The Vitals: the spot: Paperboy 1203 E. 11th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: All of it: the burger, the hash, the fried chicken, anything sweet so yeah everything the bucks: $10-$20 an entrée the full nelson: the kind of brunch that lives up to the hype and is worth the wait

I don't get out to brunch often these days. Back in my 20s, waiting in a long line for some poached eggs swimming in hollandaise while nursing a hangover was actually a welcomed ritual. In my 40s with a kid in tow, a line for a Sunday breakfast is gonna be met with a resounding "hell no". A more perfect scenario would be a weekday business meeting. And the pro move is to hit up Paperboy, where they serve up breakfast + brunch  seven days a week. Twice now I've been to the food truck turned hip East Austin brunch spot Paperboy. And twice I've walked away impressed. This isn't exactly Cheap Eats but the quality you're getting at Paperboy is bang for your brunch buck, at least in my book.

Triple G's Chef Aaron May in da house.

A few weeks ago Chef Aaron May, who you might recognize from Guy's Grocery Games on Food Network, came to Austin. We both happened to be at Formula One down at Circuit of the Americas but weren't able to meet up. Next best solution? An epic breakfast on his way to the airport.

"I ordered the whole menu"

He literally texted me those words and until I walked in and saw our table, I kinda thought he was half kidding. Chef May don't play. While this might seem like overkill, what I got from this experience(besides lots of leftovers) is that Paperboy throws it down, up and down the whole damn menu.

Texas Hash: an old standby

Paperboy changes up the menu every month or so. But their Texas Hash sticks around. On this plate you'll find braised pork shoulder paired with roasted sweet potato, onion and kale. Top it with an egg and you have breakfast. Top that with a pecan mole and you have a Texas style brunch. I've had this dish twice and both times it tasted as good as it read off the menu.

Ricotta Toast

I'm a savory breakfast kind of guy. If the breakfast bread program is gonna deviate me from my usual meat 'n eggs order, it has got to be good. Enter the Ricotta toast: whipped ricotta, apple butter bourbon, bacon pecan crumble and caramelized onion on some . . . yeah you guessed it, toast. The texture play here stole the show, specifically that light and fluffy ricotta and the crunch of the bacon and pecan. If my kid wasn't allergic to nuts I would eat this regularly.

Paperboy Pancake: a stack of one

My wife makes my kid pancakes almost every Sunday. And every Sunday he is getting a short stack. At Paperboy your pancake experience will be a stack of one. And that will be more than enough. This pancake is pretty straightforward: big ass pancake, butter and syrup. I suppose if you're imagination decided to take a breakfast break, it makes sense to get this.

Fried Potato Awesomeness.

I can't lie to you. I forgot what this dish was but I want to say it was some kind of play on a latke. It was fried potato awesomeness and tasted as pretty as it looked. Dense but not overwhelming, this possible potato latke would be a wise move should it return to the menu. As of November 2021, I don't see anything like it on there.

The best breakfast dish at Paperboy.

Years ago I was sent off to Portland OR to tackle a few epic fried chicken brunches. To this day Screen Door in PDX remains some of the best fried chicken I have ever had for breakfast. Paperboy is right up there and dethroned the Pork and Sweet Potato hash as my go to breakfast here. I'd advise getting your workout on before you eat this. The Country Gravy was a perfect consistency, behaving more like a sauce than a food group as some country gravies tend to do.

Pro move: split the cheeseburger

If you do go to Paperboy and decide to play the splitsies game like I did, get the cheeseburger. It surprisingly stayed intact after being sawed in two and it's a solid cheeseburger that makes as much sense for breakfast as a burger could. I loved the bun on this burger and it showed off the great bread program here.

Paperboy=my go to Austin Brunch spot.

The fact that Paperboy serves breakfast of this caliber on a Monday morning makes this my Austin Brunch(or breakfast go to). If you're needing a mimosa or even just a waiter, Paperboy should be your breakfast spot in ATX. And you don't need to order like Chef Aaron May to get the Paperboy experience. But it won't hurt to either.        

Its Thanksgiving. Plan ahead.

Guys happy almost Thanksgiving! If there is one thing I have learned in the 20+ years of cooking on the big day it is this: plan, prep and cook ahead. When my friends at Traeger asked me for a Thanksgiving recipe to share I instantly thought of this Sweet Potato Gratin. It's easy, simple and elegant. And it can be made in advance and works well on the Traeger. Skip down to the bottom for ingredients and instructions. For a visual play by play, keep scrolling.

Just 4 ingredients. That's it.

Sweet potatoes, thyme, heavy cream plus salt & pepper. All stuff you probably have bought already for the big day. I also love this dish because it tastes elegant but ingredients wise, its cheap as hell.

Sharpen your knives.

You will slice these potatoes into quarter inch discs. Sweet potatoes are dense so you'll need your best vegetable knife(or mandolin) and make sure it's sharp. My best advice for getting ready for Thanksgiving besides solid planning and prep: get your knives professionally sharpened. Unless you do it yourself and in that case - good for you.

Butter the baking pan.

Another fine piece of advice for Thanksgiving: have plenty of butter and make sure some of it is softened or left out at room temp for things like buttering a pan. Since I was using the Traeger for this version of Sweet Potato gratin, I bought a disposable Aluminum pan(8x8x2) to use. Baking dishes like Pyrex advises not to use on a grill and I like to be safe than sorry.

There will be cream

Look, it's Thanksgiving and rich foods are the name of the game. Heavy cream makes this dish and it's simplicity is derived from luscious cream mingling with an earthy herb like thyme. Here I combined the heavy cream and thyme in a measuring  cup before pouring over the potatoes.

Get it in the oven. 425 for 45 min.

One of the best qualities of a Traeger is that it is actually a badass oven. It is my go to for Christmas Prime Rib. Kitchen real estate is scarce on Thanksgiving so use your Traeger or whatever grill/oven you got. Also a Traeger is great for holding food/keeping it warm. Yes, this is a bit of a sponsored post but it's still true.

Final touches: remove foil and caramelize

After about 45 minutes, the potatoes should be close to done. At this stage, remove the foil and caramelize the sweet potato gratin for about 20 minutes or so. Honestly I could have let this cook a little longer but I was still happy with this:

Eat it now. Save it for later.

I would say the best part about this dish is how delicious it is despite being so easy. But what I like even more is that you can make it ahead and warm up. This is also an excellent dish to bring to a Thanksgiving as well. Use your Traeger or your oven and either way you might never do the marshmallow version ever again. And happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes(peeled and sliced)
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme

Directions

1. Heat Traeger to 425 degrees
2. Butter a 2 quart aluminum pan
3. Peel and slice sweet potatoes into 1/4" slices. Layer the potatoes, seasoning with salt and pepper before adding the next layer.
4. Combine the cream and thyme in a bowl or measuring cup. Pour over potatoes. Cover aluminum pan tightly with foil.
5. Cook for 45 minutes
6. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes till top layer is caramelized.

 

The Vitals: the spot: Portugalia Restaurant & Bar 280 1/2 Ferry St. Newark NJ 07105 the eats: Cod Fritters, Clams with Garlic Sauce, Angus Rump Steak in thyme sauce the bucks: $20-$40 a person, but big portions too. the full nelson: an affordable culinary adventure and one of my new fav restaurants

Back in NYC. Kinda.

A few weeks ago I found myself in what some might consider a random part of the NYC dining scene: Newark NJ. I was in town to shoot a show at a studio in Newark, flew into Newark airport and the turnaround I had made trekking into the city too much of a schlep. Sounds a touch weak sauce for a guy who is built for culinary adventures, but it turns out culinary adventures sometimes happen in the unlikeliest of circumstances.

Ironbound: an enclave of Portuguese eats.

Some internet digging and local intel pointed to one of the less talked about food scenes in America: Portuguese food. I was mostly unaware of its presence until I was working on a Food Network series back in 2012 called $24 in 24. In that show we went to Boston and discovered Portuguese diners. I was fascinated and also hungry. I was not the host of the show(that was actually Jeff Mauro), so I never got to try the food first hand. Well cut to 2021 and I would have my chance.

First move: have a beer and talk to a stranger.

Portugalia has a dining room and a bar. I poked my head into the dining room and it was clear that the bar is where a solo diner should go. The bar was packed with locals and many were speaking in Portuguese, clearly a good sign. But that also meant that my window for a learning curve was short. In these types of joints, you can stick out like a sore thumb with a ton of questions. So what do you do? Order a Portuguese beer and tell the bartender that this is your first rodeo.

If there are Cod fritters, order them.

Years ago I was researching about the history of food for Alton Brown and came across Mark Kurlansky's book "Salt". The book is a fascinating look into the wars and empires that were waged and built back when spices were as valuable as crude oil. One chapter highlighted the Portuguese and their dominance of the seas thanks to salt by way of salt curing cod as food for long transatlantic sails. Bachalau would become cherished in their cuisine and nudged me to order these cod fritters. Whatever you do, don't think of these as fish sticks. Cod, potato, eggs and onion combine forces for a crunchy, savory rich bite of the sea. And it goes so, so well with beer.

Clams that are worth the clams.

Here and there I will find the need to satisfy a craving for moules frites but minus the frites because making french fries at home is a pain in the a**. It's a remarkably simple dish that delivers a casual elegance. These clams are the Portuguese version of moules frites(minus the frites) with pointed notes of garlic. In fact the slivers of garlic cloves that swam in the bottom of the broth were enormous. But the dish didn't overwhelm with garlic. The clams, the broth and some bread and I could have called it quits. But where's the adventure in that?

Fate had other plans

This is the owner of Portugalia. As I was feasting away I was also posting my experience on Instagram stories. The gentleman above came up to my spot at the bar and handed me his phone. His daughter was on and explained that she runs the social media and wanted to thank me for posting. While not necessary as this is simply what I do, the gesture to say thank you hit me in the sweet spot. And then I decided to stick around for another beer and maybe one more bite of the menu.

A steak sized for two. Barely priced for one.

So after a second beer and some chatting with the bartender and my neighbors seated at the bar, I decided to dig into the entrée section. I'm a steak guy to a fault. At this point I know better than to get a steak at a restaurant whose food culture is defined by the sea, but you know what? Steak hits the sweet spot. This is an Angus Rump steak in a thyme sauce. At least that's what the menu said. What it didn't say was that it would be covered in house fried potato chips, a fried egg and a pickled vegetable condiment not unlike giardiniera. This steak ate like a NY strip, albeit one with a toothsome chew. The sauce was not too far off from the garlic sauce found with the clams. I loved this steak. But I could also imagine some might be turned off by the toughness. This steak reminded me of the ones I would get at Los Angeles' famed Pantry, where at nearly all hours you can get a thick cut steak for a semi reasonable price, certainly when compared to the big ticket steakhouses in town. This kind of steak is a rare breed: a hefty portion but not one as tender or as carefully sourced as one would find at the farm to table type restaurants. This steak was also $22. And it was enough for two. At least it felt that way because at this point I felt like I was eating for two.

The place made me feel like Bourdain.

If you're not jealous by now, this might positively infuriate you: that sweet man pictured above picked up my tab. Of course he insisted and of course I fired back with a "not necessary, please." But at this point, you know how it goes. Tip your bartender well, walk away and be grateful. Of the many posts I write to simply document my culinary escapades, Portugalia was a true adventure. I straight up felt like Anthony Bourdain eating at this place, which should tell you the most important part of my experience: it was an experience. I walked into a strange place. I didn't know the food nor the language. I stumbled, I took a risk, I drank a beer and struck up conversation. I was treated to a meal. I heard stories and gained a touch of insight to a community that flies under the radar for many NYC tourists. And that steak. Keep this one in the files. Portugalia is a unique place if you're a stranger to Newark or for any American who has yet to visit Portugal. Going here reminded me of exploring the unsung corners of Los Angeles 20 years ago when I started my journey writing about food, drifting in to a non descript Lebanese Armenian kabob shop like a wannabe Jonathan Gold. You take on a cuisine you have yet to try. If the fates will it, you will walk away with a smile and a new craving.

Austin Food & Wine Festival 2021 recap

Ever since I moved to Austin I have been wanting to attend the Austin Food and Wine Festival. 2021 turned out to the year for me and I'm hooked. First off, the weather has cooled down which makes Austin ideal for anything outdoors. Second, your ticket gets you all the food and drink you want, provided you are willing to wait in line. And there are lines. So be a pro and make sure to get there early when the fest returns next year.

Sparkling Rosé FTW

Even though the weather has cooled off in Austin, it is still plenty warm enough to get your white wine and rose drinking on. The selection of wine at Austin Food and Wine Festival included a number of sparkling wines, a few from Champagne and plenty of sparkling rosé, which is a fav of mine. This was the drink I started off with and it pairs well with so many foods too.

The next date night restaurant: Honey Moon

Most of my dining excursions include the whole family but every now and then, my wife and I do pull the trigger on a date night. I'm careful about what we choose because out the gate we are out at least $100 on the sitter. And I think I found me my date night restaurant: Honey Moon. I was literally forced to eat here thanks to my good friend Gavin Booth of Couple in the Kitchen. Gavin, with his fiancé Karen Reinsberg are a food and travel influencer duo. When they aren't jetting off to Greece to eat calamari and drink wine, you might find them at Honey Moon. This restaurant had been on my radar but I just didn't know how good the food was. Chef Manuel, who is pictured above, does a Pork Jowl Pastrami. The festival version peaked my interest for the full sized version at Honey Moon. As intense as pastrami pork sounds, the horseradish cream was light as a cloud. This skewer held the promise of an evening of balanced flavors and single handedly lit a fire for me to get some fine dining on.

Not just wine. Booze too.

Yeah they got the hard stuff at Austin Food and Wine Festival too. George Dickel, along with Suntory, Nine Banded, Bulleit are just a few of the whiskeys being poured. Most came in cocktail form as well like this salted caramel Old Fashioned from George Dickel. I also had a highball from Suntory made with seltzer. Nine Banded was pouring them straight. Needless to say that wet my appetite.

The most hyped burger in Austin

Bad Larry Burger Club is a smashed burger pop up that has taken Austin by storm. The instagram account alone is worth a follow. Lines are long for Bad Larry and not just at Austin Food and Wine Festival. Luckily I was able to slip in and grab a burger along with a selfie with the man himself: Matthew Bolick. Matthew is behind three noteworthy burgers in Austin, Better Half and Hold Out Brewing along with Badlarry. I'll be posting Hold Out soon . . . needless to say this burger was worth the hype.

Shio Koji mushrooms are a gift from the Gods

At first glance, a deep fried tofu pocket stuffed with rice and a Japanese omelette might get passed over for a taco. I'm so glad I didn't pass this up for a taco. Also because I got a taco anyways. The rice and egg mixture was just magic, as was the shio koji mushrooms. The watermelon radish might get the instagram likes but the mushrooms, marinated in a fermented rice liquid stole the damn show. I'm obsessed with getting a bottle of this and getting to work in the kitchen.

Let's taco about it

My pals at Stiles Switch BBQ brought it with their open pit Al Pastor. The Mexican version of Shawarma was meant to be cooked over flame and even though I caught the tail end, this taco rocked. No salsa neccesary when Al Pastor is cooked over open flame.

Uni + Caviar bumps

This is me and Chef Yoshi Okai of Otoko Sushi. Chef Yoshi was named best new chef of 2017 in Food & Wine, and his restaurant Otoko tops my sushi splurge bucket list. He was serving uni and caviar bumps on people's hands with a sprinkle of salt. This was my last bite at Austin Food and Wine Festival and was the perfect cap to the weekend. I highly recommend coming to Austin Food and Wine Festival, coming early and hit up as many of the short lines as you can. Like all festivals there are lines to contend with but there are great bites to be had all over the place and sparkling rose will get you through it all!  

The Vitals: the spot: Tacos El Charly 9306 N. Lamar Blvd Austin TX 78753 (in the parking lot) the eats: street tacos the bucks: $1.60 each(!!) the full nelson: street tacos as cheap as they get but you might be tempted to spend more elsewhere

Few foods get me hyped up to give a mad dog look more than legit street tacos. Cheap, juicy and always tempting, street tacos have an appeal to make even a semi timid eater a bit more adventurous. So when my internet research came across Tacos El Charly, I was salivating for my next late night taco run.

A legit taco truck experience

I dipped over to Tacos El Charly around 11:30 pm a few weekends ago. And the parking lot was popping. The scene was reminiscent of my taco truck excursions in LA, where everyone orders in Spanish and you best have cash on you. No credit cards or venmo happening in this parking lot.

No chicken. No Impossible meat.

The menu is prime street taco fare at Tacos El Charly. Offal makes up almost half the menu. And each taco is a $1.60 if you get the street size. And I think that is the best way to sample the menu.

Round 1: Suadero, Pastor, Bistek, Cabeza

First off I should note that Tacos El Charly had six dudes working the truck that night. These tacos came out fast. Cabeza(beef cheek) was far and away the best of this bunch. Buttery and rich and easily a repeat order. As for the rest of the beef, I'd skip it. The bistek(steak) was forgettable and the suadero(braised brisket/rose meat) just misses the mark when compared to more noteworthy versions at Cuantos Tacos or Suerte. Yes those versions costs more, in Suerte's case much more, but better is better. The Al Pastor(vertical rotisserie pork/Mexican Shawarma) had some flavor but was cut too early off the trompo as it lacked crispness/bark.

About that salsa bar

In the moment while I was jotting down notes and noshing on these tacos, I was gagging from the heat. A good sign indeed. If it comes to anything red at Tacos El Charly, use caution. I'm not gonna call these salsas balanced but they had the right feels for a late night taco experience. Which is too say it will induce some perspiration.

Round 2: Cabeza, Chorizo, Tripa, Buche

I told you that cabeza was good so I had to make that a return appearance. The tripa(beef intestine) was outstanding with a crisp that carried it a notch above Cuantos, which is the gold standard for street tacos in Austin, maybe the US. The buche(pork stomach) could have used some of that crispness with a little more time on the flat top grill. The chorizo was sadly very bland. One wonders how that is even possible but that's how it went down.

Heavy on the green salsa

While the red salsas packed the heat, I went with the green as my base to give my throat a rest. This was a raw green salsa that either lacked salt or was watered down. Id go half red and half green next time.

Bottom Line

These late night tacos look tempting but don't mistake them for the best street tacos in the city. When it comes to king of the street, Cuantos Tacos wears that crown. But if you're into paying $6 for 4 tacos at like 2am, Tacos El Charly is a spot to reckon with. There are other taco trucks along Lamar, many open late that might be as good or even better. But I'm seldom up this late and staying up late for lesser tacos just may not be in the cards for me anymore. Late night tacos do happen and if I'm craving Cabeza and Tripa tacos, I'm so coming to Tacos El Charly.