogen pouring it into a bowl of liquid to render a smoking ice cream almost instantly.

But what exactly is Molecular Gastronomy? Simply put it is the study of why food works the way it does. At what temperature does an egg white start to coagulate and start to congeal, and why? Why does the protein in meat act the way it does when a very high heat is applied, and whether or not searing meat is actually sealing in its juices (it's not, by the way). Scientists who study in the field of molecular gastronomy want to know the answers to these questions and more. But how does this all lead to me being able to get popcorn made with liquid nitrogen? That's where Hungarian physicist Nicolas Kurti and French physical chemist Herve This come in. These two scientists arranged a series of meetings from 1992-2004 with culinary professionals to discuss everything from sauces and food flavors down to how to mimic and create specific textures using food. Slowly after this, more and more chefs started to become interested with what was being discussed and embraced the science, and started to look to the new technology that was available (including many pieces of equipment that until recently you would only find in a hospital or lab for growing bacteria) and how it could add to their style of food.

But why the big change? Why not stick to the ideals of Alice Waters and just use 'the freshest seasonal ingredients' and cook them simply but perfectly? The answer is simple: people got bored. Chefs got bored. With the availability of restaurant quality cookware at every mall, outlet, flea market, or unmarked van in the back of a parking lot, its no longer amazing that someone can perfectly braise a veal cheek without culinary school training. Chefs want to dazzle patrons. They want to have the feeling of being magicians and having their guests leave with amazed looks of disbelief and whispering, "How the hell did he do that?" Think of it this way- you're the head chef of a restaurant. If you could take a simple dish, tweak it slightly by employing the new techniques that this style of cooking offers and create a plate that now resembles something from a Buck Rogers episode, and induce the ooh's and ahh's from all of your diners would you hesitate? Also, who as a kid - when hearing that liquid nitrogen could allow you to freeze and smash something into tiny bits- didn't want to give it a try?

What effect has this had on the culinary world at large though? The implementation of these new techniques has caused restaurants the world over to produce new and exciting combinations of food that one may never have thought to combine, such as tobacco flavored ice cream, sardines served on sorbet toast, or the combination of caviar and white chocolate. This revolution - which, at first, may have seemed to be no more than parlor tricks cooked up by a few grad students with too much time on their hands - has been hailed as one of the fastest sweeping culinary trends the world over.

Personally, I love this movement. Not only is it interesting to see what people can create with a few grams of agar-agar (an algae extracted gelling agent) but moreover, around the world chefs are not leaving their culinary roots behind but rather incorporating these new techniques to give a new look and feel to the world's most traditional dishes. So the next time you visit a restaurant like Moto in Chicago's Fulton Market and you read through the menu, you might want to try and take a bite of it too.

-Alex

Soleil

Soleil

For the second time this month the Food Junkies have been invited to dine at special events at the new restaurant Soleil. Before we start this write up, I wanted to be sure to thank Paula and Cat over at Crave Communications. They organized these two events and graciously included us on their lists. Thanks again, we enjoyed ourselves immensely! After having had the chance to sample some of what Soleil has to offer, we know just how fortunate we are! So what is Soleil (other than French for Sun)? It is the new sister restaurant for Oasis, which as any Austinite knows is the place to go and watch the sunset while listening to music and having a cocktail.

View From the Patio

Soleil shares the same panoramic view of Lake Travis as Oasis, and the sunset over Lake Travis is truly a sight to behold. I had not been to the Oasis in about eight years, so the new look took me by surprise. Both inside and out Soleil/Oasis has a very striking look. I could probably go on for a while about how the place looks but let's face it, what we are most interested in here is the food. The food is fine dining all the way around. Even the simplest of dishes are elevated to a much higher level. Take the appetizers:

Bruschetta

We were given a very wide sampling of the appetizers offered. We'll start first with the bruschetta. There were several varieties offered, but my favorite was the taleggio and pears with proscuitto and arugula. The flavors were perfectly balanced with just enough sweetness from the pears to come through without overpowering the rest. The proscuitto added a nice compliment to all of the flavors going on as well. Another favorite was the mussels. Normally I'm not very big on mussels, clams or oysters. Some people really enjoy them, but they're just not my thing. After having had the Mussels Gratin at Soleil I can see where I was wrong. These come topped with croutons (the gratin) and a saffron sauce. The first thing you get is the nice crunch from the gratin. Then the very nice saffron sauce makes itself known, and last the mussels come through. They are perfectly baked- nice and tender, and their flavor comes through without being overpowered by the saffron sauce.

Osso Bucco

On our first trip out the entrees were simply brought out one to a table. It worked out well, and was a great way to get to know your fellow diners. It was hard to pick a favorite, but one of the more outstanding dishes was the Osso Bucco. The meat was perfectly tender and served with a tomato sauce, atop a helping of polenta. If you are a fan of Osso Bucco, give this one a try it will not disappoint. We were also treated to their fresh made pizzas. Personally, I have always preferred smaller artisan type pizzas like the ones served at Soleil. The crust is perfect on these, and perhaps because they are smaller it seems like the chef can pay more attention to the finer details. The result is a pizza with a perfect crust and well balanced flavors.

On our second trip out the entrees were served buffet style. All of the entrees were delicious, but the real standouts were the hangar steak and the rainbow trout. The steak is a beautiful dish to look at and perfectly tender. It is served with black olives and hot peppers. For those of you not comfortable with spicy food you might want to try something else, it packs quite a punch. The trout is absolutely perfect. The meat is tender and flaky, and has a nice mild flavor. It comes served with a brown butter-pine nut sauce. Chef George called the brown butter sauce, the "love." I have to agree, the love really comes through on that butter sauce. Nicely done Chef!

Desserts

We were also given a very wide sampling of the dessert menu. We sampled the Key Lime Pie, Tiramisu and the Turtle Cheesecake. While all of the desserts we sampled were delicious, the real stars here the key lime pie and the chocolate sundae. The key lime pie was one of the better examples of this dish that I've ever had. It had a nice texture and a nice tart flavor, but still just sweet enough. The lime really made its presence known without being obnoxious. But what made it really stand out for me was the addition of candied lime zest as a garish. It looked beautiful and added a nice sweet/tart layer to the dish. In fact Alex commented that he could eat a whole bowl of the zest alone. I have to agree with Alex on that point. The candied zest would make a nice snack all by itself.

The ice cream sundae was a very nice way to finish too. To the ice cream and sauce had a great flavor, but what really set it apart were the apple chips. Apple chips, you say? You heard right, this sundae comes served with several thinly sliced and freshly fried pieces of apple. It may seem a bit unusual, but it was a great addition to this dish. They add a nice extra bit of crunch and just a hint of salt to this sundae. I highly recommend this one.

I feel I would be remiss if I did not take the time to mention the service. The staff at Soleil is excellent all around. The kitchen staff has it together and consistently turns out some amazing food. And just as importantly the front end staff runs things efficiently and smoothly. The waiters and waitresses were all very attentive and very knowledgeable of the items on the menu. It was a real testament to how well George Thomas and Bryan Cromwell (the Executive Chef and General Manager respectively) run things. Keep up the great work, and we look forward to coming back soon!



Website
Google Maps Location
Phone: 512-266-0600
Hours:
Sun-Thurs: 11:30 am-10:00 pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30 am-11:00 pm

Cafe Java

Is there anything better than having eggs at 8:00PM, as dinner? I submit that there is not. I love breakfast foods, pancakes, eggs, bacon (or as I call it, the King of Foods). This week we tried to Cafe Java, on Metric and Stonehollow, right across from the Austin Community College Northridge campus. When I say 'we tried' I mean I finally dragged Matt over there, as I have been a fan since the start of the semester. My first experience with these wonderful folks was one morning, fresh off the bus on my way to school.

Country Omelet

Pancake

Last night Matt ordered a country omelet and a single pancake. The omelet was stuffed with sausage, cheddar and potatoes. This is a very good omelet and, as with all their plates, the portions are very generous. On the side are perfectly cooked hash browns, as a huge fan of the potato all I can say is I approve. The potatoes are clearly not frozen out of a bag, as they don't taste like cardboard like some cafes. I-Hop, I'm looking at you. They also have two specials every day for breakfast and dinner. One I had a few weeks ago that is worth mentioning is what they called the "Blue Plate" special- two blueberry pancakes with homemade blueberry compote, two pieces of bacon, hash browns and two eggs (the eggs, bacon etc was on another plate thankfully). The pancakes, as always, were perfectly light and tender with just enough blueberry and the compote? Oh dear me, the compote. This was perfect, not overly sweet so you could still taste the wonderful, slight tartness of the blueberries. This plate was an absolute winner, I would order it every time if it was more than just a special. Another special they often have is S.O.S., sausage gravy over Texas toast, two eggs and potatoes. As a good southern boy, there is nothing I like more than sausage gravy served over some form of bread product, toast, biscuits, ladled into my hand ( OK that isn't bread but I just love gravy). The gravy did not disappoint, I left perfectly full, with just enough energy to sleep through my composition class.

Flounder with Cream Poblano Sauce

Last night I decided to take a break from my normal and order a dinner item. I know what you're thinking, "All this talk of how wonderful breakfast is for dinner and you betray us by having dinner for dinner? For shame David, for shame.", well just hush now and listen so I can explain. One of the dinner specials last night was tortilla crusted flounder with a cream poblano sauce(three of my favorite words), served with Spanish rice and a vegetable medley. The fish was fried just right and the tortilla crust was a nice texture compliment to the tender fish. The sauce was well flavored, not too peppery and made a nice flavor contrast to the flounder. The Spanish rice was well seasoned, not overly spicy, and cooked well. The most surprising thing for me was the veggie medley. I generally am not a fan of this as a side, because most restaurants serve frozen vegetables, basically garbage. The vegetables in my medley, squash, zucchini and green beans, were all fresh and steamed to perfection. They all still had body and just a little crunch to them. This was a very good plate.

Price wise at Cafe Java you are looking at about $6-$10 per plate, so not too bad. This has become one of my favorite local cafes and I'm glad I found it.

 Official AFJ Rating- Two Points


Website
Google Maps Location
Hours-
Mon-Fri: 7:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Sat: 7:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.
Sun: 8:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.

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