First Look: Lunar Pizza (It's Outta This World!)

Editor's Note: Closed, fall 2019

Lunar Pizza has landed! While established as a mobile lunar rover, this new food trailer has planted it's pizza flag next to its sister Regal Ravioli at 1502 South First Street, across from Elizabeth Street Cafe. Earthlings rejoice!

The Lunar, aka cheese pizza

I was invited to try Lunar by owner Zach, who knows I have loved his ravioli trailer for years; previous post here. (Cheese ravioli with pecan pesto? Yes please! But don't overlook the sweet potato gnocchi with bolognese sauce.) So let's get this part out of the way, I was not monetarily compensated for this blog post and all opinions are purely my own.  I *dragged* two friends along with me, and we enjoyed a pleasant spring evening dining al fresco with our adult beverages we brought with us. And independently, we reached the same conclusion about Lunar Pizza: we loved it.

This is New Jersey-style pizza, which is known for a thinner and crispier crust and a little more sauce than its New York cousin. To me, the crust was the best part of the Lunar pizzas, and like a good apple pie, the crust MAKES a (pizza) pie.  Lunar's dough is thin, but not cracker thin, with a little bit of a chew to it, but not a doughy mouthful. It's unique and I dig it.

The deck oven in the trailer heats to 525 degrees. For a classic cheese pie, Zach spreads cheese over the dough and bakes for about 2 minutes, then adds sauce and more cheese before returning to the oven. This process helps the crust to bake to perfection. He recommends not putting too many toppings on the pizzas as it will overload the thin crust.

Zach, making pizza

There are a couple pies on the specialty menu, and Zach also brought us the Super Moon, a white pizza with garlic, olive oil, cheese, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and broccolini. A few red pepper flakes added a bit of zip, and this pie was outstanding. I always love a white pie, and as the song goes "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore." And for times when you don't want a whole pizza, you can also order by the slice.

The Super Moon pie

1502 S. 1st Street

Pro tips:

• Go directly to the Regal Ravioli trailer to order. All the orders and pick up is done from Regal and the Lunar trailer does all the prep and cooking.
• BYOB
• Order via Favor if you can't make it in person. (Not sure how well the crispness of the crust holds up.)
• Reheat your leftovers in the oven or toaster oven, don't make a soggy mess of the crust by putting it in the microwave.
• Monday - Saturday, noon - 10 pm; Sundays 3 - 10 pm

40 North Pizza

In the past couple years, South First Street from Barton Springs Road to Oltorf Street has become a bustling hubbub with various eateries and hip stores continually popping up. I've lived in the area for over 15 years, and it's nice to have so much within walking distance, especially when it comes to good food. 

The latest addition to the Bouldin Creek food scene is the 40 North food trailer, specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza. They are directly across the street from Elizabeth Street Cafe, and share the lot with Regal Ravioli, which has always been one of my favorites. I was invited by 40 North to try their pizzas. 

They offer six regular pizzas and then a couple rotating weekly specials, as well as some salads and dessert. Owner/chef Clint says once the weather is warmer, he hopes to expand some of the salad and other offerings. He was a lawyer in New York before deciding law wasn't his thing, and went to Italy to study the craft of pizza making in Naples (hence the name, as Naples is at the 40⁰ latitude mark), and then returned to Brooklyn and worked in a pizza shop there, before moving to Austin in 2011.  He hopes for a brick and mortar spot down the road!

Their trailer contains a wood-burning oven, which takes up almost half the trailer space. On this blustery February day, we were invited inside the trailer to check it out, and to see the oven first hand. You could immediately feel the heat! Those beautiful coals are burning at over 900⁰, and they actually had to cool it down a bit before serving pizzas; 850⁰ is more the ideal temperature, and pizzas cook in about 90 seconds.

The first one we tried was one of the specials, butternut squash with caramelized onions, ricotta, a bit of thyme, calabrian peppers, and a drizzle of Mike's Hot Honey (honey infused with chiles). Loved it! I am a sucker for sweet and savory, and all the components together worked extremely well. The crust which is very lightly charred at the edges, had a very nice chew to it without being overly dense.

Then we tried the hot honey pizza, which is a regular menu item; with a base sauce of San Marzano tomatoes, it has hot coppa salumi, ricotta, and a drizzle of the hot honey as well. The coppa crisps up nicely, and again with the contrast of the honey, it makes for a tasty pie.

Beautiful and delicious pizzas. 40 North knows what they're doing and they're doing it well. I definitely suggest you go check them out! They have live music on some Saturdays, so check out their Facebook page or website for updated info. A fabulous addition to the neighborhood!

Full disclosure: I was invited by 40 North to check them out, but was not paid for my opinion or a blog post. But I am happily and honestly providing one that I hope will make you want to go try them!

Recent Eats, part one

I got to celebrate my birthday at the end of March with my parents in town, which lead to many (ok, all!) meals out. So here's a recap of the highlights, as well as a couple of events I attended, and some other meals -- the good, the great, and luckily only one bad. I feel fortunate to live in such a great food city!

Birthday celebrations started at The Flying Carpet and Regal Ravioli trailers! Special thanks to Maria, Abdu, and Zach  -- these guys all do such great work (and both do catering!) -- go check them out and tell them I sent you!

Lunch at Sway, their tom kha soup had such a flavorful broth! It's also a clear broth, not a coconut milk-based one, and while it was still rich in flavor, it was relatively light. I could eat this everyday.

Brunch at Barlata; they have some traditional dishes like their take on French toast called Torrijas, with a wonderful array of fresh fruit, and this house-cured salmon was simple and tasty.

Dinner at Uchi, the one place my father HAD to visit while they were here, and I was more than happy to oblige. This was one of the nightly specials, perfectly cooked wagyu beef with sweet potatoes done three ways: pureed, roasted, and somehow made into light as air crisps.

An invite to Paggi House, to try their new spring menu. We were treated to a multitude of dishes, from delicious herbed butter with the bread to this tuna with coconut panna cotta (that's my interpretation of it at least) to braised veal cheeks over polenta (one of my favorites of the evening) to a marvelous grasshopper brownie concoction with "dirt" that was delicious. Plus during April, they are donating money from sales of their signature cocktails to the Glimmer of Hope Foundation for their summer camp programs. (I was invited to try their food, but was not paid for my opinion.)

Lunch with a friend at the new East Side King on South Lamar. I have really loved the trailers, but haven't been in a while. We opted for the old standbys from the trailers, and am sorry to say we were left disappointed. From top left, the Brussels sprouts hardly had any Brussels, it was mostly cabbage; the chicken kara-age was soft, no crispness to the pieces; the fried beets were soggy; and the pork belly bun was just alright. I Instagramed this same photo and expressed my sentiments; happy to say someone from ESK responded with apologizes and said they would notify the kitchen of the issues. Now whether things improve, that remains to be seen, and from comments left on the photo, others have noticed a decline in quality at the trailers as well.

A dinner meeting at Stiles Switch BBQ. I have heard very mixed things about this place from day one, and from various people who's food opinions I trust. They made Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ places in Texas,  and clearly Texas Monthly was there on a good day. I'd say this meal was ok, but nothing spectacular. I got the three meat sampler plate: pork ribs not bad, sausage had a really really fine grind, I like mine a bit chunkier, and the brisket on the right.... it was cut really thick, had no smoke ring, and was quite dry. Great BBQ is all about consistency, and based on this one meal, I don't see how they get the high marks. The service though was uber-friendly, and they do get kudos for that! 

Regal Ravioli

Pasta is quite possibly the ultimate comfort food for me. And while I can make a pretty decent carbonara, homemade ravioli is something I rarely (okay, never) attempt to make. Fortunately, my neighborhood is home to Regal Ravioli, where I have become quite acquainted with the food. Owner Zach Adams has his trailer parked in a lot behind a blue house at 504 W. Oltorf (next to Church's Fried Chicken, just east of the intersection of Oltorf and South First). The house is the indoor seating for Regal Ravioli and my good friends at The Flying Carpet. Order food at either trailer, and they'll happily bring it to you inside the house, or you can dine outside at one of the picnic tables. Credit cards are accepted, and you're welcome to bring your own wine or beer.

I have visited Regal Ravioli a number of times in the past two years, and there is always a nice variety on the menu that would please vegetarians and carnivores alike, not to mention adults and children. Basically, you pick your ideal ravioli and the type of sauce you want to go with it.                      

Zach starts everything out though with homemade pasta, which I happened to catch him making on my most recent visit. One batch of pasta dough will make about eight servings of ravioli, I believe he said, so he makes multiple batches throughout the day. He also makes different doughs for different dishes. It's a very well stocked and organized trailer, and he makes everything right there in the trailer.

Regal Ravioli's logo proclaims they are the king of ravioli in Austin, to which I would add king of gnocchi as well! Their sweet potato gnocchi with bolognese sauce is something I crave and it's hard for me not to order it every time I am there! The individual gnocchi are consistently light and pillowy, and rival any gnocchi I've had at Enoteca or Buenos Aries Cafe, two area brick and mortar restaurants with generally outstanding gnocchi.  (And even if you're not a sweet potato fan, you wouldn't know you're eating sweet potatoes!) The meat sauce is hearty without being heavy, and accompanies the gnocchi nicely. I'd love to see what other kinds of gnocchi dishes they could make!

This is the sausage ravioli with a gouda veloute sauce; simple and clean presentation with outstanding body and flavor.

This is one of their recent specials, a roasted beet ravioli with caramelized onions and a touch of orange zest. Zach's suggestion was to pair it with the pecan pesto sauce, and it was terrific. Earthiness from the beets, a little bit of zip from the pesto, it was a great combination. One special that I've had in the past that's not pictured was a cheese and spinach ravioli with a blue cheese sauce that also had great flavor. They also have a few salads on the menu, including a pear and lentil, which I've tasted and really liked.

As with many trailers, Regal Ravioli is a one-man operation. Zach owns it, does all the cooking, etc. Occasionally I have seen a helper in the trailer, but Zach's the main guy. If he can't go, then the trailer won't open that day; check their Facebook or Twitter accounts for status updates and specials. Zach and his business partner have recently purchased a second trailer that they will use for mobile operations at events, festivals, and the like. He also told me they're working on some new dishes, like roast pork, and they do catering too!

So if you're looking for a great food trailer experience, go check out Regal Ravioli for a big bowl of freshly made pasta and sauce that are as good, if not better (and certainly a better value) than some of the well-known Italian restaurants in town. The ravioli truly is regal!

South Austin Food Trailers -- 2013 City Guide

Welcome to my post on South Austin food trailers, as part of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance 2013 City Guide. Remember that trailers can be very transient, and they can move to other spots or (unfortunately) go out of business very quickly. Some of them are REALLY good about keeping their status updated on social media, and please remember, many of these are just operated by one or two people so if they're sick or have an emergency to tend to, they may not be able to open. In my trailer travels, I've met some fabulous people who are passionate about their food and it shows in their cooking. Hats off to them for working in such small spaces with less than ideal conditions at times. Here are my favorites.

The "park" at 504 W. Oltorf, half a block east of South First Street (look for the blue house next to Church's Fried Chicken)
-- If you've been reading my blog, you may know that the owners of The Flying Carpet: Moroccan Souk Food, have become friends of mine (here's my last post on TFC). So yeah, I am a little biased, but whenever I've brought people who haven't previously been, they fall in love too. Maria and Abdu have the biggest hearts, and it shines in their food. From L'afrique sauce to the Big Abdu wrap (in the picture below) to Moroccan kisses for dessert, it's downright delicious food. There is nothing else like it in Austin!

-- From my visits to TFC, I've been introduced to Zach of Regal Ravioli who is making killer pasta dishes. I've had the spinach and gorgonzola ravioli with a fontina veloute sauce, and the sweet potato gnocchi with bolognese sauce. Both rival anything you'd find in an Italian restaurant in town, and all made from scratch.

 -- Also back there is La Fantabulous Tacos, which I haven't tried personally, but I hear good things from Maria and Abdu.

 Barton Springs Neighborhood Food Court, at 415 Jessie Street (formerly Jessie Street Eats)
-- The park is under new management from Scott Angle, also the owner of Honky Tonk Hot Dog (formerly located on South Lamar, next to Red's Porch). Scott, a musician, has built a nice stage, as well as a covered patio, complete with a TV and a fire pit. His hot dog trailer has great beef dogs (nice "snap" to them), which you can get a variety of ways. This is his take on a Chicago Dog, and who doesn't like tater tots? 

 -- Tommy Want Wingy is a creative chicken wing truck of the highest quality! Even if you're not the biggest wing fan, you will like these, because owner Neal, who has extensive food service background, makes them into "lollipops" so you get a drummette with a lot of meat on it! And, he's got several sauces to go with them, from the more tropical to the hot and spicy, and he makes all of them from scratch; I particularly loved the spicy pineapple and sweet chile. So take some beer and have a dog and wings, and listen to some music at the Barton Springs food court!

 -- I was there in early February, and a couple trucks had JUST moved in and should be up and running by now: Pagoda Pizza, Way South Philly, Momo's Southern Goodness, and Mister FruitCup which actually has been open there for quite some time. Wholly Kabob  is coming soon (I have had their Persian-style kabobs before, and they are amazing!). It's going to be nice and rockin' over there! Just north of them on Jessie is Flip Happy Crepes, one of the original food trucks in town; they always have fabulous sweet and savory crepes, but are generally just open for lunch.
 -- An update since I originally posted -- Wholly Kabob just opened! I had a delicious grilled beef wrap, called the Dude, with lots of Middle Eastern flavors in it. It was so flavorful and fresh! I also had a bite of one of their bowls with crispy basmati rice and pieces of grilled beef, which I will have to try one of my own next time.

 
South Congress and Gibson Streets (west side of Congress, across Gibson from Perla's)
-- The Fat Cactus is where it's at! Navajo-style fry bread! REALLY! Sweet or savory, and either way, darn delicious! I met owner Courtney over there one chilly Friday night in February; she and her husband both have years of experience in food and wine, and both still work their restaurant jobs while operating the trailer Thursdays thru Sundays. All the frybread is made to order, and they have pizzas, tacos, and desserts, as well as vegetarian options. We started with some queso, which I believe is from real cheese, not the fake stuff! Great flavor, especially with some green chiles in there, giving it a nice New Mexican touch. We had the Foghorn pizza, with chicken, cilantro-pumpkin seed pesto, with goat cheese. I will say, fry bread makes a perfect pizza crust! And while you can't tell there's meat under there from my picture, the OG Taco, with seasoned ground beef was also incredible -- the meat has a ton of flavor! And finally, the PB, Banana and Honey for dessert. It would only be better with a little drizzle of chocolate! There were a few other customers, but we were the only ones sitting and eating, so Courtney came out and chatted with us. They have perfected the art of the frybread, and like many trailers, also offering catering for events. Definitely worth the effort of parking in and around South Congress!

 -- Other trailers here include Crepes de Mille, Little Big Mike's Pizza (which I think I had at one of the Long Center Trailer Food Tuesdays, and it was great!), and Hey You Gonna Eat or What?

South Congress and Milton (east side of Congress)
-- For a couple of years, this has been the "iconic" Austin trailer park, with such notables as Hey Cupcake and the Mighty Cone (and literally a dozen in between). The word on the street is this lot will close down after SXSW this year (so in late March) to make way for the development that has threatened it for years. Not sure if it's slated for a boutique hotel or upscale apartments, but this trailer location has contributed to the South Austin funk scene, I mean where else could you get an Indian dosa, Cajun po-boys or the best wurst within feet of one another? Hopefully these trailers will live to see another day in new locations.

South First Food Court at South First and Live Oak Streets
-- This charming little spot has gone through some transformations over the past year; I don't think any of the trailers there now were present when I wrote this post for last year's City Guide. 
-- Lard Have Mercy, while the service was a touch snarky, the fried mac and cheese with bacon was really quite good, and a decent-sized portion. Pretty much everything on the menu has bacon; this might not be the spot for vegetarians!

 -- I've only been for the corn fritters, but I absolutely fell in love with them at Nettie's Place, a Cajun trailer. I think they use corn flour instead of corn meal, so they were really light (for fried dough) with whole corn kernels in them. Have heard the po-boys are excellent too, and I need to get back over to try. 

 -- Other trailers over there include Blue Dog Pizza, Bufalo Bob's Chalupa Wagon, Bananarchy, Oh My Taco; they often have live music at the park, including a number of day shows for SXSW.

South First Street at Elizabeth Street
-- On the west side, you have the revamped La Barbeque, which I tried recently. Other than the fact they forgot my coleslaw with my to-go order, I found the people working there to be incredibly friendly. And when I Tweeted them about my missing item, they wrote back within an hour and apologized. Nice to have some BBQ in the area! In the picture below, from the top, sausage, brisket, and pork ribs.

 -- On the east side of S. 1st, you have Gourdough's, Mellizzoz Tacos (formerly Izzoz, I have really liked them in the past, and thought they were overshadowed by places like Torchy's), and Dock 'n Roll. 

LuLu B's, 2113 S. Lamar (bordering the southern edge of the Office Depot parking lot, under the big tree)
-- They have withstood the tests of time and also being a singleton; they are the only trailer at this location, and they are only open 11a - 4p, Tuesdays thru Saturdays, but they've been here forever. And they rock. They are a Vietnamese trailer, and their char-grilled pork banh mi's are killer. Yeah, they may be a touch more expensive than what you get at a place like Tam Deli up north, but to me it's worth it. I can get an order of spring rolls and a banh mi, and have lunch and dinner. This picture is from 2008, but they are still delicious! One of the owners went to Vietnam in December and brought back some new street food ideas, and they're now regularly posting them on Facebook.

 Torchy's Trailer Park, 1311 S. 1st
-- Another iconic one, the Torchy's trailer launched the franchise of stand-alone restaurants. Creative combos. Also there is Holy Cacao cake balls.

Bouldin Creek Food Park, at 1209 S. 1st
-- Several trailers, Wasota (west African; I haven't been since my post last year, but the owner was SO friendly!), Ruta Maya Coffee, Phatso's (cheese steaks), Little Thai Food.

Other trailers I have heard great things about, but haven't been:
-- Ah La Cart, on Packsaddle Pass and Ben White
-- Via 313 Pizza, on South Congress and Ralph Ablanedo, just north of Slaughter
-- Trai Mai Thai just relocated to South Lamar and West Mary, in the parking lot of the Corner Bar. I had tried their food last summer at a media tasting when they were by Red's Porch, and it was great!

Other trailer resources:
-- Austin Food Carts
-- Food Trailers Austin
-- Trailer Food Diaries
-- Other AFBA 2013 City Guide posts:
Vegetarian Trailers, by Coseppi Kitchen
North Austin, by Midnite Chef
New Food Trailers, by A Mike's Life
East Austin, by My Well Fed Life
Downtown/Central, by Austin Food Trailers

Happy eating!!!

Tell me what YOUR favorite South Austin food trailers are! 

The Flying Carpet: An Update

Four years ago at Election Day, I was in Morocco; Marrakesh to be precise. The Moroccan people were very excited at the prospect of electing someone of African descent to the presidency, and they shouted their exuberance even more upon seeing a group of Americans on Wednesday after Obama's victory. (You can read my post from 2008 right here.) Fast forward to 2012, I figured some Moroccan food was in order on Election Day to bring some good luck to this tight race.

A friend of mine is a cousin to Maria, as in Maria and Abdu Souktouri, who own and operate The Flying Carpet trailer. Through this connection, I have gotten to know them a bit, and have discovered they are some of the most genuinely nice people out there. They have always poured their heart and soul into everything they serve out of their little blue trailer. 

TFC is located at 504 West Oltorf Street, just a little bit east of South First Street, next to the Church's Chicken. There is a small blue house in front, and a large lot though the driveway in the back, where they are creating a little food trailer community! Along with them are Regal Ravioli and La Fantabulous Tacos; I haven't tried them yet, but Maria & Abdu both say they are great! **Soon!**

As Abdu was preparing our food in the trailer, Maria took us inside the house. Presently, it is not open to the public for dining. Maria said their goal is to create a little cafe with tea, coffee and pastries/cookies (she bakes!) and have a Moroccan lounge. They know the soul of their business is preparing food from their trailer, so they're not looking to move the whole operation into the house, which would require a huge amount of renovation to install a commercial kitchen. It's a nice open space, with some cozy couches in one corner, a couple tables, and another couch/lounge area in another corner.

With the various pieces of Moroccan decor -- tajines,  lanterns, this wooden tray, which I knew to be from the coastal area of Essouria, as we visited there -- they are creating a nice ambiance. The tea set is also something you see everywhere in the country -- you have sweetened mint tea at every meal, and if you are a special guest, the host will make an even bigger show of pouring you a glass!

Oh yeah, and the food! I ordered a Big Abdu, which is seasoned ground beef kefta (shaped like a sausage, rather than a patty), eggplant, a fried egg (and fortunately for me, their fried eggs are more scrambled than fried), and French fries all inside a pita bread with their delicious l'Afrique sauce. I was starving, so I almost forgot to take a picture of the wrap. So yeah, not the best picture, but the food was tasty and a great mix of textures. Get extra sauce! And napkins! It's kind of a mess, but who cares?

TFC doesn't have tajine dishes on their day to day menu, but special orders can be made in advance and they also offer private catering. I was recently involved in a Facebook conversation regarding food trailers in South Austin, and someone commented that they had tried to go to TFC a couple times, but they had been closed. As I commented on that post, Maria and Abdu are a small, locally-owned business. Generally, it is just the two of them; only occasionally can they hire someone else to help out in the trailer. If one of them is sick or if they're doing a catering event, they can't open the trailer. But they are really good about posting on their Facebook page with status updates, so check there before going. TFC was also recently recognized by the Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Picks as Best Slow Food/Fast Food Hybrid! 

So after eating Moroccan food, I went home to watch the election results. Needless to say, Maria and Abdu's food, warmth, hard work, and genuine spirit brought the luck I was looking for.