Surprise Trip Success: Discovering Austin’s Best Spots
My first time visiting Texas came as a surprise, literally. I went to Austin on a Pack-Up + Go trip. Click here to see how these surprise trips work.
When I first got off the plane, I got to have an experience that is rare nowadays - greeting someone at their plane gate. I went to Austin with two friends, one of which was flying from a different city. My flight landed first, so we went over to greet her as she stepped off the plane.
We walked to the Texas Statehouse. It is the largest state capitol building in the US, to no ones surprise. This kicked off my informal list of state capitol buildings I’ve visited.
Instead of the self-guided tour we hopped on the free docent led tour. Its interesting to see what architectural elements are the same basing it on the US capitol and how it differs from other statehouses.
Travel Tip - Statehouses are a great way to glean the history and culture of states
We stayed at Aloft Austin downtown. Aloft hotels are part of the Marriot group and this one is conveniently located. Easy to walk to several items on our itinerary and when we needed a rideshare, it didn’t take long. Since we were on a higher level we could see the Texas Longhorn stadium from our room.
Room at Aloft Austin
My favorite place we ate was somewhere I probably wouldn’t have picked myself. We told Pack Up + Go we were celebrating our birthdays and they made a reservation for us. The restaurant is called Hestia. Named for the goddess of the hearth, all of the food is in someway touched by the fire in their 20ft hearth. I had the halibut, which I loved. It was very succulent. We split the for dessert. It was a nice light dessert to finish off the meal. The atmosphere is upscale, but not pretentious.
When the three of us are together we seem to end up at botanical gardens. Austin’s is just outside the city. it was a nice space to be outside, talk and appreciate the beauty and the quiet.
Pack Up + Go recommended we check out Jo’s Coffee. They are known not only for coffee, but also for their breakfast tacos. So I got tea and oatmeal. :) Which were very good. Others had the tacos and attested to their deliciousness.
Speaking of breakfast tacos, we took a food tour with Secret Food Tours as part of what Pack Up + Go booked for us. Each tour has about 6-7 stops, including a secret stop at the end. It’s a fun way to eat a meal and see the city. We had breakfast tacos, Texas brisket, dessert pizza, stopped at Velvet Taco, and more. You don’t get huge portions, but altogether it makes a meal. Despite not enjoying eggs, and to my friend’s surprise, I ate and enjoyed the breakfast taco on the food tour. Probably because I do enjoy cheese.
One of the stops on the food tour was Velvet Taco. They have tacos for all kinds of type of cuisine, such as fish & chips, curry, chicken & waffles, and Korean fried rice. It’s fun to see what they have come up with. And they have restaurants elsewhere in Texas and a few other states, so if you see one elsewhere, stop in.
As you can tell, Austin is a great place to spend a long weekend. Good food, a variety of things to see and do, and fairly walkable. Just plan enough time for airport security when you leave.
The Food of Buffalo! It’s more than just wings
Discover the food of Buffalo beyond the chicken wing.
If you ask someone what Buffalo is known for most likely they will say Buffalo wings, Niagara Falls, or the Bills. As this blog is on the food of Buffalo, we’ll go with the first answer. There is debate over where Buffalo wings originated, Anchor Bar or Duffs. Regardless of which side you’re on, people love them. However delicious they are, there are many more regional Buffalo foods that people should know about. And I’m going to share my favorites with you.
New York City isn’t the only place in the state with good pizza. I love this pizza place so much that I bring a cooler so I can take one home. This, after already eating it while in town. Bocce Club Pizza (go to the one on Hopkins Rd.) has one size. You can get less, but it’s either half the size of the pizza or a quarter. Friends and family also enjoy their wings. As I am in the small group of people who do not like Buffalo wings, you’ll have to take their word for it. My favorite toppings at Bocce Club are artichokes, spinach, and garlic.
Named after a park down the street, this restaurant has another Buffalo specialty - Beef on Weck. This sandwich is thinly sliced, juicy roast beef on a kummelweck roll served with jus. Kummelweck is a hard roll with caraway seeds and coarse salt on top. At Glen Park Tavern you should also order the sweet potato fries. They come with honey butter and are the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had.
Sweet Jenny’s is my favorite ice cream place, ever. I’ve been getting ice cream there for decades. The shop has moved around Williamsville a few times but is now in the neatest location - the old water mill.
Sweet Jenny’s
Constructed in 1811, this building was converted to house Sweet Jenny’s production, shop, and a comic book store upstairs. Besides delicious ice cream (double dark chocolate is my favorite), Sweet Jenny’s has chocolates and confections including another Buffalo specialty, Sponge Candy. This confection is an airy toffee that looks a bit like a sponge, hence the name, covered in chocolate.
Travel Tip - Buy extra sponge candy
Get some ice cream to eat and while you’re there buy some sponge candy for a snack later or, if there is any left, a gift for someone back home.
Chef’s has been operating in Buffalo for over 100 years. The walls are covered in photos of people, quite a few you might recognize, who have made a stop to sample Chef’s Italian cuisine. They are known for their spaghetti parm. Spaghetti Parm is a plate of spaghetti topped with butter and cheese and broiled. It is then served with a side of their sauce. That is what I get every time because it is that good. You can get a smaller side of spaghetti parm to go with a different entree if you like. Their eggplant parm is also very good. And don’t worry about getting sauce on your clothes, they provide a cloth bib to spare you having to do laundry.
There are new food experiences popping up all the time. And while I have my favorites I like to revisit, I also try to find new ones. This trip I came across Five Points Bakery. When my mom saw the menu she wasn’t so sure, as besides the pastries at the counter, it is mostly different toasts. She soon changed her mind and was convinced that Five Points Bakery knows what they’re doing.
They have unique combinations of different toasts and toppings. I got Chocolate Cherry Toast with mascarpone cheese and cherry jam. The French Toast is different from anything you’ve had before. It has the custard soft inside, but the outside is crisp and you are able to pick it up and eat it like toast. It came with mascarpone and fig maple jam.
A butter block is what is used in patisserie to get flaky layers like in a croissant. It is the perfect name for this bakery and their patisserie. Right down the block from Five Points Bakery, we picked up a selection to have for dessert that night and for breakfast the next day. You will have a hard time deciding what to get, as you will want to try everything. Our box had 2 chocolate hazelnut croissants, an apple white cheddar danish and a chocolate bouchon. I would eat them all again, but the hazelnut croissant just edges the others out.
I hope this has inspired you to seek out the variety of foods that Buffalo has to offer. The wings are delicious, but there is so much more to discover.
