The Vitals: the spot: Sandy’s Hamburgers 603 Barton Springs road Austin TX 78704 the eats: cheap burgers the bucks: cheeseburgers for $5, a double will run $6.40 the full nelson: a nostalgic burger experience fueled by freezer to table fare Sandy’s Hamburgers puts their frozen custard out there front and center. Sure it’s on the signage but if you do a little digging you might find more skeptical critics throw their weight to getting the custard vs the savory fare. ...

The Vitals: the spot: Steak ‘n Shake vs Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers locations throughout US the eats: double steakburger w/ cheese.  the bucks: Steak ‘n Shake: $3.99  Freddy’s: $5.89 the full nelson: a smashed burger chain throw down!! Steak ‘n Shake vs Freddy’s: a smashed burger chain throw down. Being a childhood fan of Steak ‘n Shake, it seems ridiculous that I’m finally getting around to writing about this spot. But perhaps it was all mean to be. Enter ...

a Slider Recipe A slider recipe. Really? Yeah, it seems so simple you don’t even need one but consider these two fundamental burger realities: Everybody loves the sound of making burgers on the grill but they don’t always come out primetime. Everybody loves the sound of sliders but lots of restaurants serve up overpriced lil’ burgers and let’s be real: White Castle is awesome in idea, less so in reality. Unless you are hammered. Which brings me to an enchanted ...

Austin isn’t exactly a two horse town when it comes to food. Sure, there are plenty of farm to table special occasion meals, some ridiculously good burgers, and some of the best soup dumplings I have ever had but if you came here and just stuck to barbecue and tacos, you would cover a lot of delicious ground. So imagine then what happens if tacos and barbecue get into a tussle? When the dust settles, what emerges is a hand ...

The Vitals: the spot: Carnitas El Momo 2411 Fairmount St, Los Angeles, CA 90033 the eats: Carnitas tacos the bucks: $2.50 a taco the full nelson: Carnitas so juicy and full of pure porcine flavor that you don’t need salsa . . . When it comes to great tacos, you can reinvent the wheel but you sure don’t have to. Case in point: Carnitas El Momo in the historic Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Masters of simmering pork in ...

The Vitals: the spot: Dave’s Hot Chicken 970 N. Western Ave Los Angeles CA + locations throughout the city  the eats: Chicken Tenders and Chicken Sliders + fries the bucks: $11-$13 for a combo the full nelson: A delicious gut buster on multiple levels Nashville Hot Chicken ain’t just a Nashville thing anymore. Take it from a guy who has been to Nashville and done the deed, you can now find spicy as Hell fried chicken in Austin, Chicago, NYC ...

The Vitals: the spot: Discada 1319 Rosewood Ave Austin TX 78702 the eats: Discada taco the bucks: $1.75 each, 5 (for $8) will do you right the full nelson: a Northern Mexican taco delicacy makes its way to Austin TX

The Vitals: the spot: Johnnie’s Beef 7500 W. North Ave Chicago Il 60707 the eats: Italian Beef sandwich ordered “wet and hot” the bucks: $5.32 the full nelson: a local’s favorite for Chicago’s most revered sandwich

The Vitals: the spot: Cuantos Tacos 2967 Manor Road Austin TX 78722 the eats: Lengua, Buche, Cachete, Suadero, Carnitas, Longaniza, Champioñes – basically all the tacos but in that order the bucks: $2 a taco – 4 will do you right so plan on $8 a person the full nelson: the best “street tacos” in Austin TX Tacos in Austin are different. When I moved to Austin in the summer of 2015 from LA, my first late night tipsy thought ...

The Vitals: the spot: La Casa del Playa Tikinxic South End Bahia, Isla Mujeres Quintana Roo Mexico  the eats: enormous plates of shrimp ceviche, Pescado Veracruzano, Pescado Tikinxic, even my kids pasta was off the chain! the bucks: $10 a head, the Tikinxic is $15 a plate, that’s also a kilo of fish the full nelson: this is the kind of place that makes me want to move to Mexico Maybe it’s the almost two thousand miles that separates me ...