Hungry Monday- Red's Porch

Stay tuned this week for a fun giveaway! 

But, back to our Hungry Monday feature for now!

Awesome view, great location, delicious food, friendly service, fun decor

What more do you need?

Red's Porch is located near the intersection of South Lamar and Hwy 290. It's kinda difficult to see from the road, but you can't miss their big sign!

At the end of their driveway, you'll see why it's called Red's Porch. 

There is indoor dining, but the draw is the giant porch with the fantastic view. I went for lunch during August and with the shade from the porch and the hard working fans outside, we weren't hot at all! 

There's also a funky lounge area at the entrance if you're waiting for a table.

So the location and set up are great, but the food is the reason I'd go back.

I ordered the pot roast (ok, so I order pot roast everywhere I go) and it was melt-in-your-mouth tender with a savory gravy and smashed potatoes. I like it when potatoes actually taste like potatoes so that was a definite plus. I also got the spinach casserole which was a mess of spinach and garlic and cheese. Intensely flavorful, but I believe I may try something new next time. I also sampled the chicken fried steak and macaroni and cheese, which were both superbly done. 

(personal photo)

At lunch time, there was no wait and our server was very helpful and friendly. There was a pretty decent lunch menu, but I ordered from the dinner menu and took half home with me. 

Check out more info on their website

http://redsporch.com/

(Unless otherwise noted, all photos from the Red's Porch website)

Hungry Monday- Mama Fu's

Don't wok. Run.

Mama Fu's is a Austin-owned, fairly-young business boasting made to order Asian food in a fun and casual environment. When you walk in there's bright decor and a clean, modern feel to the space. At the Triangle location, if you look carefully at the large dots on the wall, they have little sayings on them that are all plays on the word 'wok' (Because you're mine, I wok the line; Wok tall). I still chuckle when I see them.


Keep in mind that this is not "authentic" Asian food. However, the dishes are super tasty AND much healthier than traditional Asian cuisine. 


All of the dishes come with your choice of protein -chicken, beef, tofu, and shrimp, as well as veggie only- and can be cooked traditional, which is lightly breaded in potato starch, or wok seared, which has no breading and is the healthier option. In addition, each dish comes with white, brown or fried rice, or egg or rice noodles. 

The best part for me is that extra veggies are no charge, AND since they make every dish to order, if you don't like anything in the dish you can nix it or exchange it for something you do like. So, for example, when I get sweet and sour chicken, it comes with red bell peppers... but, I don't like those. So instead I get green beans and mushrooms and snap peas and carrots and whatever else sounds good that day. The vegetables are super fresh, also, always prepared the day of. 

So, if you're aiming for healthy eating habits, get your entree wok seared with brown rice and pile on as many veggies as you'd like! There's also an extensive gluten free menu with many gluten free sauce options. 


My favorite meal is probably Potstickers along with the Honey Seared Chicken with Brown Rice and every vegetable on the menu (except bell peppers of course).

Other recommendations include: Mongolian Beef, Sesame Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and Pad Thai.

There are several area locations (and Mama Fu's has recently expanded to other states as well!). They have dine-in, take-out, delivery and catering options.  Check out more info at www.mamafus.com !

Hungry Monday- Kerbey Lane Cafe

On my first day in Austin, during the Honors Colloquium the summer before my senior year, my mother and I were looking for somewhere to eat near UT's campus. A student recommended Kerbey Lane Cafe and so we set off in search of this place.

 It wasn't the best experience in the world. First of all, we weren't used to walking that far and so the now reasonable walk seemed like quite the trek. Secondly, no one told us what to get! Kerbey Lane is good, but there are some menu items that make the experience much better.

I believe I got a turkey sandwich. It was decent but the experience was unmemorable.

Texas Highways recommended the Paris Texas platter- french toast and migas. Perhaps that's what the journalist had when they stopped in. That would not, however, be my recommendation.

Start with the Kerbey Queso (or Cowboy Queso if you like black beans!). It consists of a generous scoop of guacamole covered with white queso and topped with pico de gallo, served with bottomless chips. There have been many times when I come here just to get the queso and hang out. The servers automatically split the queso onto each person's bill, so be sure and let them know if you want it done otherwise.

Get the pancakes- whatever kind floats your float. There's generally a flavor of the day, but I'm partial to the apple whole wheat. These are fill-your-plate size and full of pancake goodness. Even if you get another entree, get a pancake on the side. Single pancake= 2.99.

With queso as a starter and a pancake on the side, your options for an entree are wide open. I personally very much enjoyed the Chipotle Chicken Pasta (no longer available), the Breakfast Platter, and the shredded chicken tacos.

If you're not a UT student, avoid the Kerbey Lane on Guadalupe St. I recommend the original on Kerbey Lane, because, obviously, it's the original. The charm of a house-turned-restaurant makes up for its small size. There's interesting locally made artwork and generally awesome service.

The best part of Kerbey Lane Cafe? 24 Hour Service! And everything on the menu tastes better at 2 a.m.

Hungry Monday- Torchy's Tacos

Happy Monday everyone! 

Hope your week is off to a fantastic start.

My weekend was a little subdued by a sprained ankle, which affects way more than I thought it would, and I am looking forward to a brand new week. (more about the ankle later)

Anyway, this morning  I wanted to share about one of my favorite late night frequents and lunch regulars. Torchy's Tacos!

Let me start off by saying- I. Love. Tacos. So I have pretty high expectations when it comes to my tortillas, fillings and sauces. And I tend to start craving tacos right as most places are shutting down. My first Torchy's experience came from just such a craving. Well lo and behold I discovered that Torchy's is open until 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends! When I got there, Queen was playing. The cashier asked how my day was liked he genuinely cared. I filled my drink cup with Dublin Dr Pepper from the fountain. And the tacos did not fail to deliver.

Since that day, I have been a big fan and frequent customer of Torchy's, and the reasons to love them have grown. They have several locations, including one food truck! They have a variety of flavors, and every time I try something new I am pleasantly surprised. Most have nice outdoor dining which is perfect if your furry friends like to join you for taco dining. They have two spicy ranch sauces- the chipotle and poblano- and I always get extra cups of it to take home. It's that good.

The tacos range from $2 for breakfast tacos to $4 for some of the meatier options. I normally get two tacos and it's plenty filling. I get everything on flour because I'm Caucasian like that, and I put the chipotle or poblano sauce on all of them.

My favorites are:

• The Trailer Park- flour tortilla, fried chicken strips, pico de gallo, lettuce and green chilies with poblano sauce. "Get it trashy" by taking off the lettuce and adding queso. Add the queso. It's sooo good. 

• Fried Avocado - a fried avocado, refried beans, lettuce, cheese and pico de gallo, with poblano sauce. Great vegetarian option, but still scrumptious even if you aren't! 

(photo from torchystacos.com)

• Baja Shrimp- hand battered fried shrimp, cabbage slaw, pickled jalepeno and onion, queso fresco, cilantro and lime, with chipotle sauce. The ingredients sound a little strange but they blend perfectly to make one flavorful little taco.

• The Democrat- barbacoa, avocado, cilantro, onion, queso fresco and lime. This is definitely a heartier taco. Don't be afraid of the word barbacoa. It's a tender shredded beef. And Torchy's version is not nearly as greasy as what you'll get out of a roadside taco truck. Yum!

What are you favorite Torchy's Tacos?

Hungry Monday - Threadgill's

Today marks the beginning of a couple of new series on the blog! Every Monday I'll be reviewing some of my favorite local (Austin) restaurants, diners and eateries, along with my personal recommendations, special events and fun memories. Stay tuned for Friday Food Truck Feature where I'll review the best food trucks and trailers across our great city!

So my first Hungry Monday is an Austin classic and a personal favorite- Threadgill's.

There is a north and south location and both have a great ambiance and history. Threadgill's has hosted rock and roll legends over the years and continues to put on great shows. Every Sunday there's a gospel brunch at the South location with a full brunch buffet to complement your religious experience, as well as a Blues brunch at the north location. Check our their calendar for live music every night of the week!

Each meal starts with their from-scratch rolls and cornbread. Those rolls are so dern good. Try not to fill up on them though. Their specialties are all the best comfort foods- chicken fried steak, chicken fried chicken, meatloaf, pork chops with apple sauce... but I live for their pot roast! It's not on the normal menu but if ever the special of the day is the pot roast, do not hesitate. It's your winner. It's tender and moist- none of this dried out stuff that's hard to chew. Served over a bed of mashed potatoes with seasoned celery and carrots, I seriously can not think of anything better.

Another seriously great perk is that all of the "vegetables" are bottomless. So go ahead and get seconds on that broccoli rice casserole. Or thirds. My favorite side dishes are- mashed potatoes (duh), broccoli rice casserole, San Antonio squash and sweet potato fries. David is a big fan of the mac and cheese, too! The servers are super nice so if you ask for a refill towards the end of the meal, you can take it home with you. And if you're poor like me, this is great.

Check them out!

The north location- "Old No. 1"

6416 North Lamar - Austin, Texas 78752 - (512) 451-5440

The South Location- "Threadgill's World Headquarters"

301 West Riverside Drive - Austin, Texas 78704