Lulu B's

** Editor's note: closed in 2016

Finally. Finally!!!!

1) I went to Lulu B's.
2) It rained!!!

More on #1 in a sec. After the promise of rain by the local weather forecasters during the passage of 4 hurricanes this summer & fall (Dolly, Felix, Gustav & Ike), and how they were wrong EACH time, we finally got measurable rain today! I think I may have close to an inch at the house. Now, if only the humidity would go away, and we could really have a "fall."

Back to LuLu B's. I basically pass it twice a day on my way to & from work. It is a trailer, serving a limited Vietnamese menu, that is literally sandwiched between Austin Quality Tires and Office Depot, just south of the Lamar & Oltorf intersection. The trailer sits under a giant live oak tree, which provided me coverage as the drizzle started up again just after 2 pm today. Their menu consists of bahn mi -- the legendary (and elusive in South Austin) sandwich of French influence; bun, or vermicelli bowls, and summer rolls. I had the Chinese BBQ pork sandwich, and after asking the guy at the counter for his recommendation, he suggested the chicken lemongrass vermicelli bowl.　 They've got several gently used tables and chairs out under the live oak, each with bottles of sriracha and sambal oelek for the heat-seekers. I got my food, and headed home, getting a bit of a free carwash in the process.

The bahn mi was simply fantastic. Tasty pieces of beautifully char grilled (but not burnt) pork, which have a nice subtle sweetness to them. I could eat that pork every day! The relatively tender (as in, not too crusty) French bread is stuffed with the pork, thin strips of carrots, daikon radish, cuke, cilantro and either a jalapeno or serrano (it was fairly hot!). Absolutely stunning in looks and taste, and at $4.50, extremely worth it! The picture you see here is the other half of the sandwich, which I am about to eat for dinner!




The bun was good, though not as outstanding as the bahn mi. The lemongrass chicken has nice flavor (props to the guy at the counter); often you order a lemongrass dish, but it barely has a lemony flavor, much less lemongrass. This hits it. The chicken is on a bed of romaine and vermicelli noodles, with cilantro, maybe some basil (?), chopped peanuts, and a fish sauce dressing on the side. Overall, it's missing a pop though.... I think it needs lime juice. But it's very fresh, quite healthy, and I will happily return!

12 more days!

I leave on Oct 26 for a trip to Morocco.... I just bought a baby laptop (Asus eee PC -- it's adorable!), and I am trying to figure out all the ins and outs..... Here you see my assistant.... notice the size of the cat versus the size of the laptop.

S. 1st Street

South First Street is gradually turning over, and trying to make itself into South Congress. Still a long ways to go, but progress is being made.

The lovely local taco shack Torchy's has moved its trailer, and added a new one, Shuggies, in what's being called the South Austin Trailer Park Complex. A dessert trailer is supposed to be added too! A big open air lot, picnic tables, moderate parking, and really good food. Went with friends two weeks ago.... why am I not blogging about it until now???? Ooops. On the Shuggies side, I split a burger, which was huge, bacony, and delicious, and onion rings, which were slightly disappointing, but tasted my other dining companion's fries, and they were good. Their menu promises other fried delights that I must go back for!

Torchy's has an actual restaurant further down 1st, a bit south of Oltorf. Hit that today for a late lunch -- were we hungry by 2 pm! I had the green chile & pork taco and the beef barbacoa called the Democrat. Two GENEROUSLY filled tacos cost $7.04. Well worth it. The pork carnitas was tender and flavorful, and incredibly moist, though the roast chiles, and addition of green salsa didn't help with the messiness factor, and I was creating a small lake of pork drippings in my basket. The barbacoa came with an avocado slice, cilantro and queso fresca. The barbacoa was a bit greasy, but it must not have be too bad, as there haven't been any digestive issues this afternoon! Great local places!

And heading back north on 1st, we made a quick stop at Sugar Mama's, as my dining companion had never been. Today's picks: The Odd Couple (chocolate cupcake, with salted caramel cream cheese frosting) and theＥlvis (banana cupcake with peanut butter buttercream). Oh yeah! And, new offerings, as of today: a "shot" of frosting, available for purchase (only 75 cents!) in a little sample cup. Then, they'll top it with your choice of choc chips, pb chips, sprinkles, or coconut (I think I got those right....). Got the peanut butter w/ the mini choc chips, and it was worth every calorie! Brilliant idea! :)

Behind the thymes...

Okay, so I am a little lagging here.... I have had a couple of meals recently with my friend and restaurant reviewer Monika. Unfortunately, the little Hill Country Kitchen in Dripping Springs, was rather poor food. Country-cute decor, and friendly service, but the food needs major work.

On the brighter side in DS, Rolling in Dough ＆Thyme right on Hwy 290 is adorable (nice yard with prolific flowering plants for sale), and the BEST croissant I think I have ever had! I ate it the next morning for breakfast -- heated up, and had some butter with it -- so flaky and tender! The cats were watching me eat it, waiting for little buttery flakes to fall. These alone may be worth a trip out there.

Oh, and the new Home Depot out there..... practically empty, and there were a plethora of employees, and they were all friendly, and happy to help customers! Really, in a Home Despot! Now that's worth the trip!

Oak Hill eateries

Went for lunch on Tuesday to a Vietnamese place called T & N; it's in the strip center at 290 & Wm Cannon. Got there at 1:30, and there was only one other diner in the entire place. Not a great sign! The hostess was carrying a baby, and then disappeared with it to the kitchen. Hmmmm.

There were 3 of us total, and it took a few minutes to decide. We started with Vietnamese iced coffees. Yum! Fried eggrolls with beef proved to be mushy and very earthy tasting on the inside; on the plus, they really weren't greasy. However the spring rolls with char grilled pork were delicious. The pork had fabulous flavor, though there were a lot of mung bean noodles shoved in there too. Unfortunately, the peanut sauce was a bit watered down -- no real pop of peanuty goodness. (Admitedly, I make a mean peanut sauce, and I am very picky!)

For main dishes, there was the pho with thinly cut steak, spicy tofu & broccoli with rice noodles, and a lemongrass grilled chicken salad. The broth for the pho was quite tasty, but the steak had been immersed in the simmering broth too early in the kitchen, and it was grey and overcooked, making it a bit tough, not tender. It came with a side plate of nice and fresh bean sprouts, stems of Thai basil, lime, and a jalapeno. Lots of noodles in it too. The tofu dish seemed to suffer slightly from inconsistencies in the crispyness of the tofu -- some were more crisp than others. The grilled chicken salad was good, fresh lettuce & other veg, but I failed to really get a lemongrass flavor from the bites I had.

On the plus, the service at T & N was prompt, and the food came fast. While we were in there, two more tables filled, so we were't the only ones. The pho broth very tasty, and I've been dying for more of the pork spring rolls. The other dishes weren't bad, just not real memorable.