Love is in the Hair

My friends at social ding are hosting a Valentine-centric pub-crawl in the West 6th area on February 12th that promises weird-Austin-fun for participants while providing amusement for unsuspecting spectators. 

"Love is in the Hair" is featuring specials not only for wig-wearers at prominent bars, but also at three of my favorite food trailers in one of my favorite neighborhoods: Colibri Cuisine,  One Taco, and the Peached Tortilla.  Here are the deals:



Colibri



Colibri Cuisine, with Anthony Alaniz and his soon-to-be-bride Candy, will be delivering love via Mexian food on W. 6th and Nueces across the street from Little Woodrows:

- "4, 3, 2, Love": $4 Chicken Chipotle Quesadillas, $3 Taco-dillas, $2 Love Cider

- "Ménage à Trois" combo: $9 for any 3 tacos & any drink




One Taco

One Taco is dishing up the love, taco style just outside of Little Woodrow's on W. 6th & Nueces:

- "Love is in the Taco" combo: $4.25 for two new tacos made for this event

- "15% off" everything else on the menu

Eric at the Peached Tortilla just behind Star Bar is offering his Asian/Southern food fusionary blend:

- "$7 any two sliders and Belgian fries" - enough said



the Peached Tortilla

While the trailers are always center stage in my blog, I'll also mention the event-wide drink specials include $2 domestics and $3 wells (21 and up, y'all).  Check out the website for bar-specific potions.  And I hear Lucy's on South Congress is offering 15% off wig rentals with your ticket stubb - so get your wig on and get down to this fun event from 4p-9p on February 12th.

You can RSVP  at the facebook event page and when you buy tickets here, enter "Trailer Food Diaries" in the code to get your tickets at $10/head ($5 off the ticket price). 

Trailer of Lights is ON: Dec 18th

Exciting!  Trailer Food Diaries and partners are bringing another unique event to Austinites and those visiting our city during the Holidays.

If you're in need of family-friendly Christmas nostalgia in a funky Austin setting, come check out the first-annual Trailer of Lights event at Seaholm (the Power Plant) just off Ceaser Chavez. Trailer food vendors will be there to offer you samples from their menus at $5 or less and local artisans will provide you with some unique gifts for a fun shopping experience. Rumor has it we will be playing a classic holiday film between small sets from local musicians. Experience the swanky light display and come get your hot cocoa on for an eco-friendly celebration all for a good cause.


Saturday, December 18th
12p(noon)-10p


Seaholm Power Plant

*Free to the public; suggested donation of 1+ canned food item benefitting the Capital Area Food Bank

Please help us plan by with your support on Facebook: Trailer of Lights

Contact Tiffany@trailerfooddiaries.com if you would like to be an artist vendor or trailer food vendor.

A current list of trailer food vendors includes:
Hey Cupcake
Chi'Lantro
Torchy's (trailer repair willing)
Austin Daily Press
Crepe Crazy
Sugar Shack BBQ
Short Bus Subs
Colibri Cuisine
the Peached Tortilla
Kate's Southern Comfort
the Flying Carpet
Cutie Pie Wagon

Grab Some Lunch at The Gypsy Picnic

As we prepare for the first annual Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival, we are featuring the unique tastes you will have the pleasure of enjoying on Saturday, November 6th. Here is a look at the mid-day offerings from Gypsy Picnic trailers.
Continuing the exploration of one of the most popular questions I get asked, here is a question I personally ponder daily: What’s for lunch? Whether you have a friend in town that you want to share the trailer food scene with, or are just up for trying something new, I have you covered.

If you’re on South Congress, check out The Flying Carpet for some fresh and healthy Moroccan cuisine made with local love from the Souktouri family. While you’re in the area you might try the popular Mighty Cone, one of the landmark trailer businesses in Austin that offers a unique take of fried chicken with ancho sauce in a tortilla wrapped to go. Turf n Surf Po'Boys is another popular downtown trailer vendor who has a killer shrimp po’boy. You can enjoy eating it outside the trailer Ralph Gilmore green-built himself at their 2nd and Congress Av. location. Nick Patrizi, owner of The Jalopy, will slide you a gourmet rotisserie chicken sandwich from the top of his big rig that is as much a mural as it is an eatery over on 15th and San Antonio. For something south of the border, Kronic Krave Arepas is serving traditional Colombian arepas on 5th and Colorado.

Skipping over to South First, if you dine with 4th generation Austinite, John Galindo, at Izzoz, he’ll be sure to remember your name and order the next time you stop by for his tacos. Down the street from John stands the South Austin Trailer Park and Eatery: home to Torchy’s Tacos, Holy Cacao and Man Bites Dog. There you can sample tacos, cake balls, and hot dogs  - all in one spot! Further down South 1st stands Pick Up Stixx, home to chef, Cowden Ward, who is developing multiple sauces for his unique fare. Down on Barton Springs, you can catch some Louisiana fried pies at Kate’s Southern Comfort, where even folks from New Orleans come crawling back for more. Last but not least, if you are up in Pflugerville, be sure to check out the Multi-tasker sandwich from 86 This, which has slow roasted brisket with cheesy mashed potatoes.


Lunch on the fly? Austin is also home to many roving units that will post their locations and hours online or via social media. Try finding Chi’Lantro for a Korean/Mexican fusion experience or Mmmpanadas for, you guessed it, empanadas. Short Bus Subs offers hot, toasted sub sandwiches on freshly baked bread out of a short yellow school bus.

Can’t get out of the office? Most of these vendors will cater upon request, but ALL of them will be at the Gypsy Picnic, showcasing up to three of their favorite menu items. If you’re still wondering "what’s for lunch?" post-picnic, you can keep a Trailer Food Diaries magazine, featuring a guide to all the vendors in Austin, in your car. We are giving away 5,000 sample copies at the picnic and will distribute a full size version in time for SXSW. Happy eating!

Turf N Surf Po'Boys

- Location: Downtown - 2nd St. & South Congress Ave.
- Hours: Sunday - Wednesday: 10 AM - 3 PM
               Thursday - Saturday: 10 AM - 3 PM / 5 PM - 3 AM
- Number: 512-965-4679
- Website: www.turfnsurfpoboy.com / Facebook: Turf N Surf Po’ Boy
- Cuisine: Sandwiches - po'boys, to be exact

photo credit: JTpics.com

I liked cooking before cooking was cool,” states Ralph Gilmore of Turf n Surf Poboys.  Ralph brings his background not only in the restaurant industry but also his experience in designing and building custom homes and choppers to the table as the designer and chef of his trailer that is currently located downtown.  After buying the most raw and rustic unit he could find, he began molding the cart with a turf and surf feel.  The majority of the items on his décor are recycled and he used less than 5% of wood in his build-out.  Continuing with the overall green feel of his food trailer, Ralph buys his produce locally.  “I just wanted to do something that gives back to the people,” he explains about his choice to buy from Austin-area farmers.  

Most proud of his fried shrimp, it is also his best-seller.  Having opened in April of 2010, he has some advice for new vendors: “Watch out for August.  The heat factor, getting back to school, and last minute vacations puts you in the hole if you don’t have the capitol to get through it.  But if it’s your dream, stay with it.”

I don't think Ralph is hiring, but as the sign states - I will work for poboys!

photo credit: JTpics.com

Kronic Krave Arepas

- Location: Downtown - 5th & Colorado St.
- Hours: Thursday – Saturday: 7 PM – 4 AM
- Telephone: 606-369-5860 / 814.206.4090 / 512.968.0769
- Facebook: Kronic Krave Arepas / Twitter: kronickrave
- Cuisine: Sandwiches ...in an arepa-pocket


Brothers Nicolas and Andres Pombo, along with their friend Juan Carlos Delgado, opened Kronic Krave Arepas in September of 2010.  In addition to providing traditional Colombian mouth-watering arepas, Nicolas sees their food trailer as a way to share something nice about their Colombian culture. 

If you were to travel in Colombia today, you would find many different versions of the arepas the young men grew up on depending on what region you are visiting. An arepa is a cornbread-South-American version of a pita pocket that contains whatever fillings and flavors the consumer desires.  For Nicolas and Juan Carlos, their favorite arepa is the “Blondie”, which combines pulled chicken, guacamole and Monterey jack for the filling.  Andres might say his favorite is the “Don Pablo” which has pulled chicken, kronic sauce, feta and sweet plantains, or the “Mystic” which has sweet plantains, guacamole and feta.  In addition to the three described, Kronic Krave also offers two pulled beef arepas: the “Mariachi” which is embellished with cheddar cheese, and the “Carribbean Craze” which adds sweet plantains to the mariachi. 

The two brothers grew up in Bogota with a population of 8 million people, and their partner grew up in Barranquilla, where Shakira is from.  They all came to the states for a college education.  Nicolas completed a degree in industrial engineering from Penn State and his younger brother Andres is currently attending the University of Texas for supply chain management.  They have a third brother, Miguel, who is in law school in Bogota, where their parents live as well.  The entire Pombo family enjoys water skiing as a hobby and Andres is on the UT ski team as a competitive sport.  Juan Carlos graduated with a degree in finance from Arizona State.

The political climate in Colombia is changing with the inauguration of a new President in August of 2010.  The effect has been a diminishing of the terrorist groups and guerilla activity, although displaced families due to drug trafficking remains an issue.  Nicolas remembers being in high school and offering mentorship programs as a service to a smaller school for displaced children.  In fact, if you are interested in supporting displaced families due to the drug wars in Colombia, please contact one of these organizations: UNICEF or ACNUR which are international organizations, or Antioquia Presente is a local one from Medellin.  The Pombo family as well as Juan Carlos would consider travel to Colombia safe at this time and hope you will take a taste of the Colombian cuisine as a positive thing from their beautiful country.

Royito's Hot Sauce Streamer

- Location: Downtown - W. 6th St. & Wood St. 
- Hours: Monday – Friday: 7:30 AM – 10 AM
- Telephone: 512-242-4594
- Facebook: Royito’s Hot Sauce Company /  Twitter: royitos
- Cuisine: Breakfast Tacos. Hot Sauce.

 On the surface, you may think Roy Spence with his history as the “S” of the illustrious GSD&M advertising agency is an unusual suspect in the trailer food business, but his down-to-earth core values are the same as all the other vendors.  In Roy’s words, he is ‘working his way down the corporate ladder.’  He believes that America was ‘built on small’ and he is passionate about supporting local, small businesses.  With his trailer, he believes he is representing part of the larger movement to revitalize small business in America.

Although, from an advertising standpoint, he has represented such restaurants as Chili’s, Macaroni Grill, On The Border, and more, Roy’s experience with the food industry stops there and starts in his own kitchen.  “I hand made tens of thousands of jars and sent to restaurant owners and friends and everyone kept asking ‘when can we buy this?’  I finally decided I was cheating the world out of the opportunity to have a big dose of spice in their life,” Roy says with a big smile on his face.  After fifteen years of experimentation, Roy developed a unique and simple blend of fresh, natural ingredients that when combined makes ‘Royitos’ hot sauce. 

Down at the trailer, Chef Sarah hand makes the tortillas and all the food is made fresh from scratch.   Crowd favorites from their best-selling breakfast tacos include migas, chorizo and picadillo, although Roy’s favorite item on the menu is his hot sauce which is about to be launched for sale.  He is planning a family of items that will support the real magic, which is the hot sauce.  We can expect a line up that includes queso, guacamole, tamales and more in the near future.

The hot sauce represents two of Roy’s values learned from his father: keep it simple and don’t do mild.  In Roy’s words, “The hot sauce is not a burning heat but it’s not mild.  It’s one flavor now, right where people like it.”  While the ‘don’t do mild’ motto rings true in the taste of the hot sauce, the broader meaning is meant to inspire other entrepreneurs to not do anything mild in their endeavors and to truly live their dreams.

Patika Coffee

- Location: 2nd St. & Congress Ave.
- Hours: Monday - Friday: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
              Saturday: 8 AM - 1PM
- Telephone: 512-535-3955
- Website: www.patikacoffee.com / Facebook: Patika Coffee / Twitter: patikacoffee
- Cuisine: Coffee.  Pastries.


Andy Wigginton and Nick Krupa kicked their software careers to pursue happiness via coffee.  Their inspiration for Patika came five years prior to opening when they were on vacation in San Francisco.  “We came across a coffee cart (Blue Bottle) at the farmers market that had a huge swarm of people around it.  We had the best lattes we’d ever had.  Their original location was a tucked away garage door in Hays Valley.  We make it a ritual to go there every time we go back and have a quest to find really great coffee in great cities.”  

Patika is a Turkish word that means ‘foot path’ but also implies a hidden pathway.  Back in the 1500’s, some of the first coffee houses in the world were in Istanbul and they were outlawed for their popularity, so many of them would set up in back alleys and foot paths.  These coffee houses were the original speakeasies.  Since Andy and Nick were inspired by a coffee house that was off the beaten path, and since they are on a well-traveled beat downtown, the name Patika was a perfect fit for their other worldly coffee and refreshing teas.

The partners say that Austin is a great city to start high end coffee.  In their words, “The community is really supportive of small businesses, everyone is very laid back and has a very open and accepting attitude where if you want to try something different in a different way they like that and embrace it.  We have a great lifestyle – anyone that comes here feels it.  We meet a lot of tourists being down town and they talk about how Austin feels like a nice place where people are appreciative of outdoors and nice people.  Having lived in California, New York, and Europe, Austin feels like the right combination of big enough stuff to do but small enough with community – although we could turn the temperature down about 15 degrees.”

One Taco

- Location: Downtown - W. 6th St. & Nueces St.- @Little Woodrow's 
- Hours: Monday - Friday: 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM / 5 PM - 12 AM 
               Saturday: 2:30 PM - 2 AM
               Sunday: Noon - 6 PM
- Number: 512-539-7561
- Website: www.one-taco.com / Facebook: One Taco / Twitter: onetaco

- Cuisine: Tacos - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Late Night

Axel Beverido and business partner Tony Avila met through their wives who were room mates in college at Monterrey Tech in Mexico.  Before their venture with One Taco, Axel was working for John Deere in Mexico and Tony was an architect.  They mutually decided they wanted to be their own boss and pursued their entrepreneurial dreams in the trailer food setting.  With no family or personal history in the food business, the team purchased a Chevrolet taco trailer on craigslist and got started.  Whether you’re having breakfast or lunch with One Taco, the steak taco is hands down their best seller although other popular tacos include the fried egg, the beans and cheese, and the norte.  Alex and Tony are living proof you can change your life and become your own boss while working with good friends.

Kebabalicious

- Location & Hours: 
   2nd St. & Congress Av: Tuesday - Friday: 11 AM - 3 PM
   7th St. & Trinity St: Thursday - Saturday: 9 PM - 3 AM
- Website: www.austinkebab.com / Facebook: Kebabalicious
- Cuisine: Kebabs


Chris and Kristian first met in high school in Houston, Texas.  When they graduated, they went their separate ways but remained close in spirit.  Midway through their first semester of college, they took off for an opportunity to snow board and work at a hotel in Switzerland.  Although they wouldn’t be able to leave work very often, the guys took advantage of the live music scene and subsequently would hit up ‘restaurant 1001’, which was where the Kebabalicious trailer story starts.

Demir, a Turkish entrepreneur in Switzerland is who took Chris under his wing and gave him an opportunity to go into his big facility to learn how to do this style of food.   Chris says, “Without him I wouldn’t know how to do it.  He liked me, but I had to push to open the door and work with 52 turkish guys.  I had to do some smooth talking to get in.  Without that I wouldn’t know how to do any of the sauces.”  Demir started out 20 years prior with a little stand and it took him ten years to expand enough to get out of the trailer.  He is now running a million pounds of beef and lamb per week out of his factory.  Demir told Chris, “I can’t pay you but I like that you want to take this back to Texas.  You can’t ever come back to Switzerland and open a kebab stand – and put me out of business.”

So after their return, Chris was graphic design major and Kristian was a photography major at Texas State University (then known as ‘Southwest’) when they opened their test market in the quad.  Realizing they had a good enough product to impress the masses, they eventually took their trailer to down town Austin.  The official open-date for Kebabalicious as we know it was the week before Halloween in 2006.  Chris says, “We get a lot of Turkish customers that live here in Austin.  The first question they ask is ‘Are you Turkish?’ to them it’s a big deal – an American kid making Turkish food.  I tell them the story and it gives me credibility.  It’s a pretty curious thing for them to see an American owner of a Turkish kebab stand – they are always ok with it, but they are also my biggest critic.”

Each business partner has a rich cultural background, Kristian with a Costa Rican/Guatemalan/Lebanese heritage while Chris grew up with Peruvian/South American/Texan roots.  So the menu is globally inspired from their childhood through their experiences traveling.  Chris says, “Traveling was an eye opener for the both of us - it expanded our horizons with the different cultures, languages and food.  It was a big deal for us at age 20-23 in Europe.  I had the time of my life.”

Karma Taco

- Location: Downtown - 4th St. & Guadalupe
- Hours: Thursday - Saturday: 7 PM - 3 AM
- Number: 512-721-6820
- Website: www.karmataco.com / Facebook: Karma Taco / Twitter: karmataco
- Cuisine: Tacos - Dinner & Late Night


Alan Joers & Daniel De Leon are long time friends that met in Tampico, Mexico.  Alan invited Daniel to South by Southwest in 2009 to convince him to partner in purchasing a bar, but Daniel had other ideas.  He was impressed and amazed with all the food trailers and communities that were in Austin and proposed a new idea: Karma Taco.


It’s true what they say goes around comes around and the Karma Taco is no exception.  Alan explains, “At the beginning, a lot of customers wanted to pay with credit card but we weren’t set up for it yet, so we started giving food away for free.  It worked marketing wise – but for them they were saying it was ‘good karma’.  The people I gave free tacos too are my most supportive customer base right now – so I guess it was good karma.”


To the new trailer vendors getting started, Alan offers this advice, “I would really suggest to them to put a little more into their trailer.  I see a lot of trailers that are plain white.  For a city like Austin with so much art and music – be a little creative on your concept.” 

G'Raj Mahal

- Location:  Downtown - 91 Red River - Rainey Street District

- Hours: Tuesday - Thursday & Sunday: 5 PM - 12 AM

              Friday & Saturday: 5 PM - 3 AM
- Number: 512-480-2255
- Facebook: G'raj Mahal Cafe 

- Cuisine: Indian

Anthony and Sidney Roberts met at Sidney’s favorite Indian restaurant in Minnesota where she was temporarily located.  She started flirting with Anthony, who she thought was a new waiter but as it turned out he was the owner.  After dating, the pair started talking about mutual projects and formulated the G’Raj Mahal concept from their mutual work experience along with her imagination and his good work ethics.  Owning and operating a food trailer in Austin, Texas may seem like an unlikely journey for Sidney, who has an International Studies degree in Biochemistries for Medicine.  But the once a foodie, always a foodie theory applies to her.  She says, “I’ve always cooked.  I knew I wanted to be a chef ever since I was a kid – it’s addictive work.” 

Her personal favorite item on the menu is the Goan Fish Curry.  Anthony is from Goa, India so the couple brought in some Goan items to honor his history and genetics.  The vegetable korma or possibly the chicken saag made with fresh spinach (never frozen) are two of the crowd favorites under the palace-like draped outdoor seating area that is also home to the Austin Bike Zoo.   

When asked about her favorite part of the business, Sidney offers: “The most intriguing thing is as a chef, you don’t get to meet a lot of the customers.  But in this case, we are face to face with our people and a lot of them want to have a conversation with you. We’ve become good friends with many of the customers there and it’s also become a good hang out for the chefs when they get off their shifts.  It’s a good thing when we know chefs are looking forward to eating our food.”

El Naranjo

- Location:  Downtown - 85 Rainey St. - Rainey Street District

- Hours: Monday - Saturday: 11:30 AM - 10 PM

- Number: 512-474-2776

- Cuisine: Interior Mexican

Before calling Austin home, Iliana & Ernesto Torrealba used to have a restaurant in Oaxaca, Mexico from 1997 – 2006.  But when turmoil destroyed the economy, the couple moved stateside to continue their family business.  Iliana says, “We picked Austin because we have friends here and it’s a city I like.  It’s hard when you leave your own country, but I feel really welcome in Austin with the community.  I can call it my home; it’s green and beautiful, and the people are nice and laid back.”

The Torrealba’s are serving up authentic Mexican cuisine.  You won’t find any chips and salsa at el Naranjo because it’s not a traditional Mexican thing to serve.  Rather, you can order traditional food from Iliana’s birth town of Mexico City.  Her best sellers are the tacos al pastor, and the tacos las gringas.

Even though it’s a complicated food to serve in the trailer, Iliana enjoys making the mole the most.  With over 200 traditional mole’s in Mexico to choose from, she explains what makes a mole a mole: “It is basically a sauce itself that is a dish – you have to have dried or fresh chiles and a thickener component, plus some spices.  Chile is a vegetable not a spice.”  She should know; before she gets to the trailer in the afternoons, Iliana works as a Mexican Cuisine specialist at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio.  She is currently working to create an archive of rare recipes to common street food in Latin America and Mexico that also includes anthropological and cooking data in video and print form.

Colibri Cuisine

- Location: Downtown - W. 6th St. & Nueces
- Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 7:30 PM - 2:30 AM
- Telephone: 956-451-7427
- Facebook: Colibri_Cuisine
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex - done gourmet!


Being from the Rio Grande Valley, Anthony Alaniz has a heritage in providing gourmet Tex Mex.  Since he was five years old, he lived with his grandparents and remembers begging them to buy him a special food trailer just like the one that was next door to them selling snow cones and snacks. 

“Unfortunately we grew up with the males being served in the kitchen with the females cooking.  As much as I wanted to help, I couldn’t because it wasn’t part of our culture.  So the only time I could participate was with BBQ for Sunday afternoons.  Of our extended family, the males would be outside cooking and the females would be inside preparing the sides, rice, potato salad, etc.  Thats when I got to hang out with the men and they would showcase their specialty whether it was ribs or fajitas.  As I got older, as much as I liked the kitchen it wasn’t accepted - it wasn’t something to pursue as a career,” says Anthony. 

So after quitting his accounting cubicle job, Anthony decided to get his teaching certificate and taught fourth grade for five years.  That is when he had a life realization.  “I kept telling my students ‘follow your dreams, you can be whatever you want to be, stick with it’ - and I kept feeling like a hypocrite because I never pursued my dreams of owning a trailer food business.  Then, I finally made a decision to do what I always wanted to do.”  So he moved to Austin to go to culinary school at le Cordon Bleu and has been operating his trailer since October of 2009.  The first of his family to graduate from college, his grandmother and mother have both been to visit him at Colibri with proud hearts for all he has accomplished.

Big Top Dogs

- Location:  Downtown - 201 E. 6th St. - @Brazos

- Hours: Thursday -Saturday: 8 PM - 3 AM
- Telephone: 512-484-0050
- Website: www.bigtop-dogs.com

- Cuisine: Late night hot dogs

Long before John Dawson had his hands in the mobile vending scene, his grandfather was selling peanuts out of a push cart in Toledo, Ohio.  A Greek immigrant coming through Ellis Island at age 16 his grand-dad eventually developed his street food business into a brick and mortar restaurant/diner that was called ‘Clean Bite’ where John’s mother spent time as a waitress during the depression and war years.  So it was a bit of fate that John would develop ‘Big Top Dogs’ after traveling to and living in New York, where his grandfather started their family’s journey to pursue the American dream.
 

As part of his mission to provide authentic New York hot dogs, John contracted with Sabret, which is a New York family owned business that offers nitrate-free 100% all beef dogs with natural casing that are also gluten free.  In addition to the quality of his food, the stainless steel cart also lends to the authenticity of his business.  So what makes a New York Style dog so unique?  John instructs, “Take a bun and a stick, put some push cart style deli mustard on the bun, then put the dog down and add the sauerkraut with onion sauce (Vidalia onions and tomato sauce).  Mustard is the foundation of everything.  If someone wants ketchup, they have to do it themselves.”

Pick Up Stixx

- Location & Hours: 
  SoFi Food Court - 2202 South 1st St. - @Live Oak 
      >Monday - Thursday: 11 AM - 8 PM
      >Friday & Saturday: 11 AM – 6:30 PM
  Downtown - E. 7th St. & Trinity
      >Friday & Saturday: 9 PM - 3 AM
- Telephone: 512-234-2103
- Website: www.pickupstixx.biz / Facebook: Pick up Stixx / Twitter: pick_up_stixx
- Cuisine: Fusion Kabobs

Don’t be scared of Cowden Ward’s big sideburns and crazy eyes, he’s really a nice, cultured cook with 20 years of experience in the food industry.  Originally from Dallas and raised on Lake Buchanan, Cowden has spent time working outside of Texas in Arizona and Europe.  Having been in Austin on and off for 20 years, he finally sunk some roots, mobile though they might be, with his Pick up Sticks trailer.  Keeping his cool in the mass chaos of a busy run, Cowden likes to have the music blaring in his trailer.  He has everything from Tibetan Monk chants to Salsa to Metal to Stevie Ray Vaughn to Cowboy Junkies, Beethoven and Mozart, and his favorite – Junior Brown. 

In Cowden’s words, he loves this business: “I can do whatever I want.  I can play with food.  I’ve been known to run specials in restaurants and do well – so I can offer something different than what everyone else is doing (other than tacos and burgers).  There are so many other starches to play with! I’m going to try and run 20 different sauces – Mexican, Mediteranean, something weird like jalapeno tomato mint, or saffron pickle relish.  I’m trying to work with a local grower that is consistent with local produce and meats – that is where I can offer my special at market price and keep it real.”  And why does he do it? “To see that smile – to see people enjoy life a little more.  It’s a challenge to make someone smile through your food.”

The Jalopy Rotisserie & Press

- Location: Downtown - 1502 San Antonio St.
- Hours: Monday – Friday: 11:30 AM – 7 PM 

              Saturday: 11 PM -  3 AM

- Number: 512-814-8557
- Website: www.jalopyaustin.com / Facebook: The Jalopy - Austin / Twitter: jalopyaustin

- Cuisine: Sandwiches - rotisserie pressed

When Nick Patrizi graduated from The University of Texas, his family was very serious when they sat him down and told him he could do anything he wanted except something in the food and beverage industry.  Afterall, coming from a large Italian family with a history of owning restaurants they knew first hand the ups and downs of the restaurant business.  But instead of taking on corporate finance banking gigs, Nick decided to try his hand at the family business but in his own way – out of a trailer. 


The contrast of clean quality product with super friendly Nick in a white chef coat out of an old 18 wheeler is beautiful.   He uses an onion marmalade with reduced red wine, reduced balsamic and clove in a demi glace to sauce up his chicken and he has a huge pot boiling down chicken bones to make chicken butter with fun seasonings which takes 72 hours to make.  He has an asian-based sauce with oyster and sweet chile.  My favorite part of the ingredient discussion: “We have seven different peppers that I pickle (that’s a peck): anaheims, poblanos, hatch, serranos, etc.”  Nick’s Asian Chicken Hot Sandwiches are not a panini – he likes his bread toasted and caramelized so there is a little burntness factor to it, just like home. In case your mouth isn’t watering yet, he has a caprese, but instead of basil he uses a juicy spicy parsley pesto with a medley of six different nuts (not quite a peck) with lemon juice, serranos, garlic and olive oil. 


From Beaumont to Switzerland, Nick has seen many beautiful places in the world, but he chooses Austin to call home.  You can hear an eclectic mix of Rolling stones, Earth Wind and Fire, Lady Gaga, and more when you walk up to make your order from the Jalopy.

Best Wurst

- Location & Hours:
   E. 6th St. & San Jacinto:  Wednesday – Friday: 7 PM – 3 AM

   E. 6th St. & Red River:  Friday & Saturday: 8 PM - 3 AM
- Telephone: 512-912-9545
- Website: www.thebestwurst.com / Facebook: The Best Wurst / Twitter: The Best Wurst
- Cuisine: Sausages - Late Night

Plausibly one of Austin's oldest street food vendors is John Notarthomas' "Best Wurst".  The company had it's roots back in the early 90's when it was 'Flamin Hot' hot dog and hill country sausages stand which was renamed to Best Wurst in 1995.  Jon came down to investigate the Austin music scene by way of Syracuse, New York, a city also known for their mouth-watering Italian sausages.  As a musician, he loves Austin both as a fan and a player.  He says one of the occupational hazards of being a musician is you end up cooking/bartending/waiting tables/washing dishes for weekend cash and somehow this weekend job turned into a full time landmark business that is known as the mothership of bratwurst in Austin.

One thing that makes Best Wurst special is that part of Jon's mission is to hire other musicians.  He pays a decent wage and is really doing his part to support other young artists.  It was wages from Best Wurst that put him through St. Ed's to get a college education that he didn't get when he was younger.  Being an Austin institution, the Best Wurst has served some popular patrons including but not limited to: Willie Nelson, Mike Judge, Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray, Jenna and Barbara Bush, members from the Rolling Stones, Spoon, Asleep at the Wheel, and the Flaming Lips as well as many actors.

Being from a traditional Irisih Italian community in upstate New York, his concept is loosely based on Heid's hot dogs of Liverpool New York.  He hated the cons of modern day businesses and modeled his unique 4 x 5 trailer to suit quirky American neighborhood regional foods.  "Good eats doesn't have to be complicated," Jon shares, as he creeps up on his millionth sandwich sold.