típico

'Guate! Guate! Guate!' will be forever embedded in my brain after spending nine weeks (so far) in Antigua/Guatemala City, Guatemala. The people have been lovely, the work I've been doing has been challenging, but the food has been excellent. I'm on a tight budget down here, but I've done a decent job of sampling a lot of what Guatemala has to offer. It has taken me a while to decide what I want to highlight, but it suddenly came to me the other evening (literally, it was dinner the other night). Every single time I see arroz, frijoles, y platanos on my plate, my taste buds do a little happy dance. I can not eat enough of this combination. I love the rice. I love the beans. I REALLY love the plantains.

 

We have a rotation of lunches at the project, as do most cafeterias, and Thursdays are almost always a 'rice and beans' day. Every third Thursday or so, we get the perfect combination of rice, beans, and plantains. This happened last week and it took me by complete surprise since I thought it was Wednesday all morning. The schedule at Safe Passage is such that my class in the morning has lunch at 11:30am and once all the morning kids have left, the staff eats around noon. I walked into the comedor with the kids and saw the marvelous black mush (the beans at the project are refried black beans) next to the brilliant yellow platanos and actually jumped up and down with excitement. Of course the teenagers in my class all laughed at me, but this isn't unusual. While trying to wait patiently for the clock to reach 12:00, I ran into one of my fellow platano lovers, Kelsey, and only had to say, "Guess what's for lunch!" She could tell by my smile and volume level that it could only be one thing. Platanos. They are, after all, the stars of this meal.

Don't get me wrong, I love rice and would eat it every meal without complaint. The beans here in Central America, I absolutely adore. But combining it all with the sweetness of a perfectly ripe and fried plantain takes the dish from sustainable to pure indulgence. I vow to make this back home, soon and often. I'll even make it for breakfast sometime since here it is considered a 'typical Guatemalan breakfast' or 'desayuno tipico.'

Other typical Guatemalan food has been great as well. I've eaten a little bit of street food, too, but they are quite different from food trailers back in Austin. It's usually just a few people (mostly ladies) around a little stand with a grill selling dangerously delicious food. I'll do my best to get a few photos of it before I leave for you guys. And, honestly, if I'm there taking pictures already I might as well eat and blog about it too, right? ;) Vamos a ver.

fancy dress

Once, during a dinner conversation with my roommates, I was asked if I could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life which I would choose. We went around the table and shared our personal choices and when it came to my turn, I quickly blurted out Thai food. It didn't really take me much thought at all. I love Thai food.

Kurt is a coworker of mine at one of my three summer jobs (yes, THREE) and we needed one more hang out before I left for Guatemala. Naturally, we ate at a trailer which seemed like such an original idea for a one-last-hangout-before-you-leave type situation, but turned out to be a popular choice on how to spend time with me. Anyway, he frequents a Thai trailer and has raved about it to me and when I can possibly combine good people with my favorite type of food, I jump on the opportunity.

Coat & Thai is precisely the trailer that Kurt loves. It's located along South Congress in the same park as Hey Cupcake! and Mighty Cone. Now, this stretch of trailers isn't my favorite and here's why: it's just too gimmicky-feeling for me. It's like it's trying too hard. It's on one of the coolest streets in the city, but that also makes it a bit touristy. It's really not the trailers' fault, they are probably smart to be there for business reasons, but I don't really like going there to eat. It makes me feel like I'm going to McDonald's in Paris (which I did, but only out of necessity). I just don't feel cool there.

With all that said, I was still excited to try a new Thai trailer. Especially one this cute and with such a clever name. They get extra points for both of those in my book.

As is typical, we walked up and started reading the menu. Thai menus can either be extremely clear about what you're going to get or very vague, there usually isn't an in between category. This menu was just the perfect level of whelming-ness (neither over nor under), but I still solicited the help of the nice girl working the window in making my dinner selection. I ruled out a noodle dish (I was feeling rice-y) and since Danny was getting a curry, I opted for an entree dish. I settled on the E-1 or Pad Ka-Pao with beef. Danny chose the Red Curry and Kurt ordered the Cashew Chicken. All three of us also got a beverage to complete our meals. Mine was the mango juice. The amiable girl at the window handed us each a number and we took a seat and chatted while we waited.

Less than 10 minutes later, we exchanged our plastic number cards for styrofoam containers filled with meat and vegetables in sauces next to scoops of rice. After taking photos (all with my phone again, lo siento), the food was still so hot I couldn't taste much. I did reach over and try a bit of Danny's curry and confirmed that Thai red curry is maybe my favorite food on the planet. And this one was really good. I should have negotiated a trade, but I was trying to be mature and hide my jealousy. I think I failed since I took at least 10 bites of his food. I'm just lucky he likes me and he didn't bat my hand away as it slid across the table to steal another spoonful. 

But back to my own food now, and I have to say that it wasn't spectacular. I remember the first bite of beef inspired me to think that it was a bit tough and possibly overcooked. The next was better, but I wished I had gone with chicken. The flavors were good throughout, but I enjoyed my bites without beef in them more since the vegetables held a better texture. I ate most of the dish though, so don't you dare think I hated it or anything. I just liked the curry better and after tasting that, mine seemed to lack the ability to hold my attention. Maybe I'm tunring into a 'Thai snob' but the Pad Ka-Pao didn't convert me to the Coat & Thai team. Now, if I had ordered that red curry the story could have had an entirely differnt outcome. Now I wonder how their Pad Thai compares as well.

I'm going to give this establishment 3.9 out of 5 trailers. They have their work cut out for them if they want me to be a repeat visitor based on the location alone, and I think they didn't succeed in overcoming that. I did find my meal plesant; way above the line of "edible" and even past "good" but just not into the "outstanding" section. The price was fair (around $7) for the amount of food and the staff was incredible. Maybe I'm getting harsher with more practice, but I'm sticking with the score. Don't hesitate to try it yourself and let me know what you think. If I go again, I'm getting that red curry with zero hesitation. Hopefully Danny gets the Pad Thai.

Guest Reviews (in the order I received them):

Coat and Thai, a quick fix for Austin's Pad-Cravings

The Thai restaurant scene in Austin is a funny sort of phenomenon. People here pride themselves on their worldly palettes and appreciate a broad knowledge of all things curried, spicy, and different. "You haven't had Ectipopian food?! When I was in Ectipopia, I swam with the Ectipoop tribesman who taught me to catch the [fill in the blank with mythical fish-beast]". Yeah, yeah, you were a badass once, and young. This kind of attitude seems to be amplified to a five-pepper degree by Thai food culture. People are crazy about their pad-whatchamacallits, and why not, they're delicious!  I can't count how many times I've been unknowingly thrust into a which-thai-place-is-best argument: Madam Mam's [You went to UT]; Titaya's [you graduated from UT and you fancy yourself on the up and up]; Thai Kitchen [you live nearby and you're smart.] With so many Thai food-loving Americans (hipster/yuppie/young-

progressive-family) flooding into Austin, and so few Thai people (the land-locked state of Texas is not getting less land-locked or closer to Thailand than the west (or east?) coasts anytime soon) the arguments seem only to be heating up.

Enter a quick fix to the "I want Pad-whateverthehell, and I want it now!" craze. Coat and Thai serves up all the usual fare you'd find at other Thai places and throws in a healthy handful of lesser known dishes. The menu is made up of family favorites of the trailer's owners and the love and nostalgia shine through. The food is very tasty, not my favorite but better than some [cough] [madam mam's] [cough] and comes quick with a smile. They've got a good selection of cold, canned beverages straight from the motherland herself and they're on display, which is always nice if you don't know what the hell a mangosteen is. I didn't but apparently it's delicious.

The one thing for me that wasn't stellar were the portions. I've gotten used to taking home another half-meal for later (I'm of the opinion that Thai is better the day after) and was a little let down to find out that it was all gone before dipping below the 2000 degree fahrenheit mark.

This issue is offset by their pricing. It's very reasonable, between 6 and 8 bucks a dish.

Go there, be happy. It probably won't be exhibit A in your case, but everyone needs an exhibit B, right?

-D

A certain sandwich chain says, “funny name, serious sandwich,” but with this trailer on South Congress it’s closer to “clever name, get there now!” I do have to admit, I was the one who suggested Coat and Thai. I saw it on the road craving some Thai food but pressed for time. I was definitely in for a treat. Usually I go with the classic Pad Thai or Pad Kee Mao, but since I was going to be guest writing for this blog I decided to try something new. I went with Cashew Chicken. Seems pretty ordinary right? Well, they threw in something I can never say “no” to. Well my friend that is the fruit of hospitality, pineapple.  The tangy blend of the pineapple with the spiciness of the dried chilis, just helped bring it all together. And the chicken was plentiful and very tender in the sauce. Very tasty, don’t miss this trailer. 

KL

adios austin

Hey folks,

I know it’s been a while since my last posting (sorry for that), but there is a good reason. I’ll get to that in a minute.

First, I need to acknowledge that the summer is over, and with it, my plan to experience a summer full of culinary adventures around my favorite city. Or at least, that was my plan in the beginning. Oh the beginning… the time I was nervous to take pictures of food and had no clue what sort of trailer culture there would be. But this is now. And now, I have fallen in love with trailer park eateries and the wonderful people that make their living sweating it out in those tiny hot boxes just so that we may taste the fruits of their labor. There is no way I’m stopping now. This blog just got a deadline extinction to infinity. I have barely scratched the surface of the multitudes of food trucks here in Austin and I have no choice but to continue to refine my palate at the same time as my writing skills. I hope you will continue to support this blog and eat with me for as long as the Internet exists.

However, with that said, I do need to inform the public that the blog will take a considerable sabbatical starting today. Well, really starting on September 20 (which is when I’m writing this, but I have no idea when I’ll be able to post it). I have a few posts that are in the works still and I will get those up as soon as I can, but there will be a significant delay. You see, I’m flying to Guatemala today to spend three months learning Spanish, absorbing as much of the culture as I can, and loving on as many people as I come into contact with.

Yes, I’ll be eating food there and I’ll probably write about it, but that won’t be my main focus. While I am passionate about good food, that passion pales in comparison to my heart’s number one love: loving people and helping them in whatever way I can (especially children). In that light, I’m primarily going to be volunteering at Safe Passage (Camino Seguro) in Guatemala City. This organization provides educational opportunities for the children and families that live and work in the city’s landfill (among many other things) and I am humbly joining the ranks of volunteers that live out that mission.

I won’t have much time or energy to spend on this blog, but I am not abandoning it. I will post the reviews that are in the queue at the moment, and I promise at least one posting about Guatemalan food (hopefully street food).

Thank you so much for all the encouraging support I have gotten in response to this blog. I never dreamed this little project would turn into anything that people would actually like to read and I appreciate you taking your time to be a part of this. I have learned so many things about food trailers, delicious food, friendship, and myself through this process and I hope that it will all endure the short break. I look forward to posting again for you soon, so stay tuned for more info!

Much love,
Shalyn Shanks

P.S. If you get a chance to go to the Gypsy Picnic, please eat something superb on my behalf! I’m quite sad I’ll miss that this year.

a little bit of this, a little bit of that

The Spaniards are really onto something with the whole tapas thing. I think it's brilliant to serve dishes that are small in size and anything but small in taste. Americans seem to be of the thought that bigger portion sizes are what it's all about, but I'd like to throw my support to the more appropriately managed plates of tapas. It works so much better for quality food. Honestly, they are also geniuses for inventing sangria as well. Good food and good drinks, what more could you ask for?! La Tasca is a charming trailer off of Barton Springs Road and this is precisely the spot to go when you're craving the great simple things in life. And when you want something that tastes delicious. And especially on Wednesdays.

This small trailer park also houses The Kitchen Window and Cha Thai, and now that the weather is starting to cool off, the appeal of sitting outside with friends at a trailer park is (or should be) growing.  This park was very nicely furnished and had a quiet atmosphere. Different from your boisterous trailer parks... more like a date-type restaurant than a block party with tons of people. Which was perfect for our impromptu Wednesday night date!

As we drove to the trailer park, we were slightly confused about where to park. Let me give you the insider's scoop: you're allowed to park INSIDE the trailer park. We ended up illegally parking in a nearby restaurant's lot and walking, but it turned out alright. Now we (and you) know, we can park right next to the trailers themselves. We saw one guy do it and he looked really cool for knowing this, which encourages me to visit again so I can be in the know and look really cool too. Like when I figured out which was the "cool kid" door to use to walk into my high school. It's a good story, ask me about it sometime.

For our date to La Tasca, we luckily chose a day nick-named "Wino Wednesday" and with the order of two plates of tapas we got some complimentary sangria. We actually ended up ordering three dishes to share between us, and for once the decision making process was very smooth. Danny instantly knew he wanted whatever the daily meatballs were, and I thought the Spanish tortilla should be sampled since it's traditional. I also talked him into ordering the olive plate and boom! we had a meal. With beverages!

Sorry there isn't a great photo of the olives or the tortilla, we sat down at the picnic tables and an extremely charismatic 5 year old girl asked for my phone number and we became friends which distracted me from the duty of providing my readers with the best overall blogging experience. For that I deeply apologize.  Also, I feel like I chatted with that child for quite a while and was pretty hungry when the food came. The meatballs took longer than the rest (I blame Danny) and by that time I remembered to grab my camera.

All of the food was tasty, but I humbly state that Danny was right to order the daily meatballs. They were phenomenal. I don't know if I've ever sampled goat meat before, but I will not hesitate to do so again in the future based on this experience. The flavors in the sauce mixed really nicely with the peaches and meat. Don't get me wrong, the tortilla was good as well, I just don't have anything to directly compare it to since it was my first Spanish Tortilla. I've had meatballs before and those goat meatballs were an exemplary example of the food. The olives and bread were very tasty, however I probably would order something else off the menu that was a bit more adventurous next time instead of  shelling out $4 or so for olives. I do need to throw a shout out to the bread here, it was crunchy on the outside, perfectly soft on the inside and just packed with yumminess. I saw on the menu that you could order extra bread for a dollar and I initially thought, why? After one bite I wanted to order a whole extra platter of the stuff. The sangria was cold and sweet and just perfectly topped off our meal.

The real hero of the meal was the meatball sauce. Danny loved it so much that he unabashedly tipped the tray to his mouth and gulped the remaining liquid down his throat at the end of the meal. Back off ladies, he's all mine!

La Tasca receives 4.5 out of 5 trailers for their delicious and frequently updated menu, lovely outdoor seating area, and complimentary sangria. The dishes are small in nature and so the prices may seem a bit high to some Texans used to larger helpings, but the quality! Oh, the food was so tasty!

Guest Review:

Tapas? whatever, just give 'em to me!

I haven't been to Spain, but I have been to La Tasca, and I don't know about it's Spanish speaking counterpart, but this place knows how to make appetizers. I don't normally like to eat little foods. Or olive-based dishes for that matter. Or, come to think of it, an entire meal comprised solely of "Toothpick" foods. But apparently I like tapas.

"They're 'not' [to turn a phrase] the worst." In fact, they're downright delicious. The eclectic dishes at La Tasca were tasty both to the mouth and the eyes. Great flavors, great presentations.

The one that I would really like to focus on here were the meatballs. I immediately thought they were a good idea--call me prophetic--but then Shalyn was like, ".........." And I was like "What?" And she was like, "Meatballs?" And I was like, ".....no?" And she was like, "[hahahahaha]" And I was like, "Dang, I thought this was 'merica." So we got the meatballs. And thank goodness! They were so goooooooood! The sauce was like, "DANG!" and the goat cheese was like, "MMmmmmm, shooooot..." and then there were peaches. What?! There were peaches? That's crazy!! Nu uh, it was good. It was the sweet girl in pig tails on the back of the motor cycle. Like, does that belong there? I don't know but it's sure tasty.

Anyway, I'd recommend the goat-meat meatballs with goat cheese and peaches.*

*Not for animal rights activists

Danny

best little coffee trailer in texas

Patika Coffee is a small trailer downtown on Congress between 2nd and 3rd streets, and after visiting once, I'm convinced that it's the best little coffee trailer in the entire state of Texas.

Danny and I made plans to have a super-date (that's what we call dates that last an entire day) and I wanted to kick it off with some good coffee. You know, the kind that's way better than anything you could make at home. I didn't want to settle for something that would only satisfy our need for caffeine. No, what I had in mind was something that was enjoyable and that would start our super-date in the right direction, leading to a day that was rich in flavor. Naturally, I do what I always do and looked online for a trailer where all our coffee dreams could come true. I read on Yelp! that this particular trailer had the "best cappuccino" either in Austin or that some people had ever drunk (!), and we simply had to find out for ourselves if it was true. We both ordered one: Danny's a large with an extra shot, mine regular with soy milk.

As we waited the few minutes it took for our drinks to be ready, I mentioned that I had read on Twitter that at this trailer they use the A/C runoff water to quench the thirst of their potted plants. Genius! These mint plants were thriving in this hot Texas summer thanks to the simple set-up. The guy working said he uses the mint for mojitos!

Our cappuccinos were ready quickly, and they were beautiful. This is exactly how they should look! We took our first sips and our minds were blown. These were the smoothest, most delicious coffee beverages in the world. I didn't even want to put sugar in mine (but to just top off the experience, I did add just a half a pack of raw sugar... hey, it's how I like my coffee). They were hot enough, but didn't make me wait half an hour to take a sip without scalding my mouth. We took them to go, but they didn't last long! Danny had nearly finished his on the walk back to the car, and while I usually don't manage to finish an entire cup of coffee, this was too good to put down.

 

This was exactly the fuel we needed to start the super-date and we ended up having a wonderful day. I bet it all had to do with the cappuccinos. ;)

This trailer gets a 5 out of 5 without a doubt. Go there as soon as you can and take me with you!! And get an iPhone 4, these pictures are again from my phone. They may be just as good as my little camera.

Guest Review:

Coffee-or-liquefied happiness?

Little trailer. Big dreams. Patika coffee on 2nd and congress reminds me of the main character in "The little engine that could" at the end of the story: Still cute and lovable but now also strong and popular.

A small trailer-barely sleeping two if used for it's traditional function-in a downtown location, Patika would normally be a small niche provider, quenching the thirst and sleepiness of the financial district's early morning elite. That may have been the end-all of their services if not for one very important factor: It's the best fuckin' cup-o-joe I've ever had. You heard me, "Fuckin'". Shoot, I mean, "You heard me, 'Best...ever'.

Shocking to say the least, yes. But not unchallenged. I myself read a review, not unlike this one (Less provocatively written, sure), that said, in an annoyingly undetermined tone, "That was the best cappuccino I ever had." and I thought to myself...psch, you ain't ne'er been ta Guatemala! Well, allow this snooty reviewer to remind you that I have indeed been to Guatemala and basked in the aromatic glory of world class coffee, and, well, Patika's got 'em beat.

That cappuccino was so dang light and fluffy, I really could have died. I'll be going back soon and you should too. Or don't and let your life continue in it's current course of crappy coffiness. 

Love,
-Danny

kudos, iphone

Callie and I made plans to go to lunch (trailer style, of course) on South Congress one day, and we really had our work cut out for us when we tried to decide where to go. If there are 1600 food trailers in Austin, 800 of them seem to be on, or around, South Congress. Luckily, it was a Tuesday afternoon and the pickings were slim. I used a variety of online tools to help me find a trailer that was open and chose Crepes Mille as our destination. I met Callie at Dominican Joe's coffee shop, a typical place to find my friend, and we set out for our crepe fest. Upon arrival we both realized the 'cash only' sign required a trip to the Automated Teller Machine. Luckily, there is one on the same corner that charges the low, low convenience fee of $4. This prompted the conversation of how one could get themselves an ATM and start raking in $4 every time someone used it. If you have business advice for us concerning this, please contact me!

 

 

I have driven past this trailer a few times a week for the past year at least, and I always love seeing the sign. It's such a happy, hopeful, colorful sign! It fits right in with the rest of the South Congress vibe. The menu follows the same pattern of joyfulness and is helpfully broken down into savory vs. sweet and meat lovers vs. vegetarians. This is probably one of the clearest trailer menus I've ever read, to be honest, and I really appreciate that. It made the stress I usually feel when it comes to deciding on a meal far less debilitating. Since I had slept in till 11 that day, I was still in the breakfasty or brunchy mood and I ordered the vegetarian omelet savory crepe. Callie struggled to make up her mind, but eventually settled on creating her own easy crepe. She opted for the classic nutella and banana sweet crepe. We understood at that point that sharing would probably be our best bet, which is exactly how I prefer my trailering. I also got a Thai coffee since I can't seem to resist them once my boyfriend introduced us.

Now, I know crepes. I studied French in high school, visited a few French cities on my study abroad trip, and shared a room with a French girl, Manon, while I lived in Sydney. I have had some great meals tucked into those delicious thin pancakes, but this crepe omelet was out of this world. Everything about it worked and meshed together flawlessly. The egg, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions were all cooked and seasoned perfectly and it was as if the crepe itself was hugging it all together with love. I did end up splitting mine about half way with Callie... mostly since I ended up eating half of hers as well. The nutella melted so wonderfully inside that warm crepe and the banana actually added a nice touch (remember, this is coming from a person who is just recently starting to like bananas). The only thing about this meal that was better than the food was the great conversation and verbal processing we had going on. ;)

 

These crepes themselves are a bit different, seeing as their makers are Thai instead of French, but in my opinion they might be better. Don't tell Manon! I loved this place, but the only thing lacking was the atmosphere. We were sitting right on South Congress, but I didn't feel blown away by the ambiance. However, it was only a Tuesday afternoon and I might be expecting too much. Perhaps in the evenings it's a bit more impressive. 

Crepes Mille gets a 4.75 out of 5 trailers. I loved their food, the service was pretty quick, and the location is hot (in the good way and the bad way). I can't go all the way to 5 since the atmosphere was alright and I would have loved to chat more with the girl working. I will definitely go there again to try some of the curry crepes though. Maybe on a Thursday since there is a rumor that if you buy two savory crepes you get a sweet one free! Who's in?

Oh! Small detail: all the photos were taken with my iPhone 4 since I forgot my real camera. Impressive, right? Thus: Kudos, iPhone. 

Guest Review:

Since moving to Austin two years ago I've been wanting to eat at Crepes Mille on South Congress for several reasons. First of all, who doesn't like crepes except maybe communists and Paris Hilton. Secondly, I've heard friends suggest Crepes Mille many times so when Miss Shanks said we'd be dining at this trashy-trailer-eatery I was very excited. That excitement was met with equal apprehension however when I checked the weather and saw a scorching forecast of 105 degrees that day. No worries though, trailer-eatery-eaters... the atmosphere of Crepe Mille caters to Texas' scorching sun and they provide a comfortable, covered eating area. Another great things about CM's atmosphere is that it's located in the heart of South Congress; look North and be flooded with Texas pride as you gaze at the beautiful state capital or to the South for an overwhelming reminder that Austin locals are, welp, just plain weird :). As far as the food goes I ordered a "simple crepe" with Banana and Nutella which turned out to be pretty good, but I would definitely recommend the breakfast crepe (which Shalyn got) over mine. Overall I think Crepe Mille is a fun trailer eatery to share with friends who are visiting Austin and want to grab a quick bite while venturing around South Congress. I'm not sure I'll ever have a craving to visit CM for a random meal, but it's definitely a trailer eatery to experience at least once if you're a local Austinite.

Callie