The Vitals: the spot: Le Beef Burger Pop Up  roaming around the streets of Austin so check their Instagram for latest appearance the eats: Le Beef Burger the bucks: $12 the full nelson: the trendiest burger experience delivers also delivers a damn solid cheeseburger experience

I was late to the game but I remember back in 2013 when Chef Ludo Lefebvre brought LA into a golden age of cutting edge pop up dining. He made pop up dining the hottest ticket in town. Though some of these dinners were a stone's throw away from my loft in downtown Los Angeles, getting a sitter and rolling the dice on a big ticket experience($$$) was always a big ask and sadly I never went. Had it been a burger pop up like the one I went to earlier this month on the streets of East Austin, I might have never left LA.

3 amigos: Burgers, Donuts and Natural Wine.

Hard to imagine a concept based exclusively around these three elements but this line up from Le Beef Burger Pop Up might suggest otherwise. Sadly I was still in the throws of Dry January so I skipped the wine and thereby skipped the donut temptation. All good because I was here for the burger experience first and foremost.

Man and La Plancha.

Chef Justin Huffman, the man behind the stoves at Justine's Brasserie, is also the man behind Le Beef Burger Pop Up. The Indianapolis native has spent a fair amount of time in LA and Austin, working in noteworthy restaurants like Uchiko, Uchi, Contigo(ATX) and Mayday LA, Kronnerburger(LA). He's happy to be back in Austin and I'm happy to be at a plancha on a street corner where these are sizzling to order:

What's between the buns:

What in between that butter toasted Martin's Potato roll? Four ounces of 44 Farms grass fed beef. This burger is cooked in butter a la Midwest butter burger style. You might have heard of this style from your co-worker from Wisconsin who goes on about the chain Culver's. Or maybe it's a well heeled foodie who found out that Butter Burger Icon establishment Solly's Grille just won a James Beard award. Regardless of how you heard about it, you need to experience it. You'll also notice house made pickles and a house made special sauce. As a devotee of pink sauce burgers and someone who likes to play around with making my own Thousand Island dressing, this pink sauce is something special. Sure, after your first taste you'll experience the familiar, but chef assured me throws a lot a few Umami curveballs in here.

Bang for your Burger Buck?

This burger isn't huge but it is bite for bite perfectly composed. While the $12 price tag is stiff, you won't walk unhappy, but you will think about getting a second. Hey, when you want an In-N-Out meets Diner meets Wisconsin Butter Burger from a chef with a deep resume, you're gonna have to bring your wallet. Welcome to 2022 my friends.

Final verdict: I'll be back and I'll get one of these.

It ain't cheap but it's so darn tasty that if you try a Le Beef Burger, you will want to come back. It's a deceptively simple burger that might have better priced competitors around, but does the competition serve up donuts and natural wine? It's a bougie foodie experience that I recommend you bookmark for sure. Well done burgers that come out a juicy medium, served directly off a plancha have a habit of taking my $12 bucks. Maybe I brought some LA with me to Austin.

The Vitals: the recipe: Traeger Pulled Pork Meal Kit (Traeger Meal Provisions) the smoker: Traeger Ironwood 885 the time: 7-9 hours, though I intentionally cooked for 12 hours the full nelson: as hearty and filling as it gets thx to an extra rich pork shoulder

The Super Bowl is around the corner and some are gathering their slow cooker chili recipes or maybe buying out their local Wingstop(not sure that is possible but sounds awesome). For me, The Super Bowl means a super grill session and thanks to my pals at Traeger, I tested out their Pulled Pork meal kit from the Traeger Meal Provisions line. Spoiler alert: all you have to do is smoke the pork shoulder. The sides are cooked, you just defrost and heat them up. Here is how it all went down:

Prep the pork shoulder: Day 1 - Dry Brine

And it is a multi day process. The sides and pork shoulder arrive frozen. The instructions say to give it a day to defrost but in my experience I like to give it at least two days. Once the shoulder is defrosted, you pat it dry, score the skin and rub it with a brine mixture provided in the meal kit and stick it in the fridge for a day. I should also mention that along with the pork and sides, the kit comes with that dry brine mix, BBQ rub, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, slider buns, pickled jalapeños and some snacks to munch on like beef jerky and cashew nuts. Oh and there is an instruction card too. Yeah, it's pretty well thought out.

Prep the pork shoulder: Day 2 - add the rub

On the second day, aka the cook day, you're going to rinse off the dry brine. Then pat the shoulder dry and apply the rub(Traeger's classic rub). From here you could go to the grill but I wanted to let my shoulder rest in the fridge for a few hours.

Get it on the grill.

I planned for an overnight cook. So around midnight I set my shoulder skin side down on a 400 degree preheated Traeger. I let it cook for an hour per the instructions. Now the goal is to crisp up the skin which was more than accomplished in an hour, at least on this cook. So keep an eye on it. After the sear you flip it and place in an Aluminum tray which also comes with the kit. Set the Traeger to 275 and let it cook till you hit an internal temp of 203 degrees. I used the Traeger probe and my Thermoworks Smoke probe thermometer. I don't play games.

Plan ahead=time is on your side

Smoking pork shoulder at 275 is on the hotter side. I've had experiences smoking shoulder where it takes 30 minutes shy of forever, so I was down to get this cook going at 275 especially because I had guests arriving at a specific time. Turned out it cooked fast. Even though "I went to bed", I was up here and there checking my Traeger app on the phone and my Thermoworks remote. After 3 hours I reduced the heat to 250 and then to 225 as it was cooking too fast. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with a fully smoked pork shoulder on four hours sleep.

12 hours later . . .

And I was totally cool with that. I was firmly ahead of the game and I intentionally slow rolled the cook to accommodate my party start time. Once done the shoulder should rest for at least 30 minutes . . . up to 90 minutes per the instruction card. It was stupid tender and took minimal effort to do this:

Sauced and shredded.

Word to the wise - keep this warm, the flavor really gets lost when it cools to room temp. There will be a ton of rendered fat and you can use it to keep the meat moist while the tray stays warm either in the Traeger or the oven. Just make sure you're not crowding the sides. Speaking of . . .

There will be sides

The kit came with cornbread, collards, mac n cheese and baked beans. All are fully cooked and just need to be defrosted and heated up. You could do this in the Traeger but since my shoulder was finishing a marathon cook, I just stuck 'em in the oven.

Breaking down the sides

I wasn't the biggest fan of the cornbread, as it was a touch dry. I dug the baked beans and collard greens, which get hit with some premium source bacon, also included in the kit. You just have to fry and chop it up before adding. Now I am not one of those people that lives for Mac 'n Cheese but I will tell you this side dish was a huge hit. It had a heavy hit of butter and garlic, like to shrimp scampi levels and that is kinda awesome. Overall the sides are heavy so a little scoop goes a long way. You can feed a lot of people here.

Commence slider making

The slider buns were huge. You might want to consider hollowing out some of it just so you're not full off one. Or you might want to skip the bun all together. The pork is very rich and really does stand on its own. I had a bottle of Carolina Vinegar sauce from Two Bros BBQ in San Antonio(as seen on Cheap Eats) and that spicy acidic sauce does a fine job of cutting through the richness of the pork. This pork was literally as rich as carnitas, my cutting board was soon covered in lard, so anything spicy and acidic will work. This kit has literally been feeding my crew for a week. So even if you're having a lot of people over, I'd consider this meal kit fit for serving a larger crowd than the 24 slider rolls advertise. And you'll have lard for rest of the winter. I already bought collard greens and black eyed peas to use some of it. Whatever you cook have a fun Super Bowl and GO BENGALS!!

The Vitals: the spot: JNL Barbecue 1505 Town Creek Dr. Austin TX 78741 the eats: Al Pastor Ribs, Carolina Pulled Pork, Brisket, Cajun Butter Turkey, Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Pinto Beans, Green Beans the bucks: $14-$17 for plates, $10 for sandwiches the full nelson: The Al Pastor Ribs get your attention but the Pulled Pork will be why you come back.

JNL Barbecue is considered what some call the fourth wave of barbecue in Texas. The first being the classic 100 year old joints like Kreuz Market in Lockhart that were initially meat markets that added smokehouses. The second wave was the arrival of barbecue served in actual restaurants like Salt Lick in Driftwood. And the third wave was barbecue of the 21st century: craft barbecue thanks to the late John Mueller and of course Aaron Franklin, where brisket was elevated by carefully sourced ingredient and laborious technique. So what is the fourth wave of barbecue about?

Al Pastor Ribs

At least that's what caught my eye and attention when I saw this on Instagram. And by the way, Instagram is a big part of the fourth wave too: our insatiable appetite for content is driving food innovation. And in Central Texas that means having fun with barbecue.

Good barbecue starts with good people.

The profit margins stink. You can't do it right and scale like you could with burgers or tacos. So why do people like Ben and Sarah Lambert grind it out in a food trailer? Love for the game. Ben spent five years at Franklin Barbecue before taking the plunge to opening his own trailer. A sixth generation Texan, you could say barbecue is in his blood. I think that's why he can play with Central Texas barbecue in a way that resonates with authenticity. Al Pastor ribs is to me what Tex Mex should be about. Speaking of . . .

The meats of JNL

I made the move on brisket, the Al Pastor Ribs, and some pulled pork. Ben and Sarah insisted that I try that turkey and some bacon. They have a Club sandwich on the menu that I would say is worth trying. I found the bacon to land on the crisp side and the turkey was soaking in butter. Both of which strike me as a reason to put them together in a sandwich. I had a taste of the Al Pastor ribs when he carved them up. My eyes rolled back. The ribs are on the fall off the bone side, I prefer a chew, but regardless of your texture preference, you will get that taste of Al Pastor in the marinade. Brisket is a crowded field in Austin and really around the country, so even if JNL hasn't changed your mind on your top five ranking, it's still respectable enough to scratch the itch. And the pulled pork was far and away my favorite bite of the day. Tied for best in town along with LeRoy and Lewis.

Pick a side

Ben also insisted I try the beans which carry with it a fair amount of meat. It's almost a meal in itself and I think you should get them. Green beans were on the soft side but not uncommon many a classic barbecue joint. I've always had a soft spot for the non traditional when it comes to sides. Potato salad carried that right amount of mustard, and like the green beans were on the tender side, dancing on the line of slightly mashed. The coleslaw was a work of art: julienned strips of cabbage with a perfect vinegar dressing. I would come back just to get the slaw(and pulled pork).

A modern day classic tray of BBQ

Earlier I said that brisket is a crowded field when it comes to Central Texas barbecue. That pretty much goes for craft barbecue operating at top tier levels. Eye catchers like Al Pastor ribs are why you come to JNL versus brisket which you can find elsewhere. I should also highlight the barbecue sauce at JNL as well. It really works well with the meats. Usually I find bbq sauce is simply not necessary with Central Barbecue, even conflicting. Here the sauce emphasizes the meats, particularly the pulled pork and ribs. I made sure to ask for extra when I packed up my leftovers.

Come for the Al Pastor Rib

and comeback for the Pulled Pork. The sauce rocks, the slaw rocks and I think it's fair to say that JNL is a full on pork barbecue specialist in Austin. Added bonus - not much of a line when I went on Sunday, so chalk JNL Barbecue up as a place that is full on convenient from a waiting in line perspective. My next move here is to buy some pulled pork and slaw, come home and make sammies on Martin's Potato rolls. I might even have the Traeger on just to fool my guests. But you'll know my secret.    

The Vitals: the spot: El Rey de las Fritas multiple locations in Miami FL the eats: Frita burger, Chicharron de Pollo the bucks: $5 for the burger, $11 for the Chicharron plate the full nelson: a burger to cross off the bucket list and a taste of classic Little Havana

In case you were wondering, this post is a bit of a throwback. Sitting in a dropbox folder gathering cyber dust, I plucked these pics from my 2016 visit to Miami, where we shot an episode of Cheap Eats back in Season One. Miami is an epic city. From the iconic TV shows(Miami Vice and I'll even take CSI Miami) to the dynamic Latin culture, plus nightlife and gorgeous weather it's easy to skip over the food. Don't do that. The dining scene has evolved a lot, especially in the last 10 years. As great as that is for Miami, it's important for visitors like you and me to pay homage to the tried and true, like El Rey de las Fritas.

Strip Mall glorious

I love a good strip mall meal and the Little Havana location of El Rey de Las Fritas is exactly that. There are a few around town but it struck me that trying a Cuban burger means going to a Cuban neighborhood. As soon as I stepped out of my Uber I knew I was about to get a proper Cheap Eats meal.

Bask in the simplicity

Part of the Cheap Eats experience is to forgo the superfluous, like meaningless decor. Yes, some restaurants in invest heavily in design and don't rest on the their laurels either, with costly makeovers coming every few years. Good for them. Others aren't afraid to stick to what's important: the food. Besides, that copper on the espresso machine looks plenty shiny to me.

The main event

I went directly for the Cuban burger aka the Frita Burger. If you saw Cheap Eats Ann Arbor, you saw an over the top, lux version of what is in essence a humble rendition of the All American classic with Cuban sensibilities. As I reflect back on the classic version vs one done up like a gastropub/fancy restaurant, there is something easy and satisfying about the classic. Also, this one costs $5.

Pardon my half eaten burger

But you need to see the signature chorizo and beef patty. Much easier when it's not covered with the also signature julienned fried potatoes. I'd call them fries but they're far crispier, more like matchstick potatoes. I went sans cheese which will net you a price tag of $4.75. And that is a a 2021 price. In 2016 . . . my God was it cheap. You might want to consider cheese as the patty is cooked well done. Because of the chorizo it's not necessarily overcooked . . . it's a burger blend that hits with a sausage like intensity. Personally I'd stick to a cheeseless version and embrace the chorizo.

We ain't done yet: Chicharron de pollo

It might seem overly broad to say Cubans like their meats thoroughly cooked but this was the case with both the burger patty and the fried chicken chunks at El Rey de Las Fritas. Chicharron should be familiar if you visit Mexican meat markets or Carnitas specialists. Though there it refers to pork. at El Rey it is in fact chicken. These morsels seemed like the perfect addition to my burger meal.

Come for the Frita. Come back for the Chicharron.

I loved this dish. Yes, the chicken was on the dry side but a squeeze of lime and a forkful of that onion and you are in for a treat. My Bengali upbringing involved many a "thoroughly cooked" meat dish. And while one could have pulled the chicken sooner, the lime and onion make it work. It's a Cuban thing and when in Little Havana, just roll with it. I need to get back to Miami. I need to give this Frita a second test drive. If you're in Miami anytime soon I would do the same. This is a burger style that deserves a try, at least once. As I'm currently working on what could become an epic Texas burger project, I'm fast coming to the realization that it's important to try as many regional burger styles as possible. The Frita Burger, like the one at El Rey de Las Fritas is as stand out as a burger style gets.  

Back in Philly

Over the summer I found myself back in the city of brotherly love, aka Philadelphia, where we kicked off the fourth season of Cheap Eats. I've been going to Philly for years; it's where my wife is from and where my in-laws still reside. Often called the sixth borough because of its proximity to NYC, Philadelphia's food scene is deep with diversity and culinary talent. I spent a day eating and drinking in the neighborhood of Fishtown and it was a great hop I had to share with you.

The Vitals: the spot: Dawa Sushi and Ramen 1204 N. Front St. Philadelphia PA 19122 the eats: Nigiri Sushi the bucks: $$$ it's sushi, so figure on $50+ a head before beer + sake  the full nelson: solid sushi in funky Fishtown

Philadelphia can get bougie. It can also get down n dirty. Dawa sits right in the middle with commendable sushi in a funky setting. Look at the website and you might expect something very polished as far as dining room aesthetics go. Frankly I walked in confused to where the dining area even was. I wasn't sure what to make out of Dawa until this hit: Toro, Snapper and Mackerel nigiri sushi hitting levels I'd expect to find in LA's sushi row. Great nigiri sushi is about simplicity and quality. Ratios of fish to rice are critical, as much so as the quality of rice and of course the quality of the fish. I was pretty damn pleased at Dawa. At least enough so to go for another round. Buttery Ora King salmon, Sea Bream and fatty Yellowtail hit just as hard. Sushi is never cheap, but when it's this good, I'd find a way to make myself a regular at a place like Dawa. The quality to price is ratio is straight up bang for your sushi buck.

The Vitals: the spot: Lloyd Whiskey Bar  529 E. Girard Philadelphia PA 19125 the eats the drinks: Cocktails the bucks: $10+ for stiff drinks the full nelson: Drinks this stiff are worth the money

I'm not too picky about bars these days. When it takes a sitter to go out, the thrill of being at bar is often just enough. We are however more than a decade deep in the era of mixology. That means if I'm gonna spend $10 on drink . . it's gotta be more than bourbon on the rocks. We went light at dinner which meant we could only survive one round at Lloyd's. These drinks were stiff and frankly worth the price. On the whole the Philly cocktail game impresses like you were in NYC but for like 2/3 the cost. I'll make an Old Fashioned or two at home but they don't come close to one's like you get at Lloyd's. The Vitals: the spot: Garage Passyunk 1231 E. Passyunk Ave Philadelphia PA 19147 the eats the drinks: beers  the bucks: priced across the board from $4 tallboys to fancy pants craft + imports the full nelson: killer beer selection + BYO cheesesteaks  So it turns on a Sunday in Philly not everything is open ,or at least open late. Which lead us out of Fishtown and over to the Garage Bar on Passyunk, in the Italian Market neighborhood. The beer selection and really the presentation is pretty darn impressive. I was counting the beers on the menu and stopped after like 23. Oh, that list is alphabetized and I was still in "the Bs". My only regret was not testing out Garage on Passyunk Ave's BYO cheesesteak policy. While their other location has food, this one doesn't but they make up for it by allowing customers to bring in their own cheesesteaks. Not too hard as you are close to two famous cheesesteak spots: Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's. Me, being on the wrong side of 40, meant skipping that at this hour and letting the beer keep our smiles going into the night. Philadelphia is a killer combo of cool and grit. A great town to start restaurant hopping and have it evolve, or devolve depending on your mood, into a great bar hop. If you're visiting the city or are even a local looking to get into the city for an evening, Id make a night of it over in Fishtown.  

The end is here . . .

. . . for 2021 at least. Despite an ongoing pandemic I was able to do some traveling and dining this year. Sadly the West Coast has been neglected for my best of 2021 roundup but what I do have hits the East Coast and showcases some destination worthy meals in Austin TX. Let's get into it. And in no particular order these were my best bites of 2021 . . .

The Vitals: the spot: Cuantos Tacos 1108 E. 12th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: all the tacos the bucks: $2 each the full nelson: The best street tacos in Austin

I first posted about Cuantos back in 2019. The Mexico City style tacos blew me away with their choricera cooker: a convex pan where meats simmer in lard and each other. Two years later and they haven't skipped a beat. They are the best tasting and most consistent street style tacos I have had in Austin . . . maybe anywhere. 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 I found myself back on the East Coast in November shooting a new show. Usually that means I'm in NYC but this time I was in New Jersey, specifically Newark.. It turns out Newark is a haven for Portuguese food which took me to Portugalia Restaurant and Bar. My full post is here but I'll just add this: eating clams in a Portuguese restaurant is a must.

The Vitals: the spot: Epicerie Cafe 2307 Hancock Drive Austin TX 78756 the eats: Shrimp Po Boy the bucks: $15 the full nelson: an expensive sandwich that you quickly make amends with

I need to do a full dive and post for Epicerie. On the surface it seems like a polite little cafe but the food is deadly serious. $15 isn't cheap for a sandwich but this Shrimp Po Boy is as good as it gets. Even if you're in New Orleans.

The Vitals: the spot: Fil n Viet 2903 E. 12th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: Fried Chicken Wings the bucks: $12 the full nelson: the best fried chicken in Austin is at an Asian food truck

This isn't the first time I've said the best fried chicken in Austin is at an Asian food truck. In 2020 I wrote about Spicy Boys and their epic bone in fried chicken, which is only available in dark meat and must be had on premises with roti and curry dipping sauce. That's still good but the wings at Fil n Viet are . . . insanely good. You can read about it on my post for CapMetro here.

The Vitals: the spot: Intero  2612 E. Cesar Chavez St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: pastas for sure but give the whole menu a test drive the bucks: $$$ - this is a splurge and worth it the full nelson: Italian food that's Philly and NYC serious, but in ATX

I've been meaning to post about my night at Intero back in the Spring but adventures smoking ribs in my Traeger tended to interrupt my blog flow. I might have to schedule a visit in the new year to really document the whole experience because Intero is one the best Italian restaurants I have ever been to. Their food is somehow simultaneously "real Italian" meaning no Chicken Parm plates but it's also very aware that we are in Austin. Part of that isn't too unsurprising, locally sourced ingredients is the Tao of fine dining. But how about a case of the meat sweats? The beef in the raviolis seen above was cooked in a smoker. A to the T to the X.

The Vitals: the spot: Il Ritorno 449 Central Avenue St. Petersburg FL 33701 the eats: Bucatini Pomodoro, Short Rib Mezzaluna, Squid Ink Garganelli, Bone Marrow with Yellowtail Tartare, Smoked Meatballs, A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef(seriously) the bucks: $$$ and worth it. I'd budget $75 a head with wine to do it right. Although to get a nice plate of pasta will set you back $20-$30 the full nelson: a splurge worthy Italian experience that isn't even that bad of a splurge.  I'm going to stick with Italian but now take you to the East Coast. And not the East Coast you might expect either. Over the summer I returned to St. Petersburg FL, where we shot Cheap Eats in season 5 in 2018. Back then I visited Il Ritorno and it was so good I had to make it back. Chef David Benstock pulled out all the stops and you can catch the play by here. For now I'll let the fork drop on this squid ink pasta that was as lights out as it looks.

The Vitals: the spot: Ma'Coco 501 Comal St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: Tuna Tostada the bucks: $8 the full nelson: Satisfy a tuna sushi craving at a Baja Mexican joint

When I first hear about Ma'Coco, a Baja inspired Mexican restaurant in Austin, I banked on getting my fish taco fix. When I arrived and found out they also do San Diego specialties like Carne Asada fries, I ordered up the whole menu. What really stood out? This Tuna Tostada with it's double Umami hit of soy sauce and salsa ingles. Catch the full right up I did on CapMetro's blog here.

The Vitals: the spot: Carnitas El Guero multiple locations in Austin and San Antonio TX the eats: Carnitas tacos or by the pound the bucks: $3 a taco, $20 a pound. And the tacos are fattys the full nelson: the best carnitas in Austin

Don't take these words lightly: Carnitas El Guero has the best carnitas in Austin. I got a DM on Instagram from these guys back in the fall of 2020. I was in LA shooting a new season of Spring Baking Championship and wasn't able to hit the joint up properly. At some point in 2021 I made my way to their gas station location(inside a Texaco, awesome) and picked up some carnitas by the pound to go. I was floored and fwiw I have been making my fair share of carnitas at home too. They have a second location in Austin with seating and beer. I'll need to do a proper post on that one. But for now . . . just go. The Vitals: the spot: Berardi Brothers Pizza 4203 Landis Ave Sea Isle City NJ  the eats: Any pie you fancy but def get a Margherita the bucks: $20-$23 a pie the full nelson: NY Style pizza at the Shore There's good pizza in Austin but it ain't cheap. The prices some joints are charging make the idea of getting pick up seem silly. The other day I was gonna drop almost $70 for two 16" pies and I had to pick them up. I ended up cooking that night. Beradi Bros, in the south Jersey shore is solid pizza that is damn affordable. Two of their pies fed four adults and my ravenous 10 year old. And that Margherita was . . . well you can check out the full post to find out here. The Vitals: the spot: Trill Foods 415 E. St. Elmo road Austin TX 78745 @vacancy brewing the eats: rotating menu but get meat and veg dishes, think fine dining you can mostly eat with hands the bucks: $8-$12 a person the full nelson: one of my all time fav chefs making fine dining for the masses Yes, I eat vegetables. It's in fact my go to move when I go to Trill Foods, a food trailer at Vacancy Brewing, south of downtown Austin. Back when Trill Foods was Trill Taqueria, their vegetable tacos were the real standout. It's not because Chef Nick Belloni cut corners on dishes like his locally sourced lamb for his lamb carnitas(yes, I said lamb carnitas), it's just that he makes vegetables as savory as any meat dish you could imagine. Check out the full post on Trill Foods here. The Vitals: the spot: Saigon Le Vendeur 2404 E. 7th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: Bahn Mi combo the bucks: $9 the full nelson: Killer Vietnamese sandwich in an über hip neighborhood.  I lived in LA for 20 years so when I came to Austin I was ready to be unimpressed with the Asian food here. Austin, despite its excessive media attention is in fact a small city. And small cities can't offer the depth larger cities can when it comes to certain communities and their food culture, like Vietnamese food. But sometimes all it takes is one or two. Saigon Le Vendeur is far from the Bahn Mi dive you find in Houston, Atlanta or Orange County but it still hits right. Especially if you get the cold cut combo. Check out the full post here. The Vitals: the spot: Hold Out Brewing 1208 W. 4th St. Austin TX 78703 the eats: Hold Out Classic Burger (double) the bucks: $11  the full nelson: top 5 burger when it's on point and one of my fav places in Austin Exactly two years ago today I declared the burger at Salt and Time to be the best burger I have had in 5 years. Safe to say it is the best burger in Austin too. But it has met its match, and fitting, that its match stands in stark difference style wise. Hold Out does a smashburger though not to the extreme like say Carl's Drive In from my hometown of St. Louis(and Best Thing I Ever Ate burger). The toppings are fitting and the bun is top notch. Not surprisingly this top shelf ATX burger is at a brewery. Check out the full post here.

French wines(and one Spanish) defined my holiday meals this year.

As I look at back my holiday meals I felt like I leveled up to fancy restaurant status. And that was in so small part because of these wine pairings. This line up of food friendly wines deserve a spot at your holiday table.

• Gigondas
• Aligoté
• Bordeaux
• Beaujolais Cru
• Cava

And not one bottle broke the $50 price mark.

The most expensive bottle, the Bordeaux(2018 Chateau Labegorce Margaux) cost $45. The cheapest was the Cava(Segura Viudas) cost $7. The rest of the bottles hovered around $30. That's an average cost of $28 a bottle. And when you consider the quality, that's very respectable. Time to tackle each bottle and talk about what to eat with what you're drinking.

2019 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallieres Gigondas

What you're drinking:

A red wine from the Southern Rhone in France. The grapes are a typical blend for that region.

What you're eating with:

Steak cooked on the grill

I paired this with a dry aged bone in ribeye steak cooked over open flame. It was fantastic. As was a Tomahawk Pork Chop. Gigondas naturally goes well with cheese and cured meats as well.

"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:

I ended up buying this wine three times over. I absolutely fell for this Gigondas and priced at $30, and I would very much recommend you try this out. For the region, it is a fair price. I haven't been this into a wine this much since my California Pinot phase in the mid 2000s. (thx Sideways)

2019 Domaine Rougeot Bourgogne 'Les Plumes' Aligote

What you're drinking:

A white from Burgundy, France. Made from the Aligote grape. This wine is hyped by real wine heads/snobs etc.

What you're eating with:

Meat and cheese board.

I originally bought this wine as the white accompaniment for Thanksgiving dinner. That involved charcuterie like what you see above plus a pork rib roast cooked over open flame. It worked wonders when paired with . . . salami. Seriously.

"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:

While priced just north of $30, this wine isn't for everyone. Its got a funk to it, not exactly the white wine to quench your thirst on a hot day. Is it worth a try just because the wine heads love it? The short answer is no until you become a wine head that gets easily bored. I do like this wine but I would approach with caution. Dropping $30 to be different is not bang for your wine buck in my book.

2019 Domaine Chignard Julienas Beauvernay Beaujolais Cru

What you're drinking:

A Beaujolais Cru. This wine is from Beaujolais France, made from the Gamay grape. Often you hear about Beaujolais Nouveau around Thanksgiving as it is a harvest wine. Don't confuse the two. Cru is the good stuff and this goes for around $25-$30. Tastes like a light Pinot Noir.

What you're eating with:

I originally bought this wine to pair with Holiday ham and it worked great. I had enough left over for my following dinner: slow roasted Ora King Salmon. They say Gamay(the grape that makes up Beaujolais) loves food and I absolutely found this to be true. This wine is easy going and will get you to look at Beaujolais in a whole new way.

"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:

I want to say I paid $30 for this wine but the internet is pricing it at $25. At $25 this is a total bang for your buck wine. At $30 it's more about the competition. I need to buy another bottle of this wine again soon, that's for sure.

2018 Chateau Labegorce Margaux Bordeaux

What you're drinking:

The good stuff, freaking Bordeaux. Chateau Labegorce is a classic Bordeaux blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The internet says the "drinking window"is 2023-2040. My God did this taste smooth a few nights ago.

What you're eating with:

Surprise! It's more steak. I will say I chose this plate of carved bone in ribeye plus the lobster, creamed spinach and mashed potatoes to illustrate that this wine is mellow and can handle a range of flavor sensations. From intense beef, to buttery mashed potatoes, and shellfish languishing in parmesan spiked creamed spinach, you'll find that the Chateau Labegorce plays well with so many types of rich foods. I'd try wine out with a Cacio e Pepe with shaved truffles or Carbonara.

"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:

$45 ain't cheap but neither is Bordeaux. Yes, you can find bottles for cheaper but they can disappoint. This Margaux is the real deal and I would buy this again just to age and see how it evolves. It's an affordable special occasion wine and it was freaking smooth AF.

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava

What you're drinking:

Cava is Spain's answer to Champagne and for a lot less dough. This sparkling wine is made from Macabeo grapes, has won numerous awards and is cheap as hell. Full disclosure: Segura sent me a bunch of bottles but I've paid more for barbecue sauce. This one costs me $7.

What you're eating with:

Whatever you want. The general rule of thumb is that sparkling pairs with anything. I found myself drinking this at the beginning of the meal and after. It's crisp, quenching and elegant on it's own and with food.

"Bang for your Buck" aka The Ali rating:

I mean . . . cmon $7 is as cheap as it gets. One review I read online said "why spend more?" and that is apt. I really like the sparkling rosé as well which runs like $8. There is a reserva called Heredad that costs like $20. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference. But at these prices, you can easily find out for yourself.

The last word

Look, all of these wines are great and from there you can decide what you want to spend. The Segura is so cheap you can't not try it and the Labegorce is so smooth I wouldn't bat an eye at it's almost $50 price tag. The Gigondas is what I fell in love with and that's the region I'll digging into for a bit. I was told this wine loves smokey steaks and I'm always grilling so how could I not go for more of these? For more wine info check out my podcast, Eat This Drink That on Spotify and Apple Podcasts + YouTube.

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So you bought a $100 steak

These things happen, especially the way prices are rising these days with food, let alone beef. You literally cannot afford to overcook this steak. So what do you do? Go for that OCD special: The Reverse Sear Method.

The set up: thermometer probe + cast iron skillet

I'm a fan of Thermoworks. I have been using their equipment for years and I'll tell anybody they need a Thermapen in their life. Now what I have here is the Thermoworks Smoke. It is a remote probe thermometer that can monitor food and the ambient temp of your cooking vessel. While I swear by the Thermapen I have had the wire malfunction(screen read HHH) and had to be replaced. Luckily Thermoworks paid the tab, but still. So back to the set up. Oven set at 250 and I jabbed my steak with the probe and let it cook till it hit 125 degrees. Also for what it's worth, I let the steak sit at room temp for about an hour after I seasoned it with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Some people balk that the method doesn't make that much of a difference but regardless it is part of my process. I propped up the steak in the pan so it was resting bone side down. Once it hit the temp I pulled the steak and let it rest on a wire rack. As you can see, it got some good color. Then it was time for the sear. I cranked up the heat on my pan and let it rip. I was going for looks here so I felt it out time wise. Once I thought my steak looked like it came from Smith & Wollensky, I pulled it.

Eat your heart out Morton's

After the sear it was back to the wire rack for more rest. I always rest my steaks, at this point it has become second nature. The common thinking is that the juices redistribute as the steak cools. I just think flavors build with time.

No filter. Seriously.

Real talk: I love to hit my pics with some kind of filter/editing to make the food pop. For this post I wanted to show you exactly how the steak came out. Straight up, I wish I pulled the steak sooner from the oven, so like at 120 degrees or maybe even 115 degrees. Why? Partly because I wanted it a but more rare(it raised in temp passed 135 after searing and resting). But mostly because this steak was super dry aged and it wasn't as juicy as one I would get from even my premium local butcher. I'm being nitpicky about the steak but rest assured, the meal still hit, thanks in no small part to this:

Hear me out . . .

Look I know it is criminal to hit a quality steak with steak sauce. And to be honest I shook my head when I found out my Peter Luger steak kit came with a couple bottles of their steak sauce. Then I tried it. It is freakishly delicious, similar to shrimp cocktail sauce and I challenge anyone to try it and then dismiss it. Oh and that wine? It's a Gigondas, around $30 and was specially selected for this steak. I love this wine and prefer it to a Bordeaux at this price point. But I'm not done yet.

Dry Aged bone in rib steak, lobster tail, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach.

I went the extra mile with a little lobster and creamed spinach is a must because it is both side and sauce. I used Russets to make my mashed potatoes and my only regret was not packing in an obscene amount of butter. I tend to go for creamier Yukon Golds and Russets need even more buttery love. As far as the Reverse Sear goes . . . I supposed you can do it for a very thick steak but at the end of the day I think sear and oven finish will work just as well. Reverse sear really does wonders with a roast. And if you happen to be doing a Prime Rib for Christmas, I'd try the reverse sear and my recipe is right here. Happy steak cooking and holidays everybody!  

The Vitals: the spot: Distant Relatives 3901 Promontory Drive Austin TX 78744 the eats: Mribs, chicken, pulled pork sandwich, all the sides the bucks: $10-$20 a person the full nelson: a new chapter in Austin's BBQ scene and maybe in the history of BBQ

Distant Relatives recently was named one of the country's best new restaurants by Eater. That's a pretty big deal. But what's an even bigger deal is the new chapter of barbecue that Chef Damien Brockway has embarked upon. The former fine dining chef has taken the barbecue reins not just as the latest entry among craft barbecue specialists but as an African American celebrating African American foodways. Brockway is tracing the lineage of African ingredients as they present themselves in barbecue, choosing each ingredient based on this research. It's about what's not on there as much was what is. Like black eyed peas, bird chili and grains of paradise being utilized versus pinto beans and a BBQ rub heavy on the black pepper. I visited Distant Relatives back in June. They were about a week away from moving to their present location at Meanwhile Brewing, joining Pueblo Viejo and Doughboys, respectively some of my fav tacos and pizza in town. Meanwhile is nicer digs but there's something about being situated next to a blue collar business like a tire shop that says "if you cook it they will come".  Maybe that's just the years of hood taco eating but either way I'd go just about anywhere to eat at Distant Relatives.

BBQ Fanatic Yoni Levin in da house

I was out scouting some barbecue joints and brought Yoni Levin with me. If you don't know Yoni, check out his podcast Best BBQ, and you'll soon find out that he has a deep love for the craft of smoked meats. Spoiler alert: his fav place is Snow's BBQ which I've written about in the past. Another spoiler alert: he was also a fan of Distant Relatives.

Samplin' the goods

So the two of us tackled some brisket, ribs(not pictured), bone in chicken, pulled pork sandwich, black eyed peas, and potato salad. Honestly I would come here for the black eyed peas alone then go to Whole Foods and mock everyone in line at the salad bar. Beyond tasting the chef's hand at what can seem like common place dishes, it's the seasonings that really make an impression. Especially with those black eyed peas. I felt like I was eating something closer to Ethiopian food than barbecue and that was because of the flavor profile of the seasoning. Chef Damien, like any good chef doesn't give away too much but I do know that if I want to taste these flavors again, I need to meet a chef from West Africa. And yes, I was way off with my Ethiopia comment. But it goes to show you how limited we are in our exposure to food from the African continent.

How's the brisket?

Honestly it doesn't matter. I'm a moist guy and while that slice looks far from dry, it was actually lean and technically not my jam. The fair thing to say is I have had better brisket elsewhere. And then we move on to what I had that has no equal in Austin.

I swear by this chicken

So anyone coming from the South would trip when I said "you don't see chicken ordered that much in BBQ joints in Austin", but you don't. If anything, smoked turkey steals the poultry spotlight and frankly, that turkey is good. The thing is, bone in dark meat chicken is a BBQ delicacy all its own and an opportunity missed by diners when you taste the chicken at Distant Relatives. It's also a protein that shines with sauce. Chef Damien has a dark and intense molasses sauce and a vinegar based one. And they both hit like guac on a chip.

Tell your Carolina friends about . . .

. . . the pulled pork sandwich. Not so much because it is an homage to their style of barbecue but because it is an example of how some barbecue is just better on a bun. That's not spaghetti on top either, it is coleslaw.

Bottom line:

Distant Relatives is a gift to our current barbecue renaissance. And it becomes an answer to a fair question posed by First We Feast years back about how the obsession with brisket marginalizes barbecue's African American roots. There's more to barbecue than brisket or whatever else might be trending right now. There is an important history that's tied barbecue: a story of people brought in bondage who brought with them a rich culinary tradition. A tradition that sowed the seeds of what has become the most American of foods: barbecue. Distant Relatives is a reminder about how this cherished American food came to be, and it's a delicious reminder at that.

The Vitals: the spot: Hold Out Brewing 1208 W. 4th St. Austin TX 78703 the eats: Hold Out Classic Burger (double), Hold Out Chicken Wings the bucks: $11 and $15 respectively the full nelson: top 5 burger when it's on point and one of my fav places in Austin

The other day I took three bites of a burger and threw it away. That burger cost $6 and came from a drive thru. Two days ago I paid $8 for a burger at a hip Austin bar and chucked it after four bites. I'm a big fan of In-N-Out for overall value(especially my custom order), but my last one was sloppily executed. It's getting to a point where I have to spend $10 in order to not be disappointed. This brings me to Hold Out Brewing, a brewery/bar with a solid menu in Austin TX. The food is what you would expect to find from a brewery. Besides burgers, there are wings, fried chicken and fried fish sandwiches plus hearty salads. Read a little closer and you'll find Szechuan and Kimchi vinaigrettes in the salads and shareable veggie dishes. Oh and a roasted beet side with whipped feta and a blood orange vinaigrette. Things that make you say hmmm.

The case for an $11 cheeseburger

It might be food that goes with beer but like the beer, it's well thought out. So when you look at this $11 double cheeseburger with lettuce, pickle and some play on Thousand Island dressing(called the comeback sauce), you should expect something more. When you bite into this seemingly familiar burger, you find yourself more than satisfied. And it comes down to solid execution. And that's just not a guarantee these days with every burger you come across.

Ooey Gooey Goodness.

For all the talk about how American cheese is the best cheese for a cheeseburger, it should also be noted that the cheese must be melted thoroughly. American cheese served cold is about as depressing as it gets. The melt on here is solid. And you can see a solid sear too. Hold Out is delivering a style of smashed burger, though not exactly that laced edge variety you might see on Instagram.

About those wings . . .

I might have a bone to pick with these wings. At $15 they aren't cheap but it's a huge order and clearly meant to be shared. These are whole joint wings so the drummies, flats and tips come attached like Mother Nature intended. My issue is that they won't sauce the wings at Hold Out. You have to dunk them in their respected sauces of classic Buffalo/Frank's Red Hot style or Miso Ranch. Both sauces are tasty but tossing them in the Buffalo should be accomodated.

Pro Tip: order them crispy

On a second visit I asked for them cooked crispy. Great wings must have a crisp exterior. Of course you don't want to dry out the meat but it's better to air for crispy exterior regardless. Since these wings are huge and whole joint, the meat stayed juicy. Also on the second visit I asked for an extra bowl so I could toss the wings in the sauce myself. I would definitely order these again but only with a group. It's just too large a serving for one man, even this man.

Final ranking.

When I first had this burger I called it a top 5 burger after like two bites. On a second visit I was a little less overwhelmed. But I might chalk that up to letting the burger sit too long while my fellow diners were waiting for their food. Don't make my mistake and run the risk of being rude. Sink your teeth into this burger ASAP. At $11 I'm pretty happy but I might try the single at $7. A double cheeseburger with shredded lettuce, pink sauce and pickles might seem run of the mill but the sum is greater than the parts with the Hold Out Burger. Tasty nostalgia by way of burger design plus solid elevated comfort food execution make the Hold Out Burger a hands down top 3 burger in Austin.